# What was George Washington's original military rank and what were all his subsequent one's? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 28, 2015, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-george-washingtons-original-military-rank-and-what-were-all-his-subsequent-ones/726376 "2015-07-28T05:34:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-george-washingtons-original-military-rank-and-what-were-all-his-subsequent-ones/726376/1 "2015-07-28T05:34:24Z")
Hi, Most of what I read about George Washington usually only mentions his later military titles. What was George Washington’s original military rank and what were all his subsequent one’s? Was it Lt. Colonel at age 22?(see link) [http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lieutenant-colonel-george-washington-begins-the-seven-years-war](http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lieutenant-colonel-george-washington-begins-the-seven-years-war) How did he move through the ranks? I’m not sure what ranking existed back then. Did he go through the following ranks. Colonel,Brigadier General, Major General, Lt. General, General? I know as a member of the landed gentry he was in a respectable position and offered the rank of his deceased half-brother Adjutant General Lawrence Washington. So what ranks did he actually move through? I look forward to your feedback davidmich ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-george-washingtons-original-military-rank-and-what-were-all-his-subsequent-ones/726376/2 "2015-07-28T07:02:36Z")
Washington’s original rank was Major in the Virginia colonial militia (this was when Virginia was still a British colony). He was appointed in 1753. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1754 and Colonel in 1755. These appointments were made by the Governor of Virginia. He resigned from the militia in 1758. In 1775 the Continental Congress appointed him to the rank of General in the Continental Army (this was seen as the equivalent of being a Major General). He resigned from the military in 1783. In 1798, it appeared there would be a war with France. Washington was named to the rank of Lieutenant General (three stars) and placed in command of the United States Army. The war did not occur but Washington held the rank until his death in 1799. In 1978, Washington was retroactively appointed to the rank of General of the Armies, which is the highest rank ever created in the United States. His appointment to this rank was backdated to 1976. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-george-washingtons-original-military-rank-and-what-were-all-his-subsequent-ones/726376/3 "2015-07-28T07:04:46Z")
> [@davidmich](#): > > Was it Lt. Colonel at age 22? Yes, he was promoted to that rank one month after his 22nd birthday. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-george-washingtons-original-military-rank-and-what-were-all-his-subsequent-ones/726376/4 "2015-07-28T07:50:00Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > In 1978, Washington was retroactively appointed to the rank of General of the Armies, which is the highest rank ever created in the United States. His appointment to this rank was backdated to 1976. They backdated his promotion by a whole two years? Cutbacks must have been particularly severe. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-george-washingtons-original-military-rank-and-what-were-all-his-subsequent-ones/726376/5 "2015-07-28T08:16:20Z")
222 years from major to general of the armies is a really slow progression through the ranks. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-george-washingtons-original-military-rank-and-what-were-all-his-subsequent-ones/726376/6 "2015-07-28T08:23:42Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > In 1978, Washington was retroactively appointed to the rank of General of the Armies, which is the highest rank ever created in the United States. His appointment to this rank was backdated to 1976. So Pershing outranks him (earlier DOR)? ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-george-washingtons-original-military-rank-and-what-were-all-his-subsequent-ones/726376/7 "2015-07-28T08:57:05Z")
According to Ron Chernow’s “Washington A Life” (p. 38) “…(Robert) Dinwiddle presented him (Washington) with a commission as lieutenant colonel. Almost twenty-two, Washington was emerging as a wunderkind to be reckoned with in the world of Virginia politics”… What is the average age of a Lt. Colonel today? 38 according to this link. > **[Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos](https://www.yahoo.com/)** > > Latest news coverage, email, free stock quotes, live scores and video are just the beginning. Discover more every day at Yahoo! 38-46 according to this link > **[What is the average age of a Lt Col in the US army? - Answers](https://qa.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_average_age_of_a_Lt_Col_in_the_US_army)** > > About 50 > Uh...no. The Average LtCol in the Army, Air Force or Marines > will be between 39 and 45 or 46 depending on several factors. Some > will be older, and may be as old as 50, but that is the exception > not the norm...I know, I am one....we're old,... ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-george-washingtons-original-military-rank-and-what-were-all-his-subsequent-ones/726376/8 "2015-07-28T12:32:29Z")
