Transcriber’s Notes:
Underscores “_” before and after a word or phrase indicate _italics_
in the original text.
Small capitals have been converted to SOLID capitals.
Illustrations have been moved so they do not break up paragraphs.
Typographical errors have been silently corrected.
[Illustration: _Photograph by Zumbrun, Peking, China_
International group of Army, Navy and Marine officers in full dress
uniform.
The nations represented are the United States, Great Britain, France,
Belgium, Italy, Japan, Russia, Holland, Austria and Germany.]
Army and Navy
Uniforms and Insignia
How to know Rank, Corps and Service
in the Military and Naval Forces of the
United States and Foreign Countries
By
Colonel Dion Williams
United States Marine Corps
_With Eight Illustrations in Color and One Hundred
and Thirty-Eight in Black and White_
[Illustration]
Revised and Enlarged Edition
New York
Frederick A. Stokes Company
Publishers
_Copyright, 1918, by_
FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY
_All rights reserved_
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF UNIFORM 1
II. SERVICE, CORPS AND RANK 17
III. ENSIGNS, FLAGS AND PENNANTS 53
IV. UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY 64
V. UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY 108
VI. UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA OF THE U. S. MARINE CORPS 147
VII. UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA OF THE U. S. COAST GUARD 170
VIII. UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA OF THE U. S. LIGHTHOUSE SERVICE
AND U. S. COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 182
IX. UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA OF THE U. S. PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE 188
X. MEDALS, BADGES AND RIBBONS 201
XI. UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA OF FOREIGN ARMIES AND NAVIES 216
XII. UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS 292
XIII. UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA OF THE WAR WORKERS OF THE
YOUNG MEN’S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION 303
XIV. CUSTOMS OF THE SERVICES 306
XV. HONORS AND DISTINCTIONS 314
INDEX 325
ARMY AND NAVY UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA
CHAPTER I
ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF UNIFORM
In its military sense the word “uniform,” as a noun, is specifically
used to denote the distinctive style of dress and equipment established
by governmental regulation and worn by any naval or military
organization in order that all of the individual elements of that
organization will present a homogeneous appearance. In general all
uniforms are divided into two principal classes, dress uniforms and
undress or service uniforms, the modern field uniforms belonging to the
latter class. Dress uniforms are for use on occasions of ceremony and,
as in the case of civilian attire, they are usually more ornate and
gaudy than the working service uniforms.
The use of some form of uniform dress for fighting men both on land
and sea is common to all civilized nations and this general custom has
resulted from a gradual growth during the whole Christian era. In this
growth military necessity, convenience, economical considerations and
sentiment have all played a part.
The famed Legions of Cæsar were by imperial order all garbed and armed
alike, which is one of the first recorded cases of the use of a uniform
for soldiers. Some of the regiments of Hannibal also wore distinctive
colors practically amounting to a uniform. The galley slaves of ancient
Rome, the “motive power” of the man-of-war of that day, were all garbed
in a costume of identical cut and color bearing the number of the
galley in which they served, but this should be looked upon more as a
badge of servitude than as a naval uniform.
As time went by the leaders in command of the land forces perceived
the necessity for some mark or badge to designate the members of their
forces and to distinguish them from the foe. This resulted in the use
of various distinctive badges, such as plumes of a certain color to be
worn upon the helmet, initials, numbers or devices in the nature of a
coat of arms to be worn upon the front of the helmet, on the breast
plate of armor, on the tops of the shoulders or upon the shield, a
custom which still prevails in the armies of to-day.
When Gustavus Adolphus, “the Whirlwind of the North,” swept down over
Europe with his victorious army of Sweden, he marked the brigades of
his army with sashes worn diagonally across the body from one shoulder,
a distinctive color for each brigade, and as a result history records
the valorous deeds of the “Red Brigade” or the “Green Brigade” of that
wonderful army. This species of uniform survives in the General’s sash
for the dress uniforms of the present time.
Early in the seventeenth century the King of France by royal decree
established a uniform dress for his army and regulations were issued
prescribing the color and style of the various articles of dress for
officers and men and the occasions on which they were to be worn. At
that time in England various princes and lords had armed forces of
retainers and each such force was dressed and armed according to the
individual taste of its overlord.
