The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-28
ARMY OFFICERS IN China
Devices in the National Services
TO Indicate Rank.
Americans Wear Bars. Leaves. and
stars-Insignia of the British and
Russinns-Cnps and sleeves 'of the
French and Italians Braided-Dia-
monds and Knots for the Germans.

France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. AS
much as possible the men of each party
are kept to themselves, lest things should
get mixed up. 1t is not to be imagined
that there would be any great cordially
between the Japanese and the Russians,
for instance. or between the French and
the Germans So the armies live separate
and apart, as the legal expression used
| to run.
1t may be assumed that the armies are
clad more or less completely in khaki.
Khaki is great leyeler. in that it makes
it hard TO tell a field marshal from lieu
/ tenant-except that the knowing enc looks
at the person approaching; if he is very,
very old or very young he is probably
american lieutenant; if he is not quite SO
old he may be a German field marshal or
a general in some other army. But Ieav-
ing out personal looks. how is a soldier in
the American army in China to learn the
rank of a foreign officer approaching him?
II the officer is a general he wants to turn
out the guard for him; if he is of lower
grade he wants to salute him properly;
and IL he is no officer at all he wants to
avoid the mistake of Saluting him.
The badges that indicate rank in our
army are few enough and applied more
simply than such devices are applied in
foreign armies. Our second iieutenants
wear shoulder straps destitute of any rank
badge whatever; the fact that they wear
shoulder straps shows they are officers
In khaki uniform the straps run up and
down the shoulder and have the United
States coat of arms on them This coat
of arms is the mark of an officer.
The other officers are marked for iden-
tification thus: lieutenant has a silver
bar at each end of his shoulder straps,
or one single bar on his khaki strap.
captain has two bars; major has a gold
oak leaf at each end of his strap; lieu
tenant colonel has a silver leaf; a colonel
has a silver eagle on his straps, a brig
adler general a silver star and a major
general two silver stars.
in England the second lieutenant has no
rank device; first lieutenant displays one
star. p captain two stars; a major has a
crown on his straps. lieutenant colonel
a crown and d star: colonel shows a
crown and two stars. brigadier general
sword ard baton crossed; a major general
has star above the sword and baton, a
lieutenant general a crown above the
crossed sword and baton. A general has
a cross and a star above the crossed sworo
aad baton. The highest officer the
British have in China now is an
acting lieutenant general; they have no
officer of higher rank available whom they
can trust
In the french army rank is denoted
chiefly by the braid on the coat sleeve and
on the cap. second lieutenant has a de-
vice consisting of one braid only; first
lieutenant, one of two braids; captain,
one of three; major, one of four braids
Five braids of gold and silver thread indi-
cate lieutenant-colonel: if they are gold
II n TIL
has oak leaves in gold around his cap in |
stead of braid; the gold braid on his arm
is in five rows. and there are three silver
stars in a triangle on each arm.
The rank devices in the Italian army are |
about the same rows Of braid ON the |
sleeve and cap band. No other country has |
shoulder straps such as our army wears; /
in armies where shoulder straps are worn |
they run not across the shoulder as with /
us. but from the point of the shouiier 10 |
the collar, along the seam. The German |
and the Russian armies denote rank by |
the devices on shoulder straps of this kim |
In the German army the second lieuten- |
ant. or leuinant as he is called now wears |
shoulder straps of hst gilt or silver braid. |
showing the number of his regiment, with |
out device; his rank is shown by the fact /
that he wears the straps al all The obef /
ieutnant has diamond-shaped device be- |
low his regimental number; a captain has
two diamonds. i majors rank is shown by /
the fact that his shoulder straps are OF !
round gilt braid-what We call here Rus +
sian lnots''-with the number OF the regi- |
ment upon them. An oberst leutnant or |
lieutenant colonel, has single diamond
below the number, and a colonel two dIa-
monds. These braided knots are called in
the German army rsupen. or caterpillars
The Russian method of indicating rank
is the most complicated of all the plans in
use. A second lieutenant wears shoulder ,
straps. the color that of his regiments fac [
ings- On them are two rows Of fiat god 4
braid, and button at the upper end: b.
tween these rows two diamond-shaped or I
naments. at equal distances from the top
and bottom. The lieutenant has only one
near the upper end: the staff
captain has two diamonds. one at each
end. leaving a space between them large
enough to put third button in. while the
captain of the line has no diamond at all.
This is a direct opposite TO the ordinary
rule. which gives the junior lieutenant no
device 10 indicate his rank. The Iieuten-
ant-colonel has three rows OF fiat gold
braid on his straps, and displays three
diamonds arranged in a pyramidal form.
the base nearest TO the point of his shout
der.
A colonel has no device at all on his
straps, which have three fiat braids on
-Heius d H3dJOE SrrtIdl mas straps covered
solidly with braid. on which are two dia-
nonds. one above the other. lieutenant
General has three diamonds, general four
diamonds. Japan has followed the French
irny chiefly in indicating the rank of its
'Ifcers. second lieutenant hcs one ros
d braid on his sleeves and cap; a liedten-
AMI, TWO rows; captain, three rows;
major. Tour; lieutenant colonel. five. A
ooionei has six rows. a major general. six
N double knots; lieutenant general
seven IN double knots. General Officers
have gold oak leaves on their cans inet as
the French do.
The shoulder strap is the mark of an
officer, as a rule. In khaki, however All
ranks wear ii; it is seam strap. and is
Used to prevent cross belts from slipping
rom the shoulders. Officers shoulder
straps have conyentiOnalized coats OF arm.
as in our army, or crowns or stars. as in
3ther armies. II is likely that slight
shanges have been made in material of
he straps. for the Russian braid straps
an hardly go with khaki; probably in the
srmies where the material of The straps
the difference of rank between |
second lieutenant and major (the Ger
nan and Russian armies. for example,
,ome special device will be used
Naval officers wear about the same rank
devices as the army; that is. an ensign |
would wear the shoulder strap without