What was the most bitter defeat in the USA military history?

Question

In your opinion, what was the worst defeat of the American army?

BCA6010 · Accepted Answer

Why is the Alamo even on here? That didn't involve the US or its military in any way. The entire Texas Revolution is more of a referendum on the mind-numbing stupidity and weakness of the Mexican government at the time, including wasting valuable time and resources on the Alamo and ultimately surrendering and signing an illegitimate peace treaty just because of one man's ego and cowardice.

The Battle of Antietam is the worst US military loss in history in terms of casualty numbers in a single day battle (in part due to combining losses on both sides). In terms of proportions, the Battle of the Wabash (aka St Clair's Defeat) is the worst by far. St Clair's Defeat gets basically no coverage in schools, likely because it was part of a much lesser known conflict, the Northwest Indian War. Antietam is pretty hard to ignore, though it and every other Civil War battle is overshadowed by Gettysburg. Another lesser known battle that is worth mentioning is Cold Harbor, though it was stretched out over a longer period and most people refer to Grant's failed attack on June 3rd that became a major source of anti-Union propaganda for wasting its soldiers.

Another one that almost never gets mentioned is the Battle of Hurtgen Forest, and the failure to break through the Italian alps in WW2. In fact, defeats, embarrassments, and disasters/wastes of lives and assets on the Allies side in both world wars overwhelmingly get completely ignored, and in some cases turned into propaganda symbols instead. Pearl Harbor and Iwo Jima are two prime examples.

Vietnam and Afghanistan are entire wars but as such are much worse in terms of being politically embarrassing, but calling either conflict a military defeat is a huge stretch when the fundamental problem for both was a total lack of goals and disregard for common knowledge of warfare in the first place, and the US military decisively beating their respective enemies of the time on the ground. Both ended with a peace treaty that was immediately ignored and never enforced. Of the ones you listed though, I think Vietnam wins this hands down since it was ultimately for nothing.

Iron_Man · Accepted Answer

The battle of little Bighorn custard’s last stand

chrissykerdock · Accepted Answer

some of those choices are subjective understand war sometimes happens because someone wants to make money like cheney and bush same with the vietnam war there's no logial reason for that war kennedy called it off so they killed him so they could have the war bay of pigs happend so kennedy looked bad and he did the cia called off back up and the cia killed kennedy kennedy wanted to dismantle the cia another reason to kill him trump too was a set up not negligence

RingOfFire · Answer

2022 Harris-Biden administration's catastrophic defeat and withdrawal from Afghanistan which which has put the United States in the most dangerous national security crisis in its history by leading to two wars in two of the most dangerous regions of the world, turning over billions of dollars of America's best military equipment to terrorists who are using it to this day to target Americans and their allies for terrorism, putting the world on the edge of World War III and nuclear annihilation and positioning America as weak and stupid emboldening it's enemies throughout the world.

The administration ignored all the warnings and the strong recommendations about how to handle Afghanistan from military experts and moved ahead with reckless abandon that led to this catastrophic defeat.

Kamela Harris boasted about taking credit for this catastrophe saying that she was the "last one in the room," when the decision was made.

She must never be Commander in Chief.

buzzword · Answer

It's silly to look at any of those as defeats. For example the Battle of Alamo was Just Texans. Texas lost 200 soldiers against an army of 1,500 Mexicans that lost 600+ soldiers in a broader Mexican-American war that the USA won leading to the acquisition of 500,000 square miles of Mexican territory into the United States. Not only was the loss exchange ratio in favor of the Texans, but America won the war totally and completely leading to American expansion... But I guess you see that as defeat. You live in the twilight zone.

slatyb · Answer

The Alamo was a bunch of slave Texans rebelling against Mexico so they could hold slaves in Texas. There were no US soldiers present.

The Bay of Pigs invasion was a bunch of Cuban exiles, not the US military.

The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise attack, it was not a battle and was not "lost". It was the beginning of a long war that was eventually won.

Korea was fought to a stalemate. Vietnam was lost, a war that should not have been fought. It's stupid to get involved in other countries civil wars.

NaultD · Answer

War on terror. Had zero meaning zero justification and put us in the worst economic situation to and economic disaster of 2008 and pandemic disaster 2020.

From damn near in the black of government spending to today 73 trillion in dedt. The only solution is inflation over a century.

Drewtate · Answer

Battle of Bataan. The Japanese defeated the US military in the Philippines. Successfully taking the island.

KostasKouvalis · Answer

War in Afghanistan (2001–2021). Invested so much money and resources for 20 years. Lost and fucked up so many people, only to have the country fall to the Taliban anyways.

thearchjoker · Answer

Those are all battles but Vietnam was the whole war. If Iraq was here i'd vote for it but sadly its not a option here.

normalice · Answer

January 6 2021, when a sitting US president attacked our country but only one invader was taken down, and not even by the military.

John_Cobretti · Answer

You forgot Taliban , easily the most embarrassing moment for USA

In_Trance · Answer

When you look at this it sure sums up why the rest of the world thinks Americans are the laughing stock

Ladsin2 · Answer

We never lost a war. My people lost the War of Northern Aggression. So I suppose that counts.

Anonymous · Answer

Depends what you mean by "bitter defeat".

exitseven · Answer

I say Pearl Harbor so far.

Anonymous · Answer

B, G and possibly C.

What was the most bitter defeat in the USA military history?

Most Helpful Opinions

Most Helpful Opinions

What Girls & Guys Said

What was the actual point or outcome of this war?

What was the most bitter defeat in the USA military history?

Most Helpful Opinions

Most Helpful Opinions

What Girls & Guys Said

What was the actual point or outcome of this war?

We're glad to see you liked this post.