This is a complete list of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

s in the United States

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a standin ...

before July 1, 1920. For most of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the

rank Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as: Level or position in a hierarchical organization * Academic rank * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy * ...

of major general was the highest possible in the Regular Army. It was also one of the rarest: until 1915, there were at most eight major generals on active duty at any given time. Even when the Army expanded during times of war, the number of Regular Army major generals remained relatively constant because instead of increasing the permanent military establishment to meet transient wartime needs, the Regular Army was used as a

cadre Cadre may refer to: *Cadre (military), a group of officers or NCOs around whom a unit is formed, or a training staff *Cadre (politics), a politically controlled appointment to an institution in order to circumvent the state and bring control to th ...

for a vast non-permanent establishment of

volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

and

conscript Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

forces. Many of the most famous major generals of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

held that rank only in the volunteer service, and reverted to a much lower permanent grade in the Regular Army when the volunteer force was disbanded after the war.Wade (1976). The number of Regular Army major generals increased dramatically when the Army was reorganized after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The new peacetime establishment maintained a total of 34 active-duty major generals, including 21 major generals of the line and 13 major generals of the staff. The reorganization took effect on July 1, 1920.

Taxonomy

Historically, the United States Army included two components: the permanently established

, which constituted the peacetime force; and, during time of war, a much larger non-permanent establishment comprising various volunteer, conscript, and federalized state forces.The Army Register separately lists each officer's appointments in the permanent and non-permanent establishments of the United States Army. Appointments in the volunteers, National Army, or National Guard are listed under the non-permanent establishment, as are temporary appointments in the United States Army, while Regular Army and emergency general officer appointments are listed under the permanent establishment. There were three types of major generals in the Regular Army: * A major general of the line was an officer who was commissioned in the permanent grade of major general and therefore maintained that rank regardless of assignment. * A major general of the staff was an officer who held the temporary rank of major general only while occupying an office designated by statute to carry that rank, and who reverted to a lower permanent grade upon relinquishing that office. * An emergency major general was an officer whose Regular Army rank of major general was authorized only during the

emergency, which expired on June 30, 1920. Major generals in the non-permanent or non-federal establishments included the following: * A major general of militia was appointed or elected to that rank in one of the state

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

forces. * A major general of levies was appointed to that rank in the six-month levies raised during the Northwest Indian War.Fry, pp. 70–71. * A major general of volunteers was appointed to that rank in the United States Volunteers during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, the Mexican War, the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, or the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

.For lists of major generals in the United States Volunteers, see Heitman or Eicher and Eicher. * A major general in the Provisional Army was appointed to that rank in the Provisional Army authorized during the

Quasi-War The Quasi-War (french: Quasi-guerre) was an undeclared naval war fought from 1798 to 1800 between the United States and the French First Republic, primarily in the Caribbean and off the East Coast of the United States. The ability of Congress ...

. * A major general in the National Guard was appointed to that rank in one of the state

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

forces. * A major general in the National Army was appointed to that rank in the National Army during World War I before August 7, 1918, when the Regular Army, the National Army, and the federalized National Guard were unified into a single United States Army. * A temporary major general was appointed to that rank in the non-permanent establishment of the unified United States Army after August 7, 1918. In addition, honorary brevet ranks of major general were conferred in several organizations in recognition of gallant wartime conduct.During the War of 1812, brevet major generals were functionally equivalent to substantive major generals, but over the ensuing decades brevet ranks lost their authority and became strictly honorary distinctions. For background, see Fry. * A brevet major general was awarded that brevet rank in the Regular Army, typically for actions in the War of 1812, the Mexican War, or the Civil War. * A brevet major general of volunteers was awarded that brevet rank in the United States Volunteers, typically for actions in the Civil War or the Spanish–American War. * A brevet major general of militia was awarded that brevet rank in one of the state militia forces.

List of Regular Army major generals before July 1, 1920

The following list of major generals includes all officers appointed to that rank in the line or staff of the Regular Army prior to July 1, 1920, including emergency major generals.The list of major generals before 1903 is taken principally from Heitman, pp. 19–20. Major generals after 1903 are taken from the Army Register (1907, 1912, 1922), Eicher and Eicher, and Cullum. It does not include officers who held that rank solely by brevet or in the non-permanent or non-federal establishment, such as major generals of militia or volunteers, major generals in the National Guard or National Army, or temporary major generals. Entries are indexed by the numerical order in which each officer was appointed to that rank while on active duty, or by an asterisk (*) if the officer did not serve in that rank while on active duty. Each entry lists the officer's name; date of rank;Dates of rank are taken from Heitman or the Army Register (1907, 1912, 1922, 1936, 1945). date the officer vacated the active-duty rank;Dates vacated are taken from Heitman or the Army Register. An officer could vacate the active-duty rank of major general via death, retirement, promotion to a higher permanent grade, or reversion to a lower permanent grade upon relinquishing an office bearing the statutory rank of major general. number of years on active duty as major general (Yrs);The number of years on active duty as major general is taken to be the difference between the officer's date of rank and the date on which his active duty commission as major general was vacated, rounded to the nearest whole year. It includes periods during which the officer served at a higher brevet or temporary rank without vacating a permanent grade of major general, but not periods during which the officer reverted to a lower permanent grade after serving as a major general of the staff. and other biographical notes.Biographical notes include years of birth and death; dates of promotion to higher permanent grade; dates of brevet rank; dates of service as major general or higher in the staff or non-permanent establishment; and other unusual career events such as death in office or awards of the Medal of Honor, Thanks of Congress, Congressional Gold Medal, or Congressional Sword. Dates are taken from Heitman, the Army Register, Eicher and Eicher, or Marquis Who's Who.

Timeline

By June 30, 1920, there were 10 major generals of the line ( maj.gen. 1–10) and 10 major generals of the staff: the Quartermaster General ( Q.m.Gen.), the Surgeon General ( Surg.Gen.), the Chief of Coast Artillery ( C.of C.A.), the Adjutant General ( Adj.Gen.), the Inspector General ( Insp.Gen.), the Judge Advocate General ( J.A.G.), the Chief of Engineers ( C.of Eng.), the Chief of Ordnance ( C.of Ord.), the Chief Signal Officer ( C.S.O.), and the Chief of the Bureau of Insular Affairs ( C.of B.I.A.). An officer held the permanent grade of major general ( Maj.gen.) until his death; retirement; or promotion to a higher permanent grade such as lieutenant general ( Lt.gen.), general ( Gen.), or General of the Armies ( Gen.Armies). Staff or brevet appointments to lieutenant general ( Lt.gen.*) or general did not vacate the officer's permanent grade of major general; nor did appointments as major general of volunteers or in the National Army ( vols.), or as emergency lieutenant general or general. ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:10 PlotArea = top:50 bottom:50 right:130 left:20 AlignBars = late Colors = id:gen value:rgb(0,1,0) legend: Gen./Gen.Armies id:ltg value:rgb(1,0,0) legend: Lt.gen. id:ltgb value:rgb(1,0.75,0.75) legend: Lt.gen.* id:mg value:rgb(0,0,1) legend: Maj.gen._(line) id:mgstaff value:rgb(0.75,0.75,1) legend: Maj.gen._(staff) id:mgv value:rgb(0,1,1) legend: Maj.gen._(vols.) id:mgna value:rgb(0,1,1) id:time value:rgb(1,1,1) id:era value:rgb(0.75,0.75,0.75) id:erabar value:rgb(0,0,0) Legend = orientation:vertical position:right # EasyTimeline does not support dd/mm/yyyy format before the year # 1800, so the following hacks are required: # # 1) All dates are incremented by 100 years. # # 2) Instead of using ScaleMajor to create the timescale at the # bottom of the plot, we implement the year labels and tick # lines manually. This also lets us create a duplicate # timescale at the top of the plot. DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1890 till:01/01/2035 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal # ScaleMajor is required and there is no way to prevent it from # writing at least one year label (incorrectly, since we # have incorrectly incremented all dates by 100 years), so we # minimize the damage by allowing it to write an incorrect year # that can be mostly masked when overwritten by a correct year # (1900

