The Conquerors

William the Conqueror

He was a ruthless leader with a gift for politics. In an age of short and often brutal lives, he reigned for over thirty years. And only then did he embark upon the campaign that made him a legend.

General William Howe - Conqueror of New York

He was an experienced commander sent to impose order on a rebellious colony. He soundly defeated the man who would come to be called "the father of the country." Yet in the end, his victory proved fruitless.

Andrew Jackson - Conqueror of Florida

He was a national hero, the commander who defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812. Five years later, he took on another European superpower in a private campaign that ultimately helped carry him to the White House.

Cortés - Conqueror of Mexico

John G. Freemont - Conqueror of California

It was one of the most significant land grabs in history. Acting on what many believe to be secret orders from President Polk, John Charles Fremont fomented the Bear Flag Rebellion in June of 1846, which led to Mexico ceding the vast California territory to the United States. It was just one chapter in the full life of the man who mapped the Oregon Trail and became Arizona's first governor.

El Cid

Though his name was Rodrigo Diaz, he was known simply as El Cid (The Leader). Yet recent scholarship has exposed many gaps between truth and myth in the tales about Spain's first national hero. Was he, as one contemporary said, ""the scourge of his time""? Or are the tales recorded in the epic Poema de Mio Cid a more accurate picture of this unique man?

Marshal Zhukov - WWII Conqueror of Berlin

To speed up his campaign, he split command between Marshal Zhukov in the center and Marshal Konev in the south triggering a race between his most senior commanders--both eager to be credited with conquest of the German capital. On April 15, Soviet forces launched one of history's most powerful artillery barrages. But the Germans had withdrawn to fortified positions on the Seelow heights further inland, having learned of the imminent Soviet attack. It took Zhukov three days to break the resistance, and his losses were devastating.

Sherman's March to the Sea

On November 15, 1864, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman left Atlanta with 62,000 men and headed toward the Georgia coast. Traveling the rail lines to Savannah, his army laid waste to the countryside, burning crops, confiscating supplies, destroying buildings, and ripping up rail tracks. When Sherman reached his destination in December, the South had been dealt a blow from which it would never recover--and the brutal general had written a chapter in military history that would be studied by generations of commanders.