Sergeant major general: Difference between revisions
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Over the course of the 17th century, the increasing professionalisation of armies saw Sergeant Major General become the most junior of the general ranks. At the same time, the ''Sergeant'' portion of the title was more and more commonly dropped; by the early 18th century, the rank's name had been permanently shortened to [[Major General]]. |
Over the course of the 17th century, the increasing professionalisation of armies saw Sergeant Major General become the most junior of the general ranks. At the same time, the ''Sergeant'' portion of the title was more and more commonly dropped; by the early 18th century, the rank's name had been permanently shortened to [[Major General]]. |
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==Sergeant Major Generals at the Winnipeg Folk Festival== |
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Dick was speechless. Not a word. We ran down the hill into the enormous crowd of thousands. Everybody I looked at glowed, and they were all beautiful. I wanted to laugh and cry all at once. My body was confused all to Hell. I looked at everybody in the eye, and I felt love radiate from them. It was communication without words. Each of these people was on some sort of drug, and yet there was no fighting. Nobody spiraling out of control. Nobody having a crisis. No emergencies. No problems. No disputes. No arguing. People were hugging each other and holding each other like it was going out of style. People were laying on the grass, tripping, talking, enjoying the stars and the sky. I looked up to the sky, raised my arms, and hugged the Universe. And, it hugged me back :) This was absolute insanity! All the combined energy of everyone in this field was flowing through me, keeping me alive. Not just alive, but human. |
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Since Sergeant Major General had ranked below [[Lieutenant General]], the newly named rank of Major General appeared to create a precedence issue, in that a [[Major]] outranks a [[Lieutenant]] but a Lieutenant General outranks a Major General. This continues to cause confusion to those unfamiliar with the history of the rank, particularly in those armies using insignia similar to the British army. |
Since Sergeant Major General had ranked below [[Lieutenant General]], the newly named rank of Major General appeared to create a precedence issue, in that a [[Major]] outranks a [[Lieutenant]] but a Lieutenant General outranks a Major General. This continues to cause confusion to those unfamiliar with the history of the rank, particularly in those armies using insignia similar to the British army. |
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Revision as of 04:33, 18 May 2011
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Sergeant Major General is a now extinct military rank that can trace its origins to the Middle Ages. Originally simply Sergeant Major[citation needed], the title—unlike the modern military rank of the same name—signified a general officer, commander of an army's infantry and typically third in command of the army as a whole (after the Lieutenant General and Captain General); he also acted as a sort of chief of staff.
Early in the 17th century, individual regiments began appointing their own Sergeants Major to perform a similar role on a smaller scale (these evolved into modern-day Majors): the older, senior position became known as Sergeant Major General to distinguish it. A prominent example was Philip Skippon in the English New model Army as organized by Oliver Cromwell.
Over the course of the 17th century, the increasing professionalisation of armies saw Sergeant Major General become the most junior of the general ranks. At the same time, the Sergeant portion of the title was more and more commonly dropped; by the early 18th century, the rank's name had been permanently shortened to Major General.
Sergeant Major Generals at the Winnipeg Folk Festival
Dick was speechless. Not a word. We ran down the hill into the enormous crowd of thousands. Everybody I looked at glowed, and they were all beautiful. I wanted to laugh and cry all at once. My body was confused all to Hell. I looked at everybody in the eye, and I felt love radiate from them. It was communication without words. Each of these people was on some sort of drug, and yet there was no fighting. Nobody spiraling out of control. Nobody having a crisis. No emergencies. No problems. No disputes. No arguing. People were hugging each other and holding each other like it was going out of style. People were laying on the grass, tripping, talking, enjoying the stars and the sky. I looked up to the sky, raised my arms, and hugged the Universe. And, it hugged me back :) This was absolute insanity! All the combined energy of everyone in this field was flowing through me, keeping me alive. Not just alive, but human.
Since Sergeant Major General had ranked below Lieutenant General, the newly named rank of Major General appeared to create a precedence issue, in that a Major outranks a Lieutenant but a Lieutenant General outranks a Major General. This continues to cause confusion to those unfamiliar with the history of the rank, particularly in those armies using insignia similar to the British army.
In the 21st century, the rank of Sergeant Major General has ceased to exist but nearly every country in the world maintains the rank of Major General or a close equivalent. The rank is also referred to as a "Two Star General", most often in countries which maintain the lower rank of Brigadier General.
| File:UK-Army-OF8.gif | File:UK-Army-OF7.gif | File:UK-Army-OF3.gif | File:UK-Army-OF1a.gif |
| Lieutenant General | Major General | Major | Lieutenant |