When the Great Rebellion in England resulted in the establishment of
the Commonwealth under Cromwell as Protector in 1653, the New Model
army was established as a national force and, while this force was
clothed in the style of the day, distinctive colors were ordered so
that the whole force was uniform in appearance. The hat of the period
was the high crowned, wide brimmed felt “slouch” hat, and in its
various shapes this head dress has been retained down to the present.
First its brim was pinned up on one side by a rosette of the colors of
the government of the date, then to add to its jauntiness it was pinned
up in three places resulting in the three-cornered “cocked hat” of the
American Revolutionary period, and to-day we see it again almost in its
original form in the modern “field hat” of the United States Army and
Marine Corps, a head dress which is also worn by the British Colonial
troops from Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
The wide brimmed hat was not suitable for wear at sea as it “carried
too much sail in a gale,” and the naval officers fastened it up against
the crown on both sides and crushed the crown together in a “fore and
aft” line. In this form the erstwhile “slouch hat” now appears as the
chapeau or cocked hat worn with dress uniforms by the officers of all
modern navies and by the general officers of the United States Army
with full dress uniform.
Cords of various colors were worn around the base of the crown of the
“slouch hat” when it was first adopted, and for ornamentation these
cords had tassels at the ends, while the different colors of the hat
cords indicated the regiment, corps or service of the wearer. These
cords in various colors, depending upon the service or corps of the
wearer, are now worn on the field hats of officers and men in the
United States Army and Marine Corps, as described later in this book,
and the tradition of the hat cord tassels is still kept in the cocked
hat of the naval officer by the gold bullion tassels at the front and
rear peaks. Likewise the influence of the original loop strap and
button for fastening up the brim of the original “slouch hat” is seen
in the United States naval officer’s cocked hat in the shape of the
gold lace strap and gilt button on the side of the crown.
When the Restoration in England brought Charles II to the throne in
1660 a royal army was organized in England, this action being due to
the fact that the success of the revolutionists under Cromwell had
proved the unreliability of the previous system. The standard colors
chosen by the king for his soldiers were red and blue, the colors
of the royal livery, and these colors survive to-day in the British
infantry full dress uniforms of red with blue facings.
As time went by various regiments of foot and horse were raised, the
men from any given regiment coming as a rule from one locality or
county. The officers of these troops were practically all drawn from
the nobility and upper classes, and it became common for the colonelcy
to be conferred upon the head of the local noble house. These colonels
chose many slight variations in uniform for their men in accordance
with their tastes in dress and style, in deference to some local habits
of dress or as might be limited by the length of their purse.
These regiments came to be known by the name of the county or city from
which they were recruited; a custom which still prevails in the British
service, and which to a great extent has been followed in the army of
the United States, especially with the volunteers of our former wars.
In England this brought about a condition as to uniform that was
apparently directly the opposite of uniform, as each territorial
regiment had its own distinctive dress and decorations. Gradually,
however, with the consolidation of all of the armed forces of the
United Kingdom into one national army, the regulars forming the first
line and the militia or “Territorials” forming the second line, or
reserve, a universal service uniform was adopted for active service and
came to be known as a “field” uniform. The older distinctive colors and
styles of regimental uniforms were preserved in the full dress uniforms
and reserved for peace time parade.
As a result of the use of heraldic devices for badges of the different
regiments and corps under the old territorial system, each regiment
has its own coat of arms, and in the later national army of Great
Britain these were retained as “regimental badges.” These badges bear
the coat of arms of some great colonel of the regiment, the name and
date of some famous victory in which the regiment won renown, or some
distinctive device appropriate to the county or colony from which the
men of the regiment are recruited.
Such regimental badges, founded largely upon sentiment but still
appealing mightily to the imagination of the young recruit that joins
the colors with the high heart of youth, are a great aid to discipline
and efficiency, since discipline means the implicit obedience on the
part of every one in the service to the orders from higher authority
in such a manner as to secure the greatest cohesion and coordination
and hence the greatest effect. These little metal badges bearing the
symbols and mottoes that bring daily to the minds of their wearers
the valorous deeds that their regiment has done in the past arouse the
spirit of emulation and competition, the desire to fight as well or
better than the old regiment fought on some other bloody field perhaps
a century ago, and help to create _esprit de corps_—the soul of an army.
