In formally proposing the adoption of the Anglo-Irish Treaty on 19 December 1921 Arthur Griffith referred to Michael Collins as 'the man who won the war,' much to the annoyance of the Defence Minister Cathal Brugha, who questioned whether Collins 'had ever fired a shot at any enemy of Ireland'. Who was this Michael Collins, and what was his real role in the War of Independence? How was it that two sincere, selfless individuals like Griffith and Brugha, could differ so strongly about him? This is the story of a charismatic rebel who undermined British morale and inspired Irish people with exploits, both real and imaginary. He co-ordinated the sweeping Sinn Fein election victory of 1918, organised the IRA, set up the first modem intelligence network, and supervised the fund-raising to finance the movement. Collins probably never killed anybody himself, but he did order the deaths of people standing in his way, and he even advocated kidnapping a US President. He was the prototype of the urban terrorist and the real architect of the Black and Tan War. T. Ryle Dwyer was educated at Tralee CBS and university in Texas, USA where he received BA, MA and Ph.D. degrees in history. He has published eight books on different aspects of twentieth century Irish history, including a highly-acclaimed biography of de Valera as well as Michael Collins and The Treaty: His differences with de Valera.