The fact that Patton had dyslexia is supported by his family and documented by both Blumenson and D’Este. Patton’s dyslexia and perhaps ADD, his immediate forebears, his unusual upbringing, and his early socialization developed the young Patton into what D’Este called “a genius for war.” Evidence of Patton’s Conditions In trying to understand Patton’s career, we cannot afford to discount those aspects of his life that had long been hidden behind his martial bluster. Historian Carlo D’Este enlarged upon Blumenson’s pathfinding work in his 1995 study Patton: A Genius for War, painting more clearly a picture of an oddly functioning Patton family that had shaped Patton’s entire life and ultimately enabled him to overcome, or a least deal with, his dyslexia and embark on a storied military career.

Martin Blumenson brought the general’s dyslexia to attention in his 1985 biography Patton: The Man Behind the Legend. Even the importance of Patton’s early family life, which led him to valorize war and model himself as the heir of his heroic Confederate ancestors, was neglected until recently.

Given the state of medical science in the 1940s and the postwar era, Patton could not have been aware that he may have also suffered from an affliction known today as attention deficit disorder (ADD), which afflicts many dyslexics nor could historians have identified the condition until recently. Patton, who was always concerned about shaping his public image according to his own lights, did not care to call attention to his dyslexia nor did those who wrote about his swashbuckling exploits as a tank commander in the aftermath of World War II care to investigate the subject, despite such red flags as the frequent symptomatic idiosyncrasies in his spelling and punctuation. Historians will inevitably examine the past through the lens of their own time likewise, historical figures present themselves to their contemporaries according to the knowledge and prejudices of their epoch. Even with such voluminous, detailed, and often extremely personal material available on Patton, it was not until the 1980s that historians began to form a clear picture of the hidden elements that made up the man.

Additionally, his family and heirs have gone to great lengths to preserve the artifacts of his existence. Historians have had a treasury of material at their disposal as Patton was a prolific writer, kept personal diaries, and saved virtually every scrap of paper he ever handled. His career was also one of the most thoroughly documented of any of the war’s great commanders. Patton, Jr., was one of the most flamboyant and controversial figures of World War II.

Patton by Carlo D'Este