> 1800). ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1000 start:01/01/1900 # Uncomment the following ScaleMajor line to check the alignment # of manual ticks and year labels with the automatically placed # ScaleMajor ticks and labels. #ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:01/01/1890 # Manually hardcoded positions of timescale labels and tick lines. Define $lefttime = 20 Define $righttime = 670 Define $toptime = 1630 Define $toptimetick = 1635 Define $toptimetext = 1640 Define $bottomtime = 50 Define $bottomtimetick = 45 Define $bottomtimetext = 31 Define $time1790 = 8 Define $tick1790 = 20 Define $time1800 = 52 Define $tick1800 = 64 Define $time1810 = 97 Define $tick1810 = 109 Define $time1820 = 142 Define $tick1820 = 154 Define $time1830 = 187 Define $tick1830 = 199 Define $time1840 = 231 Define $tick1840 = 244 Define $time1850 = 276 Define $tick1850 = 288 Define $time1860 = 321 Define $tick1860 = 333 Define $time1870 = 366 Define $tick1870 = 378 Define $time1880 = 411 Define $tick1880 = 423 Define $time1890 = 455 Define $tick1890 = 468 Define $time1900 = 500 Define $tick1900 = 513 Define $time1910 = 544 Define $tick1910 = 557 Define $time1920 = 589 Define $tick1920 = 602 Define $time1930 = 634 Define $tick1930 = 647 Define $topY = 1590 Define $topYtext1 = 1595 Define $topYtext2 = 1610 Define $rightX = 730 Define $rightXtext = 735 Define $majgen1top = 1330 Define $majgen1 = 1225 Define $majgen2top = 1156 Define $majgen2 = 1016 Define $majgen3top = 958 Define $majgen3 = 778 Define $majgen4top = 749 Define $majgen4 = 629 Define $majgen5top = 619 Define $majgen5 = 579 Define $majgen6top = 570 Define $majgen6 = 510 Define $qmgentop = 480 Define $qmgen = 450 Define $surggentop = 420 Define $surggen = 400 Define $majgen7top = 371 Define $majgen7 = 341 Define $cofcatop = 331 Define $cofca = 311 Define $majgen8top = 301 Define $majgen8 = 291 Define $majgen9top = 281 Define $majgen9 = 271 Define $majgen10top = 261 Define $majgen10 = 241 Define $adjgentop = 232 Define $adjgen = 212 Define $inspgentop = 202 Define $inspgen = 192 Define $jagtop = 182 Define $jag = 172 Define $cofengtop = 162 Define $cofeng = 142 Define $cofordtop = 132 Define $coford = 112 Define $csotop = 102 Define $cso = 92 Define $cofbiatop = 82 Define $cofbia = 72 Define $now = 30/06/2020 LineData = layer:back width:1.0 color:erabar points:($rightX,$majgen1)($rightX,$majgen1top) points:($rightX,$majgen2)($rightX,$majgen2top) points:($rightX,$majgen3)($rightX,$majgen3top) points:($rightX,$majgen4)($rightX,$majgen4top) points:($rightX,$majgen5)($rightX,$majgen5top) points:($rightX,$majgen6)($rightX,$majgen6top) points:($rightX,$qmgen)($rightX,$qmgentop) points:($rightX,$surggen)($rightX,$surggentop) points:($rightX,$majgen7)($rightX,$majgen7top) points:($rightX,$cofca)($rightX,$cofcatop) points:($rightX,$majgen8)($rightX,$majgen8top) points:($rightX,$majgen9)($rightX,$majgen9top) points:($rightX,$majgen10)($rightX,$majgen10top) points:($rightX,$adjgen)($rightX,$adjgentop) points:($rightX,$inspgen)($rightX,$inspgentop) points:($rightX,$jag)($rightX,$jagtop) points:($rightX,$cofeng)($rightX,$cofengtop) points:($rightX,$coford)($rightX,$cofordtop) points:($rightX,$cso)($rightX,$csotop) points:($rightX,$cofbia)($rightX,$cofbiatop) width:0.5 color:era at:$now frompos:60 tillpos:$topY at:01/01/1890 at:03/08/1895 at:07/07/1898 at:30/09/1900 at:18/06/1912 at:23/03/1915 at:25/04/1946 at:02/02/1948 at:12/04/1961 at:09/04/1965 at:25/04/1998 at:12/08/1998 at:04/02/1999 at:04/07/2002 at:06/04/2017 at:28/06/2019 # Top and bottom timescale tick lines. color:erabar points:($lefttime,$toptime)($righttime,$toptime) # points:($righttime,$toptime)($righttime,$bottomtime) points:($tick1790,$toptime)($tick1790,$toptimetick) points:($tick1800,$toptime)($tick1800,$toptimetick) points:($tick1810,$toptime)($tick1810,$toptimetick) points:($tick1820,$toptime)($tick1820,$toptimetick) points:($tick1830,$toptime)($tick1830,$toptimetick) points:($tick1840,$toptime)($tick1840,$toptimetick) points:($tick1850,$toptime)($tick1850,$toptimetick) points:($tick1860,$toptime)($tick1860,$toptimetick) points:($tick1870,$toptime)($tick1870,$toptimetick) points:($tick1880,$toptime)($tick1880,$toptimetick) points:($tick1890,$toptime)($tick1890,$toptimetick) points:($tick1900,$toptime)($tick1900,$toptimetick) points:($tick1910,$toptime)($tick1910,$toptimetick) points:($tick1920,$toptime)($tick1920,$toptimetick) points:($tick1930,$toptime)($tick1930,$toptimetick) points:($tick1790,$bottomtime)($tick1790,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1800,$bottomtime)($tick1800,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1810,$bottomtime)($tick1810,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1820,$bottomtime)($tick1820,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1830,$bottomtime)($tick1830,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1840,$bottomtime)($tick1840,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1850,$bottomtime)($tick1850,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1860,$bottomtime)($tick1860,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1870,$bottomtime)($tick1870,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1880,$bottomtime)($tick1880,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1890,$bottomtime)($tick1890,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1900,$bottomtime)($tick1900,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1910,$bottomtime)($tick1910,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1920,$bottomtime)($tick1920,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1930,$bottomtime)($tick1930,$bottomtimetick) TextData = tabs:(0-right) # Top and bottom timescale year labels. fontsize:8 pos:($time1790,$toptimetext) text:1790 pos:($time1800,$toptimetext) text:1800 pos:($time1810,$toptimetext) text:1810 pos:($time1820,$toptimetext) text:1820 pos:($time1830,$toptimetext) text:1830 pos:($time1840,$toptimetext) text:1840 pos:($time1850,$toptimetext) text:1850 pos:($time1860,$toptimetext) text:1860 pos:($time1870,$toptimetext) text:1870 pos:($time1880,$toptimetext) text:1880 pos:($time1890,$toptimetext) text:1890 pos:($time1900,$toptimetext) text:1900 pos:($time1910,$toptimetext) text:1910 pos:($time1920,$toptimetext) text:1920 pos:($time1930,$toptimetext) text:1930 pos:($time1790,$bottomtimetext) text:1790 pos:($time1800,$bottomtimetext) text:1800 pos:($time1810,$bottomtimetext) text:1810 pos:($time1820,$bottomtimetext) text:1820 pos:($time1830,$bottomtimetext) text:1830 pos:($time1840,$bottomtimetext) text:1840 pos:($time1850,$bottomtimetext) text:1850 pos:($time1860,$bottomtimetext) text:1860 pos:($time1870,$bottomtimetext) text:1870 pos:($time1880,$bottomtimetext) text:1880 pos:($time1890,$bottomtimetext) text:1890 pos:($time1900,$bottomtimetext) text:1900 pos:($time1910,$bottomtimetext) text:1910 pos:($time1920,$bottomtimetext) text:1920 pos:($time1930,$bottomtimetext) text:1930 fontsize:9 pos:(142,$topYtext2) text:^Northwest Indian War pos:(115,$topYtext1) text:^Quasi-War pos:(190,$topYtext1) text:^War of 1812 pos:(284,$topYtext1) text:^Mexican War pos:(361,$topYtext1) text:^Civil War pos:(512,$topYtext2) text:^Spanish–American War pos:(528,$topYtext1) text:^Philippine–American War pos:(605,$topYtext1) text:^World War I pos:($rightXtext,$majgen1) text:maj.gen. 1 pos:($rightXtext,$majgen2) text:maj.gen. 2 pos:($rightXtext,$majgen3) text:maj.gen. 3 pos:($rightXtext,$majgen4) text:maj.gen. 4 pos:($rightXtext,$majgen5) text:maj.gen. 5 pos:($rightXtext,$majgen6) text:maj.gen. 6 pos:($rightXtext,$qmgen) text:Q.m.Gen. pos:($rightXtext,$surggen) text:Surg.Gen. pos:($rightXtext,$majgen7) text:maj.gen. 7 pos:($rightXtext,$cofca) text:C.of C.A. pos:($rightXtext,$majgen8) text:maj.gen. 8 pos:($rightXtext,$majgen9) text:maj.gen. 9 pos:($rightXtext,$majgen10) text:maj.gen. 10 pos:($rightXtext,$adjgen) text:Adj.Gen. pos:($rightXtext,$inspgen) text:Insp.Gen. pos:($rightXtext,$jag) text:J.A.G. pos:($rightXtext,$cofeng) text:C.of Eng. pos:($rightXtext,$coford) text:C.of Ord. pos:($rightXtext,$cso) text:C.S.O. pos:($rightXtext,$cofbia) text:C.of B.I.A. BarData = barset:PM bar:spacer000 bar:spacer00 bar:spacer01 bar:era1 bar:spacer02 bar:stclair bar:wayne bar:spacer03 bar:hamilton bar:spacer04 bar:pinckneycharles bar:spacer05 bar:wilkins bar:spacer06 bar:dearborn bar:spacer07 bar:pinckneythomas bar:spacer08 bar:wilkinson bar:spacer09 bar:hampton bar:spacer10 bar:lewis bar:spacer11 bar:harrison bar:jackson bar:spacer12 bar:izard bar:spacer13 bar:brown bar:macomb bar:scottwinfield bar:wool bar:sherman bar:hancock bar:terry bar:crook bar:miles bar:young bar:wood bar:spacer14 bar:taylor bar:spacer15 bar:pillow bar:spacer16 bar:quitman bar:spacer17 bar:mcclellan bar:sheridan bar:schofield bar:ruger bar:wheatonfrank bar:forsyth bar:blisszenas bar:brooke bar:davis bar:sumner bar:grantfrederick bar:wotherspoon bar:funston bar:liggett bar:spacer18 bar:fremont bar:thomas bar:spacer19 bar:halleck bar:spacer20 bar:grantulysses bar:meade bar:mcdowell bar:pope bar:howard bar:mccook bar:merritt bar:otis bar:hughes bar:breckinridge bar:ludington bar:wade bar:mccaskey bar:duvall bar:hodges bar:murray bar:scotthugh bar:march bar:spacer21 bar:corbin bar:spacer22 bar:chaffee bar:kobbe bar:sanger bar:batesalfred bar:randolph bar:gillespie bar:story bar:randall bar:weston bar:carter bar:blisstasker bar:bullard bar:spacer23 bar:macarthur bar:leejesse bar:bell bar:dickman bar:spacer24 bar:wheatonloyd bar:batesjohn bar:greely bar:hall bar:barry bar:kernan bar:spacer25 bar:ainsworth bar:spacer26 bar:aleshire bar:sharpe bar:rogers bar:spacer27 bar:goethals bar:spacer28 bar:gorgas bar:ireland bar:spacer29 bar:noble bar:spacer30 bar:mills bar:pershing bar:harbord bar:spacer31 bar:weaver bar:coe bar:spacer32 bar:morrison bar:spacer33 bar:morton bar:spacer34 bar:sibert bar:summerall bar:spacer35 bar:mccain bar:harris bar:spacer36 bar:chamberlain bar:spacer37 bar:crowder bar:spacer38 bar:black bar:beach bar:spacer39 bar:crozier bar:williams bar:spacer40 bar:squier bar:spacer41 bar:mcintyre bar:spacer42 bar:era2 PlotData= width:6 align:left fontsize:9 shift:(5,-4) anchor:till barset:PM color:erabar bar:era1 from: 01/01/1890 till: 03/08/1895 bar:era1 from: 07/07/1898 till: 30/09/1900 bar:era1 from: 18/06/1912 till: 23/03/1915 bar:era1 from: 25/04/1946 till: 02/02/1948 bar:era1 from: 12/04/1961 till: 09/04/1965 bar:era1 from: 25/04/1998 till: 12/08/1998 bar:era1 from: 04/02/1999 till: 04/07/2002 bar:era1 from: 06/04/2017 till: 28/06/2019 bar:era2 from: 01/01/1890 till: 03/08/1895 bar:era2 from: 07/07/1898 till: 30/09/1900 bar:era2 from: 18/06/1912 till: 23/03/1915 bar:era2 from: 25/04/1946 till: 02/02/1948 bar:era2 from: 12/04/1961 till: 09/04/1965 bar:era2 from: 25/04/1998 till: 12/08/1998 bar:era2 from: 04/02/1999 till: 04/07/2002 bar:era2 from: 06/04/2017 till: 28/06/2019 bar:stclair from: 04/03/1891 till: 05/03/1892 color:mg text:" Arthur St. Clair" bar:wayne from: 05/03/1892 till: 15/12/1896 color:mg text:"

