Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-02-15
RANKS in THE ARMY.
Ihr Successive Grades from Private fol-
der TO Malor-fseneraI.

rNNkS IN The ARMY.
AhN successive Grades from Private fol-
der to NaJor-GensraI.
In times OF peace it is not very prob
able that private soldier could be
successfully promoted to the rank O. a
General, but 1t is possible. By recent
legislation. the private soldier who
has acquired q non-commissioned off,
GERS stripes and has served two years.
may, upon application, be examined
Tor promotion TO the rank OF Second
Lieutenant, and If he gets the appoint
ment, he is then in the straight line
OF promotion to the highest rank.
The chances are that after thirty or
forty years Of service he will not have
risen higher than Major. and by that
time he will be retired on account of
old age Or disability. Yet there are
very few grades between the lowest
non-commissioned officer and the high
est commissioned officer, which is a,
present that OF Maior-GeneraL
Here are the successive grades. be-
ginning at the lowest: Corporal. SER
geant. Second Lieutenant First Lieu
tenant. Captain. Major. Lieutenant
Colonel. Colonel Brigadier-General,
Major-GeneraL
Here are eleven steps which the pri-
rate soldier must mount before he can
reach the prize. The first three are
| comparatively easy. and may be
| climbed inside of three years. but there
is likely to be a long wait before the
First Lieutenaney is gained.
Each rank has its distinguishing
| marks All non-comnissioned officers
wear "chevrons." which are bars on
each sleeve, sewej on above the elbow
from the outer and inner seams OF the
sleeve. running obliquely down and
toward the centre, forming V. The
| color of the cheyrons indicates the
| branch of the service white for in
fantry. yellow for cavalry. red for
artillery and orange for the signal
| corps.
Corporals have two bars on each
| sleeve. Sergeants wear three bars
| The first. or orderly sergeant, has a
lozenge. or diamond. in addition 20 the
bars. The quartermaster sergeant
| wears three stripes and three bars
across the top The signal-corps ser
geant wears crossed signal flags OF
each sleeve. The ordnance sergeant
has three stripes and a star in red.
the sergeant majors cheyrous have
three stripes above. forming an arc
over the stripes. A hospital steward
has green half chevron. with cadu-
ceus embroidered in yellow.
| Commissioned officers wear shoulder
straps. The groundwork indicates the
branch of the service, the same as in
the chevrons- The ornaments inside
the strap indicate the rank
The Second Lieutenant has plair
strap. The First Lieutenant has one
bar near each end of the strap. The
Captain has two bars near each end o
the strap. These three grades ar,
regimental officers, promotion being
confined to the regiment TO which theI
are attached.
The Major is the first staff Office
eligible to q -Colonelcy il
any regiment He wears a GOLDEN
broidered leaf near each end of tn
strap. The Lieutenant-Colonel has
silver-embroidered leaf in the sam
place.
! The Colonel has silyer-embroidere'
eagle in the center of the strap. Tn
! Brigadier-General has a star in III
center. and the Maior-General wear
two stars
I In addition to these insignia. officer
? OF the medical department have tn
J letters NJ. S on their shoulder straps
officers OF the pay department, the let
tiers P. D. officers of the quartermas
2 ter's department, Q d., and officers c
: the commissary department, C. D.
: Golden Days,