Thanks Little Nemo. Thanks everyone. Very helpful. davidmich ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-george-washingtons-original-military-rank-and-what-were-all-his-subsequent-ones/726376/9 "2015-07-28T13:24:27Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > So Pershing outranks him (earlier DOR)? The appointment in 1976 implies that Washington retroactively outranks all others but does not specifically address the Pershing issue. The issue wasn’t exactly resolved during Pershing’s lifetime when they started making 5 star generals. Pershing wore 4 gold stars. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-george-washingtons-original-military-rank-and-what-were-all-his-subsequent-ones/726376/10 "2015-07-28T14:58:48Z")
> [@davidmich](#): > > According to Ron Chernow’s “Washington A Life” (p. 38) > “…(Robert) Dinwiddle presented him (Washington) with a commission as lieutenant colonel. Almost twenty-two, Washington was emerging as a wunderkind to be reckoned with in the world of Virginia politics”… > > What is the average age of a Lt. Colonel today? > 38 according to this link. > [https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100712134158AA79L8g](https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100712134158AA79L8g) > > 38-46 according to this link > [What is the average age of an air force LT. Col.? - Answers](http://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_average_age_of_a_Lt_Col_in_the_US_army) These numbers are not comparable in any way. Militia companies were organized by the well-to-do. They always appointed themselves officers and made others of their class officers. From _Washington: The Indispensable Man_ by James Thomas Flexner: > [@](#): > > In Virginia, as in all the colonies, every community supported a volunteer militia company, presumably a military force but more closely resembling a men’s drinking and political club. … [After the death of his older brother] George sought the office. He went after it in the Fairfax manner: not by becoming proficient in military matters, but by paying semi-social calls on influential members of the government. Thus following the mores of an aristocratic world, he secured, at the age of twenty, the title of major and the responsibility of training militia in skills he did not himself possess. This could not happen today in a professional army. It wasn’t very good practice even then. The Revolutionary War taught the colonists that militia could not fight armies. Yet, the U.S. did not want a standing army because those tended to become corrupt and take power away from the civilian politicians. As always, the Constitution served up a compromise. The second amendment talked about “a well-regulated militia” without defining what that could possibly be. We’re still suffering from that lack of precision, though presumably “well-regulated” had a stronger meaning in their minds than it does today. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-george-washingtons-original-military-rank-and-what-were-all-his-subsequent-ones/726376/11 "2015-07-28T18:32:47Z")
As **Loach** notes about Pershing, it is indeed a little ambiguous. But I think that, since (a) Public Law 94-479 provided that Washington as General of the Armies would “have rank and precedence over all other grades of the Army, _past and present_” (emphasis added), and (b) only he was appointed by that Act of Congress, and (c) it came after Pershing’s death, Washington outranked - and still outranks - Pershing. > **[General of the Armies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_of_the_armies#George_Washington)** > > General of the Armies of the United States, more commonly referred to as General of the Armies, is the highest military rank in the United States Army. The rank has been conferred twice: once to John J. Pershing in 1919, as a personal accolade for his command of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I and once to George Washington in 1976, as a posthumous honor during the United States Bicentennial celebrations. Additionally, in December of 2022, Congress authorized the President This is only until **Loach** himself receives his well-deserved promotion(s), of course. ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-george-washingtons-original-military-rank-and-what-were-all-his-subsequent-ones/726376/12 "2015-08-12T12:39:52Z")
Sorry. Just got around to looking at your replies. Thanks Exapno Mapcase. Exactly what I was looking for : Washington: The Indispensable Man by James Thomas Flexner: Quote: In Virginia, as in all the colonies, every community supported a volunteer militia company, presumably a military force but more closely resembling a men’s drinking and political club. … [After the death of his older brother] George sought the office. He went after it in the Fairfax manner: not by becoming proficient in military matters, but by paying semi-social calls on influential members of the government. Thus following the mores of an aristocratic world, he secured, at the age of twenty, the title of major and the responsibility of training militia in skills he did not himself possess. Thank you all. As always, very helpful. davidmich ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-george-washingtons-original-military-rank-and-what-were-all-his-subsequent-ones/726376/13 "2015-08-12T14:48:59Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > In 1978, Washington was retroactively appointed to the rank of General of the Armies, which is the highest rank ever created in the United States. His appointment to this rank was backdated to 1976. That’s 1776. 