Anthony Wayne Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his mil ...

" bar:hamilton from: 19/07/1898 till: 15/06/1900 color:mgstaff text:" Alexander Hamilton" bar:pinckneycharles from: 19/07/1898 till: 15/06/1900 color:mg text:" Charles C. Pinckney" bar:wilkins from: 01/06/1899 till: 01/06/1902 color:mgstaff text:" John Wilkins Jr." bar:dearborn from: 27/01/1912 till: 15/06/1915 color:mg text:"

Henry Dearborn Henry Dearborn (February 23, 1751 – June 6, 1829) was an American military officer and politician. In the Revolutionary War, he served under Benedict Arnold in his expedition to Quebec, of which his journal provides an important record ...

" bar:pinckneythomas from: 27/03/1912 till: 15/06/1915 color:mg text:" Thomas Pinckney" bar:wilkinson from: 02/03/1913 till: 15/06/1915 color:mg text:" James Wilkinson" bar:hampton from: 02/03/1913 till: 06/04/1914 color:mg text:"

Wade Hampton Wade Hampton may refer to the following people: People * Wade Hampton I (1752–1835), American soldier in Revolutionary War and War of 1812 and U.S. congressman *Wade Hampton II (1791–1858), American plantation owner and soldier in War of 1812 * ...

" bar:lewis from: 02/03/1913 till: 15/06/1915 color:mg text:" Morgan Lewis" bar:harrison from: 02/03/1913 till: 31/05/1914 color:mg text:"

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

" bar:izard from: 24/01/1914 till: 15/06/1915 color:mg text:"

George Izard George Izard (October 21, 1776 – November 22, 1828) was a senior officer of the United States Army who served as the second governor of Arkansas Territory from 1825 to 1828. He was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society in 18 ...

" bar:brown from: 24/01/1914 till: 24/02/1928 color:mg text:" Jacob J. Brown" bar:jackson from: 10/12/1912 till: 30/05/1914 color:mgv bar:jackson from: 31/05/1914 till: 01/06/1921 color:mg text:"

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

" bar:macomb from: 24/05/1928 till: 25/06/1941 color:mg text:" Alexander Macomb" bar:scottwinfield from: 25/06/1941 till: 29/03/1947 color:mg bar:scottwinfield from: 29/03/1947 till: 01/11/1961 color:ltgb text:"

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...

" bar:taylor from: 29/06/1946 till: 31/01/1949 color:mg text:"

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

" bar:pillow from: 13/04/1947 till: 20/07/1948 color:mg text:" Gideon J. Pillow" bar:quitman from: 14/04/1947 till: 20/07/1948 color:mg text:"

John A. Quitman John Anthony Quitman (September 1, 1798 – July 17, 1858) was an American lawyer, politician, and soldier. As President of the Mississippi Senate, he served one month as Acting Governor of Mississippi (from December 3, 1835, to January 7, 1836) a ...

" bar:mcclellan from: 14/05/1961 till: 08/11/1964 color:mg text:"

George B. McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate of West Point, McCl ...

" bar:fremont from: 14/05/1961 till: 04/06/1964 color:mg text:" John C. Frémont" bar:halleck from: 19/08/1961 till: 09/01/1972 color:mg text:"

Henry W. Halleck Henry Wager Halleck (January 16, 1815 – January 9, 1872) was a senior United States Army officer, scholar, and lawyer. A noted expert in military studies, he was known by a nickname that became derogatory: "Old Brains". He was an important par ...

" bar:wool from: 16/05/1962 till: 01/08/1963 color:mg text:" John E. Wool" bar:grantulysses from: 16/02/1962 till: 04/07/1963 color:mgv bar:grantulysses from: 04/07/1963 till: 02/03/1964 color:mg bar:grantulysses from: 02/03/1964 till: 25/07/1966 color:ltg bar:grantulysses from: 25/07/1966 till: 04/03/1969 color:gen text:"

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

" bar:sherman from: 01/05/1962 till: 12/08/1964 color:mgv bar:sherman from: 12/08/1964 till: 25/07/1966 color:mg bar:sherman from: 25/07/1966 till: 04/03/1969 color:ltg bar:sherman from: 04/03/1969 till: 08/02/1984 color:gen text:"

William T. Sherman William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

" bar:meade from: 29/11/1962 till: 18/08/1964 color:mgv bar:meade from: 18/08/1964 till: 06/11/1972 color:mg text:"

George G. Meade George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 – November 6, 1872) was a United States Army officer and civil engineer best known for decisively defeating Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. H ...

" bar:sheridan from: 31/12/1962 till: 08/11/1964 color:mgv bar:sheridan from: 08/11/1964 till: 04/03/1969 color:mg bar:sheridan from: 04/03/1969 till: 01/06/1988 color:ltg bar:sheridan from: 01/06/1988 till: 05/08/1988 color:gen text:"

Philip H. Sheridan Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

" bar:thomas from: 25/04/1962 till: 15/12/1964 color:mgv bar:thomas from: 15/12/1964 till: 28/03/1970 color:mg text:"

George H. Thomas George Henry Thomas (July 31, 1816March 28, 1870) was an American general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and one of the principal commanders in the Western Theater. Thomas served in the Mexican–American War and later chose ...

" bar:hancock from: 29/11/1962 till: 26/07/1966 color:mgv bar:hancock from: 26/07/1966 till: 09/02/1986 color:mg text:"

Winfield S. Hancock Winfield Scott Hancock (February 14, 1824 – February 9, 1886) was a United States Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service ...

" bar:schofield from: 29/11/1962 till: 01/09/1966 color:mgv bar:schofield from: 04/03/1969 till: 08/02/1995 color:mg bar:schofield from: 08/02/1995 till: 29/09/1995 color:ltg text:" John M. Schofield" bar:mcdowell from: 14/03/1962 till: 01/09/1966 color:mgv bar:mcdowell from: 25/11/1972 till: 15/10/1982 color:mg text:"

Irvin McDowell Irvin McDowell (October 15, 1818 – May 4, 1885) was a career American army officer. He is best known for his defeat in the First Battle of Bull Run, the first large-scale battle of the American Civil War. In 1862, he was given command ...

