Rank

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

in the army and navy, a grade of various officers established by law, each one carrying distinct rights, privileges, and emoluments. Official etiquette often prescribes that certain functions shall be performed by officers of certain grades, and that an officer is entitled to have an officer of equal rank to treat with. In order to facilitate communications between officers of the United States army and navy in accordance with the principle of equality in rank, as well as to enable them to communicate with similar officers of foreign countries, a correspondence has been established between military and naval ranks. Before the abolition of the four offices the general of the army ranked equal with the admiral of the navy, and the lieutenant-general with the vice-admiral. After this the officers ranked as follows: Major-generals with rear-admirals; brigadier-generals with commodores; colonels with captains; lieutenant-colonels with commanders; majors with lieutenantcommanders; captains with lieutenants; first lieutenants with masters; and second lieutenants with ensigns. Chiefs of naval bureaus, usually captains, ranked as commodores while holding bureau assignments, and after vacating them resume their lineal rank. If a naval officer is assigned to a duty or command that would ordinarily be or given to an officer of a higher rank he is advanced to that rank, either full or acting, for the period of the assignment. A chaplain ranks as a captain of cavalry in the army, and as a captain in the navy. The superintendent of the United States Military Academy ranks as a colonel in the army, but the superintendent of the Naval Academy is not restricted to high rank; he may be a commander, captain, or rear-admiral. A flag-officer is a naval officer of sufficiently high rank to entitle him to command a fleet or a subdivision of one. Captains command ships of high rating; commodores, formerly, squadrons of not less our ships. In the army brigathan four dier-generals command origades, and major-generals, divisions and corps, the last being the largest body in the army as constituted for the war with Spain. In 1902, under several acts of Congress, the highest rank in the army was the revived one of lieutenant-general; and in the navy that of admiral, revived for Dewey. The Naval Personnel Bill abolished the rank of commodore, enlarged the number of rear-admirals, and Vol. VII-Cyc divided the latter into two classes of nine each, the first nine ranking with major-generals and the second nine with brigadier-generals. In order to place American officers in the World War on a level with officers of the Allies, an act was passed May 22, 1917, providing for the appointment of 3 admirals and 3 vice-admirals. In Oc tober, 1917, an act was passed reviving the title of General for two officers, the Commander of the Armies in France and the Chief of Staff of the Army.