America's Top Generals

	General of the Armies of the United States George Washington was unanimously voted by Congress on June 15, 1775, to the rank of General and Commander-in-Chief  of the Continental Army. On March 15, 1978; George Washington was promoted, posthumously, to the newly created grade of 'General of the Armies of the United States'.       Congress authorized this title to make it clear that Washington was the Army's senior general, thus becoming a de facto "seven-star" general.
	General-in-Chief of the United States Army Lieutenant General Winfield Scott was the longest serving General in United States history.  He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1814, Major General and General-in-Chief in 1841, Lieutenant General in 1856, and served until his resignation in 1861. Known as "Old Fuss and Feathers", for his demands of strict military discipline and appearance, and the "Grand Old Man of the Army", most historians rate him the ablest American commander of his time.
	General of the Army Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant was conferred the new grade of  'General of the Army' by Congress on July 25, 1866. William T. Sherman, Grant's successor as Commanding General of the Army, was appointed as 'General of the Army' on March 4, 1869. Congress enacted legislation on June 1, 1888 conferring on  Philip H. Sheridan the grade of 'General of the Army'.  The grade was discontinued when he died,  while still on active duty, August 5, 1888.
	Generals of the Confederate States Army   (The author's pick of representative CSA Generals.) General P.G.T. Beauregard, General  General Braxton Bragg, General  General Nathan Bedford Forrest, Lieutenant General  General John Bell Hood, Temporary General, permanent appointment as Lieutenant General  General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, Lieutenant General  General Joseph E. Johnston, General  General Robert E. Lee, General-in-Chief of the Armies of the Confederate States General James Longstreet, Lieutenant General  General George Pickett, Major General  General J.E.B. Stuart, Major General
	General of the Armies General John J. (Black Jack) Pershing was made permanent  'General of the Armies' in 1919.  (*)         General of the Armies Pershing was designated to be senior to all U.S. Army generals, thus becoming a de facto "six-star" general in 1944. He was given the option of creating his own insignia, but he declined to wear more than four silver stars.
	General of the Army, General of the Air Force George C. Marshall, Army Chief of Staff and lead planner of US war strategy, promoted 'General of the Army' December 1944.  Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of Allies in the Pacific Theater, promoted 'General of the Army' December 1944.  Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of Allies in the European-African- Middle Eastern Theater, promoted 'General of the Army' December 1944. Henry H. (Hap) Arnold, Commanding General Army Air Forces, had the unique distinction of promotion to five-star general twice; in 1944 as 'General of the Army' and in June 1949 as 'General of the Air Force'.  He is the only Air Force general to have held the five-star rank.  Omar N. Bradley, Commander-in-Chief of American Forces invading Normandy, Commanding General of 12th Army Group, later Army Chief of Staff, promoted 'General of the Army' in September 1950.
	U. S. NAVY Vice Admiral and Admiral David G. Farragut was the first officer in the US Navy to receive the grades of Vice Admiral (in 1864) and Admiral (in 1866). David D. Porter was promoted as the second Vice Admiral (in 1864) and the second Admiral, on Farragut's death (in 1870).
	Admiral of the Navy  The grade has only been held by one person in history: George Dewey. He was conferred the new grade by act of Congress in 1899. Admiral of the Navy Dewey was designated to be senior to all  U.S. Navy admirals, thus becoming a de facto "six-star" admiral in 1944.
	Fleet Admiral  William D. Leahy, Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief, US Army and Navy, the President of the United States, promoted December 1944.   Ernest J. King, Commander-in-Chief US Fleet, Chief of Naval Operations, promoted December 1944.   Chester W. Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief US Pacific Fleet and Commander-in-Chief Pacific Ocean Areas for Allied air, land, and sea forces, promoted December 1944.   William F. (Bull) Halsey, Commander US 3rd Fleet in the Pacific, promoted December 1945.
	Current Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin E, Dempsey, USA Chairman, JCS  (*) Admiral James A. Winnefeld, Jr., USN Vice Chairman, JCS  (*) General Raymond T. Odierno, USA Chief of Staff of the Army  (*) General James F. Amos, USMC Commandant of the Marine Corps  (*) Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert, USN Chief of Naval Operations  (*) Admiral Robert J. Papp, Jr., USCG Commandant of the Coast Guard  (*) General Norton A. Schwartz, USAF Chief of Staff of the Air Force  (*) (*)  Lists of individual awards of the JCS
	Current Top Enlisted Advisors Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman, JCS Sergeant Major Bryan B. Battaglia, USMC  (*) SMA Raymond F. Chandler, USA Sergeant Major of the Army  (*) SMMC Michael P. Barrett, USMC Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps  (*) MCPON Rick D. West, USN Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy  (*) MCPOCG Michael P. Leavitt, USCG Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard  (*) CMSAF James A. Roy, USAF Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force  (*)

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