Short Rounds

The Highest Ranking Officers in U.S. History

In 1976, pursuant to Public Law 94-479, enacted by a Joint Resolution of Congress, George Washington was  promoted to the rank of "General of the Armies of the United States" as of July 4^th of that year, because "it is considered fitting and proper that no officer of the United States Army should outrank Lieutenant General George Washington."

Washington's highest rank in the United States Army had been lieutenant general.  On July 3, 1798, during the Quasi-War with France, Congress turned to the by-then former president, and commissioned him "Lieutenant-General and Commander of the United States Army," which he held until his death on December 14, 1799.

Respect for Washington was so great no one was promoted to lieutenant general until March 2, 1864, when U.S. Grant received the newly revived rank; even the great Winfield Scott had had to settle for a brevet promotion to lieutenant general.  And then, of course, on July 25, 1866 Grant was promoted to full general, and in the generations since many officers have borne three- and four-star rank, and a few even higher.

Public Law 94-479 was prompted by the fear that because Washington was "outranked" by a flock of much less famous people, he was somehow being slighted.  However, the over-zealous patriots who prompted the promotion overlooked the fact that on June 15, 1775, Congress had commissioned Washington as "General and Commander-in-Chief of all the forces raised or to be raised" in the defense of American liberties, which strongly suggests he outranks everyone, not just Army officers but Navy, Air Force, Marine , and Coast Guard ones too.

Nevertheless, as things presently stand, the senior most officers of the U.S. Armed Forces, are: 

• General of the Armies of the United States George Washington (1732-1799), to rank from July 4, 1976, but actually already "General and Commander-in-Chief of all the Forces” as of June 15, 1775.
• Admiral of the Navy George Dewey (1837-1917), March 2, 1899
• General of the Armies John J. Pershing (1860-1948), September 3, 1919
• Fleet Admiral William Daniel Leahy (1875-1959), December 15, 1944
• General of the Army George C. Marshall (880-1959), December 16, 1944
• Fleet Admiral Ernest Joseph King (1878-1956), December 17, 1944
• General of the Army Douglas MacArthur (18801864), December 18, 1944
• Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz (1885-1966), promoted December 19, 1944
• General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), December 20, 1944
• General of the Army Henry H. Arnold (1886-1850), December 21, 1944  (Became General of the Air Force pursuant to Public Law 58, 81st Congress, May 7, 1949):
• Fleet Admiral William Frederick Halsey (1882-1959), December 11, 1945.
• General of the Army Omar N. Bradley (1893-1981), September 20, 1950

The Second World War batch of super-ranking flag officers was partially due to the need to have senior commanders who could stand on an equal footing with allied field marshals and admirals of the fleet.  The interesting order in which the first seven were commissioned, one each on December 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21, with sailors and soldiers alternating, was to insure a clearly established order of seniority among these officers

As for insignia, Washington wore “ . . . a light blue ribband across his heart ..." during the Revolutionary War, and apparently during the Quasi-War as well.  By the time Dewey received his extraordinary promotion, stars had come into use for full generals and admirals, but he never wore more than four (plus a somewhat fancier amount of gold braid on his cuffs), though he was given the option of wearing five stars, a practice followed by Pershing,.  When the ranks of general of the army and fleet admiral were introduced, five stars in a circle were the designated insignia.

William Littler Wins a Commission

Following their victory in the Battle of Oudenarde (Jul 11, 1708), in the eighth year of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy, commanding a combined British, Dutch, and Holy Roman Empire army, advanced on Lille, capital of northern France, to lay it under siege.

Approaching from the north, a few miles above the city they came upon the Marquette River, which, although small, presented a rather serious obstacle to their advance, as the crossing was over a drawbridge that was defended by a stout fortification.

Looking across the stream at the drawn-up bridge, the commander of the English advanced guard, Col. Francis Godfrey of the 16^th Foot (later the Bedfordshire Regiment), noted that the chains suspending it were exposed, and might be cut.  But to cut it would require a soldier to swim the river under enemy fire.  The good colonel appealed to his troops, offering a fat purse to any man who would do the deed.  Several men took up the offer, but one after another, each was shot down before he succeeded in getting across.  Then Sergeant William Littler stepped forward.  An educated man of sober habits, Littler had several times turned down a commission, preferring to remain a simple soldier.  Approaching Col. Godfrey, Littler said, "Sir, I don't want the money, only let me make the attempt, for the honour of the regiment."  The colonel assented.

Littler grabbed an axe, jumped into the river, and made his way across despite a hail of bullets.  Attaining the other bank, and thus sheltered from enemy fire, Littler, though lightly wounded, climbed up the drawbridge to a point where he could chop away at the chains.  Soon the bridge fell.  Seeing that the loss of the bridgehead was inevitable, the greatly outnumbered French abandoned the position.

As a reward for his gallantry, and over his protests, Littler was commissioned an ensign in the 3^rd Foot (later The Buffs).   Over the next few decades he rose through the ranks, serving in several regiments, including the 1^st Foot Guards (the Grenadier Guards).  In 1740 Littler was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the 47^th Foot (later the Lancashire Regiment).  He died in 1742.

Note: All in the Family:  The French commander during this campaign was James FitzJames, the Duke of Berwick, who was the illegitimate son of the late King James II of England and Arabella Churchill.  Ms. Churchill later married Col. Charles Godfrey, and bore him Francis Godfrey who was thus the half-brother of the French commander.  And, since Ms. Churchill's brother was John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough, Francis was also the nephew of his own commander, which may help explain why he eventually rose to brigadier general