This is the second time that I've corrected Washington's rank. Washington was a full, "four star" general from 1775 to 1783. Please read the resolve of the Continental Congress passed on June 15, 1775, which twice calls for the appointment of "a general" to command the Continental Army. The resolve means what it says in plain English. The resolve doesn't call for the appointment of a "lieutenant general," a "major general," or a "brigadier general." Many people make the false assumption that because Washington wore three stars he must have been a "lieutenant general." The portraits portraying him thus were commissioned late in the war. Please note. Rank does not follow an officer's rank badge. It's the other way around. The stars were inspired by the prevailing French fashion and were adopted by the United States Army in 1780. If rank follows an officer's rank badge, then Washington had no rank whatever until 1780! Please note further that, early in 1777, Washington requested the appointed of three lieutenant generals, NECESSARILY SUBORDINATE TO HIMSELF as General and Commander in Chief, but that the Continental Congress refused this request. (Wright, Robert K.: The Continental Army; p. 112).
John Schofield was the Commanding General of the United States Army from 14 August 1888 – 29 September 1895. This article lists him as a Lieutenant General. But he wasn't promoted to Lieutenant General until February 1895. I propose that this article should reflect the fact that he didn't have the same rank for the entire time he was the Commanding General of the United States Army (and similar notes about other Commanding Generals of the United States Army who didn't have the same rank the whole time). - Shaheenjim 21:49, 1 November 2007 (UTC)Reply
- such info could (and perhaps should) be added to the "note's" box for each, but the "name" section should list the highest rank during tenure, as is standard for such historic lists. Gecko G (talk) 23:10, 10 October 2015 (UTC)Reply