In the United States services there are also distinctive regimental and
corps devices which, while indicating the branch and corps to which the
wearer belongs, also keep alive the glorious traditions of the past
wars.
As France was the first country of modern times to establish by
governmental regulation and order a uniform dress for her armed forces
on shore, so has she been the most consistent of all countries in
dressing all branches of her service on much the same color scheme,
though here as in the other countries is sometimes seen the influence
of the native dress of the lands into which the French have extended
their colonial activities.
Until quite recently the common uniform of the French army consisted
of red trousers or breeches, blue coats and red caps. From the Barbary
coast of North Africa and especially the French colony of Algeria the
French colonial troops derived the style of dress known as “Zouave”
uniform, with baggy trousers, short braid decorated jacket and
tasselled turban. But even in these uniforms the general color scheme
of red trousers and blue coat with red head dress was carried out.
In the United States the influence of the Zouave uniform can be traced
to the same style of dress used by certain regiments of our great Civil
War of 1860-65. Notable among these regiments were the “Louisiana
Tigers” of the Confederate Army and the “Zouave Division” of the Union
Army.
In the uniforms of Germany the influence of the many individual states
and principalities which went to form the greater Germany of to-day
is seen in the colors and styles of the various regiments. The dress
uniforms of the German Army still retain some of the distinctive
colors of the original armies of Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, Wurttemburg
and Brandenburg, but for field service in war the whole army has a
uniform of dull gray color, the various territorial distinctions being
indicated by colored stripes and straps only.
The Italian troops have a number of distinctive uniforms for different
corps and services, but the universal full dress coat is of a dark
blue shade, the color of the trousers varying with the corps, and the
different colors are used as cuffs and facings to distinguish different
branches. Their field uniform is almost universally of a gray shade,
though the influence of the prevailing background upon the color of
uniform is seen in the white uniforms worn by the troops that must
fight in the snow covered mountains of the northern frontier, and the
use of khaki is becoming more common.
In Austria-Hungary the effect of the many different peoples that go
to make up that empire has resulted in a great variety of colors and
styles for uniforms, almost every color and shade being shown in the
dress uniforms of the different corps. But for the field uniforms
necessity has again ruled and dull shades of gray and green predominate.
Up to 1866 the Austrian regiments wore a great deal of white in
their uniforms, while the picturesque dress of the Hungarian civil
population was reflected in the gaudy uniforms of the Hussars, a style
copied into all of the cavalry troops of Europe to a greater or lesser
extent.
In Russia there is a great variety in full dress uniforms, and the
effect of the long coat and turban of the Cossack on one hand and
the bright plumes and short jackets of the Central European cavalry
on the other is traceable. For field service uniforms dull shades of
gray-green have become almost universal, and the cold of the long
winters has naturally resulted in the use of long and heavy overcoats.
The Russian soldiers all wear top boots instead of the low topped
laced shoes common for foot troops in the armies of France, England
and America. In this respect the Germans follow the same custom as the
Russians.
The uniforms of the United States Army and Marine Corps have resulted
from an adoption of the styles of the older nations with such
modifications as were from time to time dictated by local conditions
or national sentiment. Before the Revolution of 1776 the colonial
troops naturally followed the example of the British expeditionary
troops serving in the Thirteen Colonies, with modifications to suit
the climate and the nature of the country occupied. During the War of
the Revolution the effect of the alliance with France was seen in the
adoption of certain features of the French uniform, and the service
of the Prussian generals Von Steuben and De Kalb also resulted in the
adoption of certain features of the Prussian armies of that date.
After the establishment of the United States Government the wars with
the Indians caused changes in the uniform of some of the troops by the
adoption of some of the articles of the frontiersman’s dress, such as
deer-skin jackets, coonskin caps and powder horns.
The original idea of the founders of the country was to have every
able-bodied man receive some training as a soldier, and from this
came the militia of early days and the volunteers that fought the War
of 1812. The militia of the different States and territories were
uniformed largely by each State or territory designating its own style
of military dress copied from the different armies abroad and with
trimmings and colors to distinguish the different arms of the service.