" bar:pope from: 21/03/1962 till: 01/09/1966 color:mgv bar:pope from: 26/10/1982 till: 16/03/1986 color:mg text:" John Pope" bar:terry from: 15/01/1965 till: 01/09/1966 color:mgv bar:terry from: 03/03/1986 till: 05/04/1988 color:mg text:" Alfred H. Terry" bar:howard from: 29/11/1962 till: 01/01/1969 color:mgv bar:howard from: 19/03/1986 till: 08/11/1994 color:mg text:" Oliver O. Howard" bar:crook from: 21/10/1964 till: 15/01/1966 color:mgv bar:crook from: 06/04/1988 till: 21/03/1990 color:mg text:" George Crook" bar:miles from: 21/10/1965 till: 01/09/1966 color:mgv bar:miles from: 05/04/1990 till: 06/06/2000 color:mg bar:miles from: 06/06/2000 till: 02/02/2001 color:ltgb bar:miles from: 02/02/2001 till: 08/08/2003 color:ltg text:"

Nelson A. Miles Nelson Appleton Miles (August 8, 1839 – May 15, 1925) was an American military general who served in the American Civil War, the American Indian Wars, and the Spanish–American War. From 1895 to 1903, Miles served as the last Commanding Gen ...

" bar:mccook from: 17/07/1962 till: 21/10/1965 color:mgv bar:mccook from: 09/11/1994 till: 22/04/1995 color:mg text:" Alexander M. McCook" bar:ruger from: 08/02/1995 till: 02/04/1997 color:mg text:" Thomas H. Ruger" bar:merritt from: 01/04/1965 till: 01/02/1966 color:mgv bar:merritt from: 25/04/1995 till: 16/06/2000 color:mg text:"

Wesley Merritt Wesley Merritt (June 16, 1836December 3, 1910) was an American major general who served in the cavalry of the United States Army during the American Civil War, American Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier ...

" bar:wheatonfrank from: 02/04/1997 till: 09/05/1997 color:mg text:" Frank Wheaton" bar:forsyth from: 11/05/1997 till: 14/05/1997 color:mg text:" James W. Forsyth" bar:blisszenas from: 14/05/1997 till: 22/05/1997 color:mg text:" Zenas R. Bliss" bar:brooke from: 22/05/1997 till: 21/07/2002 color:mg text:"

John R. Brooke John Rutter Brooke (July 21, 1838 – September 5, 1926) was one of the last surviving Union generals of the American Civil War when he died at the age of 88. Early life Brooke was born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and was educated in nearby Co ...

" bar:corbin from: 06/06/2000 till: 15/04/2006 color:mgstaff bar:corbin from: 15/04/2006 till: 15/09/2006 color:ltg text:" Henry C. Corbin" bar:otis from: 04/05/1998 till: 16/06/2000 color:mgv bar:otis from: 16/06/2000 till: 25/03/2002 color:mg text:" Elwell S. Otis" bar:young from: 08/07/1998 till: 13/04/1999 color:mgv bar:young from: 02/02/2001 till: 08/08/2003 color:mg bar:young from: 08/08/2003 till: 09/01/2004 color:ltg text:"

Samuel B. M. Young Samuel Baldwin Marks Young (January 9, 1840 – September 1, 1924) was a United States Army general. He also served as the first president of Army War College between 1902 and 1903. He then served from 1903 until 1904 as the first Chief of Staf ...

" bar:chaffee from: 08/07/1998 till: 13/04/1999 color:mgv bar:chaffee from: 19/07/2000 till: 04/02/2001 color:mgv bar:chaffee from: 04/02/2001 till: 09/01/2004 color:mg bar:chaffee from: 09/01/2004 till: 01/02/2006 color:ltg text:" Adna R. Chaffee" bar:macarthur from: 13/08/1998 till: 05/02/2001 color:mgv bar:macarthur from: 05/02/2001 till: 15/09/2006 color:mg bar:macarthur from: 15/09/2006 till: 02/06/2009 color:ltg text:"

Arthur MacArthur Jr. Arthur MacArthur Jr. (June 2, 1845 – September 5, 1912) was a lieutenant general of the United States Army. He became the military Governor-General of the American-occupied Philippines in 1900; his term ended a year later due to clashes w ...

" bar:wheatonloyd from: 18/06/2000 till: 28/02/2001 color:mgv bar:wheatonloyd from: 30/03/2001 till: 15/07/2002 color:mg text:"

Loyd Wheaton Loyd Wheaton (July 15, 1838 – September 17, 1918) was a United States general who fought in the Philippine–American War and in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Early life Wheaton was born in Pennfield, Michigan on July 15, 1838. ...

" bar:hughes from: 01/04/2002 till: 11/04/2003 color:mg text:" Robert P. Hughes" bar:batesjohn from: 08/07/1998 till: 13/04/1999 color:mgv bar:batesjohn from: 02/01/2000 till: 28/02/2001 color:mgv bar:batesjohn from: 15/07/2002 till: 01/02/2006 color:mg bar:batesjohn from: 01/02/2006 till: 14/04/2006 color:ltg text:" John C. Bates" bar:davis from: 21/07/2002 till: 26/07/2003 color:mg text:" George W. Davis" bar:breckinridge from: 04/05/1998 till: 30/11/1998 color:mgv bar:breckinridge from: 11/04/2003 till: 12/04/2003 color:mg text:" Joseph C. Breckinridge" bar:ludington from: 12/04/2003 till: 13/04/2003 color:mg text:" Marshall I. Ludington" bar:wade from: 04/05/1998 till: 12/06/1999 color:mgv bar:wade from: 13/04/2003 till: 14/04/2007 color:mg text:" James F. Wade" bar:sumner from: 07/09/1998 till: 15/04/1999 color:mgv bar:sumner from: 26/07/2003 till: 06/02/2006 color:mg text:"

Samuel S. Sumner Samuel Storrow Sumner (1842–1937) was a United States Army general during the Spanish–American War, Boxer Rebellion, and Philippine–American War. Early life Sumner was born in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania on February 6, 1842. Samuel's ...

" bar:wood from: 07/12/1998 till: 13/04/1999 color:mgv bar:wood from: 05/12/1999 till: 30/06/2001 color:mgv bar:wood from: 08/08/2003 till: $now color:mg text:"

Leonard Wood Leonard Wood (October 9, 1860 – August 7, 1927) was a United States Army major general, physician, and public official. He served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Military Governor of Cuba, and Governor-General of the Philipp ...