🙂 July 4, to be precise. > [@TonySinclair](#): > > So Pershing outranks him (earlier DOR)? > [@Loach](#): > > The appointment in 1976 implies that Washington retroactively outranks all others but does not specifically address the Pershing issue. The issue wasn’t exactly resolved during Pershing’s lifetime when they started making 5 star generals. Pershing wore 4 gold stars. > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > As **Loach** notes about Pershing, it is indeed a little ambiguous. But I think that, since (a) Public Law 94-479 provided that Washington as General of the Armies would “have rank and precedence over all other grades of the Army, _past and present_” (emphasis added), and (b) only he was appointed by that Act of Congress, and (c) it came after Pershing’s death, Washington outranked - and still outranks - Pershing. > > [General of the Armies - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_of_the_armies#George_Washington) As noted, the issue was never officially resolved during Pershing’s lifetime. However, the theory is that a General of the Armies (plural) commands more men and is responsible for more things than a General of the Army (singular). Therefore, as a practical matter, it can be asserted that General of the Armies is a 6-star rank. Pershing was the highest-ranking officer in American history during his lifetime. But seniority is based strictly on date of commission, and makes no distinction between current and posthumous/postdated commissions. Therefore, Washington is now the highest-ranking officer in American history, and will be until the end of time. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-george-washingtons-original-military-rank-and-what-were-all-his-subsequent-ones/726376/14 "2015-08-12T15:35:46Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > Therefore, Washington is now the highest-ranking officer in American history, and will be until the end of time. Assuming that Congress doesn’t create a 51-star general after Puerto Rico becomes a state. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-george-washingtons-original-military-rank-and-what-were-all-his-subsequent-ones/726376/15 "2015-08-12T15:39:15Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > That’s 1776. 🙂 > > July 4, to be precise. Not sure if this is a whoosh. But, no, it was 1976. It was backdated to the Bicentennial. Here’s the text of [Public Law 94-479](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Public_Law_94-479). And here’s a copy of the [official order](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Orders_31-3#/media/File:Orders_31-3.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-george-washingtons-original-military-rank-and-what-were-all-his-subsequent-ones/726376/16 "2015-08-12T22:58:58Z")
Wikipedia gives a pretty good explanation of the whole [General of the _Army_ vs _Armies_ and the 5-star/6-star Pershing rank question.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_of_the_Armies#World_War_I_and_John_Pershing) As mentioned above Gen Pershing lived until 1948 so he was alive, although retired and very elderly, when the 5-star General of the Army rank was created in 1944 for US generals to be equal to foreign Field Marshals during WWII. The promotion of Washington for the Bicentennial was clearly meant to officially elevate him to the highest achievable US armed services rank both past and in perpetuity so yes, he outranks Pershing. Although it’s hardly a slight to Pershing’s service, and I doubt his family would argue that he should outrank the father of our country\*!\* ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2015, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-george-washingtons-original-military-rank-and-what-were-all-his-subsequent-ones/726376/17 "2015-08-13T04:56:17Z")
Well, I doubt that any manufacturers of U.S. military insignia are tooling up to make 6 star insignia. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2015, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-george-washingtons-original-military-rank-and-what-were-all-his-subsequent-ones/726376/18 "2015-08-13T05:52:53Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Not sure if this is a whoosh. But, no, it was 1976. It was backdated to the Bicentennial. Here’s the text of [Public Law 94-479](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Public_Law_94-479). And here’s a copy of the [official order](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Orders_31-3#/media/File:Orders_31-3.jpg). I did some research on this some time back, and I could have sworn that it was backdated to 1776. I obviously misremembered. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2015, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-george-washingtons-original-military-rank-and-what-were-all-his-subsequent-ones/726376/19 "2015-08-13T14:19:49Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Well, I doubt that any manufacturers of U.S. military insignia are tooling up to make 6 star insignia. That will change if Trump is elected. He’ll be the classiest Commander in Chief ever.