I always use my faction leader in the army. Not in the frontline though - just behind the infantry..

In my army, if you have a command star, you can have an army and go to war. If you have no talents, you sit in a town till you get some. The family members who make better governors than generals go in my major towns and cities like Tarsus, Antioch, Sidon, Jerusalem, Alexandria, Memphis, Sardis, Pergamum etc.