" bar:kobbe from: 19/01/2004 till: 20/01/2004 color:mg text:" William A. Kobbé" bar:sanger from: 20/01/2004 till: 21/01/2004 color:mg text:" Joseph P. Sanger" bar:batesalfred from: 21/01/2004 till: 22/01/2004 color:mg text:" Alfred E. Bates" bar:randolph from: 22/01/2004 till: 23/01/2004 color:mg text:" Wallace F. Randolph" bar:gillespie from: 23/01/2004 till: 17/06/2005 color:mg text:" George L. Gillespie Jr." bar:ainsworth from: 23/04/2004 till: 16/02/2012 color:mgstaff text:" Frederick C. Ainsworth" bar:story from: 17/06/2005 till: 19/06/2005 color:mg text:" John P. Story" bar:randall from: 19/06/2005 till: 08/10/2005 color:mg text:" George M. Randall" bar:weston from: 08/10/2005 till: 13/11/2009 color:mg text:" John F. Weston" bar:grantfrederick from: 06/02/2006 till: 12/04/2012 color:mg text:" Frederick D. Grant" bar:greely from: 10/02/2006 till: 27/03/2008 color:mg text:" Adolphus W. Greely" bar:leejesse from: 18/09/2006 till: 02/01/2007 color:mg text:" Jesse M. Lee" bar:bell from: 03/01/2007 till: 08/01/2019 color:mg text:" J. Franklin Bell" bar:mccaskey from: 15/04/2007 till: 02/10/2007 color:mg text:" William S. McCaskey" bar:duvall from: 02/10/2007 till: 13/01/2011 color:mg text:" William P. Duvall" bar:hall from: 28/03/2008 till: 29/04/2008 color:mg text:" Charles B. Hall" bar:barry from: 29/04/2008 till: 13/10/2019 color:mg text:" Thomas H. Barry" bar:carter from: 13/11/2009 till: 19/11/2015 color:mg text:" William G. H. Carter" bar:hodges from: 14/01/2011 till: 13/03/2011 color:mg text:" Charles L. Hodges" bar:murray from: 14/03/2011 till: 29/04/2015 color:mg text:"

Arthur Murray Arthur Murray (born Moses Teichman, April 4, 1895 – March 3, 1991) was an American ballroom dancer and businessman, whose name is most often associated with the dance studio chain that bears his name. Early life and start in dance Arthur Mur ...

" bar:wotherspoon from: 12/05/2012 till: 16/11/2014 color:mg text:"

William W. Wotherspoon William Wallace Wotherspoon (November 16, 1850 – October 21, 1921) was a United States Army general who served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army in 1914. Early life Wotherspoon was born in Washington, D.C., on November 16, 1850, the ...

" bar:aleshire from: 24/08/2012 till: 12/09/2016 color:mgstaff text:" James B. Aleshire" bar:goethals from: 04/03/2015 till: 15/11/2016 color:mg text:" George W. Goethals" bar:gorgas from: 04/03/2015 till: 03/10/2018 color:mgstaff text:" William C. Gorgas" bar:funston from: 17/11/2014 till: 19/02/2017 color:mg text:"

Frederick Funston Frederick Funston (November 9, 1865 – February 19, 1917), also known as Fighting Fred Funston, was a general in the United States Army, best known for his roles in the Spanish–American War and the Philippine–American War. He received ...

" bar:scotthugh from: 30/04/2015 till: 22/09/2017 color:mg text:" Hugh L. Scott" bar:blisstasker from: 19/11/2015 till: 06/10/2017 color:mg bar:blisstasker from: 06/10/2017 till: 19/05/2018 color:gen text:"

Tasker H. Bliss Tasker Howard Bliss (December 31, 1853 – November 9, 1930) was a United States Army officer who served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from September 22, 1917 until May 18, 1918. He was also a diplomat involved in the peace negotiati ...

" bar:mills from: 03/06/2016 till: 18/09/2016 color:mg text:" Albert L. Mills" bar:weaver from: 06/07/2016 till: 23/05/2018 color:mgstaff text:" Erasmus M. Weaver" bar:sharpe from: 16/09/2016 till: 12/07/2018 color:mgstaff bar:sharpe from: 12/07/2018 till: 01/05/2020 color:mg text:" Henry G. Sharpe" bar:pershing from: 25/09/2016 till: 06/10/2017 color:mg bar:pershing from: 06/10/2017 till: 03/09/2019 color:gen bar:pershing from: 03/09/2019 till: $now color:gen text:" John J. Pershing" bar:liggett from: 06/03/2017 till: 16/10/2018 color:mg bar:liggett from: 16/10/2018 till: $now color:ltg text:"

Hunter Liggett Lieutenant General Hunter Liggett (March 21, 1857 − December 30, 1935) was a senior United States Army officer. His 42 years of military service spanned the period from the Indian campaigns to the trench warfare of World War I. Additionally, h ...

" bar:morrison from: 15/05/2017 till: $now color:mg text:" John F. Morrison" bar:morton from: 15/05/2017 till: $now color:mg text:" Charles G. Morton" bar:sibert from: 15/05/2017 till: 04/04/2020 color:mg text:" William L. Sibert" bar:march from: 05/08/2017 till: 23/09/2017 color:mgna bar:march from: 23/09/2017 till: 20/05/2018 color:mg bar:march from: 20/05/2018 till: $now color:gen text:" Peyton C. March" bar:mccain from: 06/10/2017 till: 26/08/2018 color:mgstaff bar:mccain from: 28/08/2018 till: 30/06/2020 color:mgna text:" Henry P. McCain" bar:chamberlain from: 06/10/2017 till: $now color:mgstaff text:" John L. Chamberlain" bar:crowder from: 06/10/2017 till: $now color:mgstaff text:"

Enoch H. Crowder Major General Enoch Herbert Crowder, USA (April 11, 1859 – May 7, 1932) was an American Army lawyer who served as the Judge Advocate General of the United States Army from 1911 to 1923. Crowder is most noted for implementing and administering t ...

" bar:black from: 06/10/2017 till: 31/10/2019 color:mgstaff text:" William M. Black" bar:crozier from: 06/10/2017 till: 12/07/2018 color:mgstaff bar:crozier from: 12/07/2018 till: 01/01/2019 color:mg text:"

William Crozier William Crozier may refer to: *William Crozier (artillerist) (1855–1942), American general, artillerist and inventor *William Crozier (Scottish artist) (1893–1930) * William Crozier (Irish artist) (1930–2011) * William Crozier (cricketer) (187 ...

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George O. Squier Major General George Owen Squier (March 21, 1865 – March 24, 1934) was born in Dryden, Michigan, United States. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in the Class of 1887 and received a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 18 ...

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Frank McIntyre Frank McIntyre (January 5, 1865 – February 16, 1944) was an American military officer who served for many years as Chief of the Bureau of Insular Affairs, responsible for federal administration of the Philippines and Puerto Rico. Early life an ...

" bar:coe from: 24/05/2018 till: $now color:mgstaff text:" Frank W. Coe" bar:williams from: 16/07/2018 till: $now color:mgstaff text:" Clarence C. Williams" bar:rogers from: 22/07/2018 till: $now color:mgstaff text:" Harry L. Rogers" bar:harris from: 01/09/2018 till: $now color:mgstaff text:"

Peter C. Harris Major General Peter Charles Harris (November 10, 1865 – March 18, 1951) was an officer in the United States Army who served as Adjutant General of the U.S. Army from 1918 to 1922. Early life and education Harris was born on November 10, 18 ...

