list of U.S. military ranks

Written by

Michael Ray

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

History

In the early days of the Continental Army, military dress was anything but uniform. Militiamen often wore civilian hunting or work clothes, and such uniforms that did exist varied widely according to state or regiment. George Washington created a system to designate rank, but for noncommissioned officers, these insignias amounted to little more than colored strips of cloth or ribbon. Officer rank insignias were slightly more elaborate, consisting of color-coded hat cockades and sashes. Throughout...