" bar:ireland from: 08/08/2018 till: $now color:mgstaff text:" Merritte W. Ireland" bar:noble from: 30/10/2018 till: 21/08/2019 color:mgstaff text:" Robert E. Noble" bar:bullard from: 05/08/2017 till: 16/10/2018 color:mgna bar:bullard from: 16/10/2018 till: $now color:ltg text:" Robert L. Bullard" bar:dickman from: 05/08/2017 till: 09/01/2019 color:mgna bar:dickman from: 09/01/2019 till: $now color:mg text:" Joseph T. Dickman" bar:harbord from: 26/06/2018 till: 08/09/2019 color:mgna bar:harbord from: 08/09/2019 till: $now color:mg text:" James G. Harbord" bar:kernan from: 05/08/2017 till: 14/10/2019 color:mgna bar:kernan from: 14/10/2019 till: $now color:mg text:" Francis J. Kernan" bar:beach from: 09/01/2020 till: $now color:mgstaff text:" Lansing H. Beach" bar:summerall from: 26/06/2018 till: 05/04/2020 color:mgna bar:summerall from: 05/04/2020 till: $now color:mg text:" Charles P. Summerall"

History

Northwest Indian War

The first major general in the Regular Army was Arthur St. Clair, who was appointed in 1791 to prosecute the Northwest Indian War. After the disastrous Battle of the Wabash, St. Clair was replaced by

, who successfully concluded the war in 1795. Wayne died in December 1796 and the grade of major general was abolished three months later.Acts of March 3, 1791, and March 3, 1797.

Quasi-War

After sixteen months in abeyance, the grade of major general was revived in 1798 when the Regular Army was expanded during the

with

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. As part of the buildup, Congress authorized a lieutenant general, two major generals, and an inspector general and a quartermaster general with the rank of major general. Only one of the two line major general slots was ultimately filled; the other was declined by

Henry Knox Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806), a Founding Father of the United States, was a senior general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, serving as chief of artillery in most of Washington's campaigns. Following the ...

, who refused to be outranked by the designated inspector general, Alexander Hamilton, who had been junior to Knox in the Continental Army during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. The President was also authorized to temporarily augment the Regular Army with a Provisional Army, but it was never fully organized. When tensions eased, the Provisional Army was disbanded and the maximum Regular Army rank was again reduced to brigadier general.Acts of July 16, 1798; March 3, 1799; and March 16, 1802. For Knox-Hamilton dispute, see Chernow, pp. 557–560.

War of 1812

The grade of major general was revived permanently when the military establishment expanded in anticipation of the

. The first two major generals were Revolutionary War veterans

and Thomas Pinckney. After a year of defeats, Dearborn was relieved and four more major generals were appointed: James Wilkinson,

, Morgan Lewis, and

. A year later, all four had been court-martialled, sidelined, or driven to resign, and

, Jacob J. Brown, and

were promoted in their place.Acts of January 11, 1812, and February 24, 1813. For background on general officer replacements, see Bell, p. 9, and Elting, p. 177. After the war, the number of major generals was reduced to two, Brown and Jackson. In 1821 Congress eliminated the second major generalcy and Jackson departed the Army to become governor of Florida, leaving Brown to become the first Commanding General of the Army.Acts of March 3, 1815, and March 2, 1821. Bell, pp. 10–11. When Brown died in 1828, the Army's two brigadier generals,

and

Edmund P. Gaines Edmund Pendleton Gaines (March 20, 1777 – June 6, 1849) was a career United States Army officer who served for nearly fifty years, and attained the rank of major general by brevet. He was one of the Army's senior commanders during its format ...

, waged such a bitter public campaign for the vacant major generalcy that the President passed them both over in favor of Alexander Macomb. Macomb died in 1841 and was succeeded by Scott.Bell, pp. 12–14; for details of Scott-Gaines-Macomb dispute, see Fry, pp. 96–131.

Mexican War

Scott remained the Army's senior officer during the Mexican War. After the outbreak of hostilities in 1846, Congress temporarily authorized a second major general on the condition that he be immediately discharged upon the ratification of a peace treaty, and the Army's three brigadier generals were passed over in favor of

, victor at

Palo Alto Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was es ...

and

Resaca de la Palma The Battle of Resaca de la Palma was one of the early engagements of the Mexican–American War, where the United States Army under General Zachary Taylor engaged the retreating forces of the Mexican ''Ejército del Norte'' ("Army of the North" ...

. Two more major generals were authorized the following year on the same basis, Gideon J. Pillow and

. After the war, the extra major generals were duly discharged and Scott again became the Army's only major general. Scott was breveted lieutenant general in 1855 but continued to occupy the substantive grade of major general until he retired in 1861.Acts of June 18, 1846; March 3, 1847; and July 19, 1848. For background, see Wade (1976) and Winders, pp. 32–49.

Civil War

During the

, the bulk of the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

was composed of volunteer forces raised by individual states and led by dozens of federally appointed major generals of volunteers. The Regular Army itself was authorized a total of five major generals. Three of the new vacancies were filled immediately by former Regular Army officers

, John C. Frémont, and

, while Regular Army brigadier general John E. Wool was promoted for capturing Norfolk, Virginia, during the Peninsular Campaign. Subsequent appointments were reserved as prizes for major generals of volunteers who won decisive battlefield victories:

for

Vicksburg Vicksburg most commonly refers to: * Vicksburg, Mississippi, a city in western Mississippi, United States * The Vicksburg Campaign, an American Civil War campaign * The Siege of Vicksburg, an American Civil War battle Vicksburg is also the name of ...

for

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

for Spotsylvania,

for Cedar Creek, and

for Nashville.Adjutant General's Office, Department of War, Gen. Orders No. 111 (18 August 1862); Eicher and Eicher, pp. 20, 581. For background, see Wade (1976). When the volunteers were disbanded after the war, its Regular Army officers reverted to their permanent grades. Many of the most famous Union Army major generals had been appointed to that rank only in the volunteer service and did not achieve the equivalent grade in the Regular Army until years or decades later, if ever. For example, upon mustering out of the volunteers in 1869, Oliver O. Howard reverted to his permanent Regular Army grade of brigadier general and had to wait until 1886 to again be promoted to major general; while George A. Custer never regained his wartime rank in the Regular Army and died as a lieutenant colonel.Act of July 15, 1870. Eicher and Eicher, pp. 196, 306. Of the dozens of major generals of volunteers who lost their temporary ranks after the Civil War, only nine ever attained the permanent grade of major general in the Regular Army before they retired.The nine Civil War major generals of volunteers who lost but eventually regained the active-duty rank of major general were John M. Schofield,

, John Pope, Alfred H. Terry, Oliver O. Howard, George Crook,

, Alexander M. McCook, and

. See Heitman, pp. 19–20, 28–29, for lists of major generals and major generals of volunteers; and Heitman, pp. 340, 546–547, 659, 664, 706, 708–709, 798, 865, 951, for relevant biographical entries.

Postwar

After the Civil War, promotions in the Regular Army virtually ceased due to the reduction in the size of the Army and the youth of its remaining officers. The postwar Army had only three major generalcies, which initially were held by officers whose rapid wartime promotions had advanced them to high command at such a young age that they could occupy the coveted grade for decades, obstructing further promotions. For example, John M. Schofield held his major generalcy for nearly 26 years, and

for nearly twenty.Wade (1976); Eicher and Eicher, pp. 277–278, 472–473. To unblock the promotion flow, Congress mandated in 1882 that officers must retire at age 64, but could retire sooner if they had at least forty years of service. Because officers nearing the age limit could now conveniently select their exit dates to coincide with vacancies in higher grades, it became common to fill each vacancy with a parade of aging veterans who would each be promoted and immediately retired with the higher rank and retired pay, as a reward for past service. In January 1904, for example, a single vacant major generalcy hosted five officers in five days, each of the first four in turn being promoted and then retired after only one day in grade to clear the way for the next. Congress blocked this practice in 1906 by requiring that general officers serve at least one year before being allowed to retire at that rank, except for age or disability.Acts of June 30, 1882, and June 12, 1906. For background, see Wade (1976); . The four one-day major generals in this sequence were William A. Kobbé, Joseph P. Sanger, Alfred E. Bates, and Wallace F. Randolph. The fifth major general, George L. Gillespie Jr., retired after eighteen months and was succeeded by John P. Story, who retired two days later.

Major generals of the staff

Officers in the Regular Army were classified either as

line officer In the United States Armed Forces, a line officer or officer of the line is a U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps commissioned officer or warrant officer who exercises general command authority and is eligible for operational command positions, as o ...

s, who commanded combat formations, or

staff officer A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military ...

s, who performed specialized support functions. Permanent promotions to general officer grades were only available in the line. Staff officers could temporarily acquire the rank and pay of a general officer while detailed to certain offices designated by statute to carry that rank, such as chief of a staff bureau, but reverted to their permanent grades upon leaving such an office. Officers holding the permanent personal grade of general officer were called general officers of the line, while general officers holding only temporary ''ex-officio'' rank were called general officers of the staff.For statutory definitions of "general officer of the line" and "general officer of the staff," se
Sec. 4
Act of June 3, 1916.For a contemporary perspective on promotions to general officer from the line and staff during this period, see Carter, pp. 236–238. For most of the 19th century, general officers of the staff were limited to the rank of brigadier general, but in 1900 the rank of the

Adjutant General An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

was temporarily increased to major general for the term of its then-incumbent, Henry C. Corbin.Acts of June 6, 1900, and February 2, 1901. Eicher and Eicher, pp. 15–22. In 1904 Corbin transferred to a line command but retained the office of Adjutant General and its associated rank. In his absence, the Adjutant General's Department was merged with the Record and Pension Office into a consolidated bureau headed by Fred C. Ainsworth, who was appointed Military Secretary with the rank of major general.Act of April 23, 1904. For background, see . The Military Secretary was retitled Adjutant General after Corbin retired in 1906, and the office's rank reverted to brigadier general when Ainsworth was dismissed in 1912.Act of March 2, 1907. For Ainsworth dismissal, see Bell, pages 31–33. Major generals of the staff proliferated after 1912, when the Quartermaster Corps was created under a Quartermaster General bearing the temporary rank of major general. The Surgeon General reached that rank in 1915 when William C. Gorgas was appointed to that post and promoted to major general in the Medical Department to reward his service during the construction of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

. The Chief of Coast Artillery became a major general of the staff in 1916. Finally, every other chief of a staff corps, department, or bureau was elevated to major general on October 6, 1917.Acts of August 24, 1912; March 4, 1915 (b); July 6, 1916; and October 6, 1917.

World War I

When the United States entered

in April 1917, the President was authorized to raise a temporary force of volunteers and conscripts, initially dubbed the National Army and later referred to as the non-permanent establishment of the United States Army after the Regular Army, National Army, and federalized National Guard were unified on August 7, 1918.The National Army was authorized by the Act of May 22, 1917. On August 7, 1918, the National Army, Regular Army, and federalized National Guard were unified into a single United States Army by Headquarters, Department of the Army
Gen. Orders No. 73 (7 August 1918)
For background, see Coffman, pp. 129–130. Congress also granted authority to add an appropriate number of general officers to each organization "for the period of the existing emergency," which at first was used only for temporary appointments to major general and brigadier general in the National Army, but was later construed to allow emergency appointments to general and lieutenant general in the Regular Army.Acts of May 22, 1917, and October 6, 1917. Officers appointed under this provision are listed in the Army Register (1936) as "gen. (emerg.)" or "lt.gen. (emerg.)" in the permanent establishment. In July 1918 an emergency major general was authorized for service abroad as Assistant Surgeon General with the American Expeditionary Force; Merritte W. Ireland was appointed, followed by Robert E. Noble when Ireland became Surgeon General later that year.Act of July 9, 1918. For background, see ''Opinions of the Judge Advocate General of the Army, 1918'', volume II, page
574–575
an
632
Officers appointed under this provision are listed in the Army Register (1936) as "maj.gen. U.S.A. (a.surg.gen. A.E.F. emerg.)" in the permanent establishment. In contrast to the temporary general officers of the National Army or unified United States Army, emergency general officers were considered part of the permanent establishment. All emergency and temporary commissions expired with the wartime legislation on June 30, 1920. After the war the Army was reorganized and the new peacetime establishment was authorized 21 major generals of the line, more than doubling the previous number, plus 13 major generals of the staff, including the newly created Chiefs of Infantry, Cavalry, and Field Artillery. The reorganization took effect on July 1, 1920.Act of June 4, 1920.

Legislative history

The following list of Congressional legislation includes all

acts of Congress An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by the United States Congress. Acts may apply only to individual entities (called private laws), or to the general public ( public laws). For a bill to become an act, the text must pass through both house ...

directly pertaining to appointments to the grade of major general in the Regular Army.Legislative history compiled from: Callan; Eicher and Eicher; the Army Register; ''Military Laws of the United States, 1939''; and Young. It does not include legislation pertaining solely to appointments to that grade in the non-permanent establishment, or by brevet. Each entry lists an act of Congress, its citation in the

United States Statutes at Large The ''United States Statutes at Large'', commonly referred to as the ''Statutes at Large'' and abbreviated Stat., are an official record of Acts of Congress and concurrent resolutions passed by the United States Congress. Each act and resolut ...

, the total number of active-duty major generals authorized subsequent to the act, the subsequent number of active-duty major generals of the line, the subsequent number of active-duty major generals of the staff, and a summary of the act's relevance.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Major Generals In The United States Regular Army Before July 1, 1920 United States Regular Army before July 1, 1920, major generals United States Regular Army before July 1, 1920, major generals Regular Army major generals before July 1, 1920