The establishment of a small regular army after the War of 1812 brought
with it a government regulation uniform for regular troops, which
was in turn followed to some extent by the state troops or militia,
but there were still many different styles of uniform in use through
the Mexican War and up to the breaking out of the Civil War in 1860.
Different units of the forces came to be known by the colors of their
uniforms, such as the “Richmond Blues,” the “Red Zouaves,” the “Blue
Zouaves,” the “Grays,” and many crack regiments of the militia, or as
it came to be known later, the National Guard of the different States,
had their own distinctive color and cut of uniform dress.
The great Civil War called such large bodies of men to the colors of
the two contending sides that the question of economy demanded that the
service uniforms for each side be made of one standard color and style,
the armies of the North wearing blue and those of the South wearing
gray. In each army, however, the different corps were distinguished
by a distinctive color for the trimmings or “facings,” a custom which
still prevails for the dress uniforms of our troops.
After the war with Spain in 1898 steps were taken to bring the uniforms
of the several State National Guards into general conformity with that
of the Regular Army, and, with the granting of national financial aid
to these state troops and the issue to them of government regulation
clothing and equipment, all of the armed forces of the country,
regular, state and volunteer, gradually came to wear the same uniform,
the different kinds of troops being distinguished by the design of the
buttons or by letters worn on the collars.
In one feature the United States troops of to-day, both in the Army and
the Marine Corps, still retain a relic of the “stock” of former times;
this is the close fitting, standing collar of the coats for both full
dress and service uniforms. The original idea of the stock was to make
the soldier hold his head up and stand stiffly erect, and it dates from
the time when Frederick the Great introduced mathematical precision
into every motion of drill and maneuver.
In the early days when the marines wore a leather stock the sailor in
his wide collared shirt dubbed the marine a “leatherneck,” a term still
applied to him in the slang phrase of the service.
Military necessity has often dictated the color of the clothing worn by
troops in the field. An early example of this was the adoption in 1755
of a dark green uniform by the British Royal American Regiment while
fighting against the French and Indians in the forest covered country
in the northwest of the original American colonies. The North American
Indian was an adept at “bush-whacking” and concealment in the forest,
and to meet him on anything like an equal footing it was necessary
for the British and colonial troops to wear a color suited to the
prevailing background. In later years this regiment’s name was changed
to “King’s Royal Rifles” and as an heirloom of its first service the
rifle regiments of the British Army still wear green coats for their
full dress uniform.
In the days when smooth-bore muskets were the arms of infantry,
the range of such weapons was very short and the opposing battle
lines approached each other so closely that the figures of the men
were plainly visible whatever the color of their clothing might be.
Histories of the wars of a century ago tell of the colonels’ commands
to “wait till you see the whites of their eyes before you fire” and
“hold your fire until you can count their coat buttons.”
Under such circumstances striking and distinctive uniforms of gaudy
colors bedecked with gold and silver braid and bright buttons were no
detriment, but with the great increase in the range and accuracy of
modern rifles it has become necessary to render the men on the battle
line as inconspicuous as possible, and, as a result, in all of the
great armies of the world dull colored uniforms of neutral shade have
replaced the brilliant reds, blues, yellows and greens of former times,
and brass buttons have given way to buttons of bronze, leather or iron,
the bright hued uniforms with their corresponding brass buttons and
braid being kept for full dress and peace time parade.
In the United States Army and Marine Corps the prevalent color for
the field service uniforms is some shade of the dull brown commonly
known as “khaki,” and the bright gilt and silver buttons, corps and
regimental devices and numbers and belt buckles have been replaced to a
great extent by dull bronze buttons and ornaments, insignia of rank for
officers only being still made of silver and gold.
“Khaki” (pronounced _kar-key_, with the accent on the second syllable)
is an East Indian word meaning “dust color” or “earth color.” In the
dry season in India the fields and vegetation turn brown and the roads
are heavy with dust which, carried by the winds, soon covers the
foliage of trees and shrubbery, so that the whole landscape presents a
somber aspect in one brown, dust-colored hue.
In the earlier days of the British occupation of India the British
and loyal Indian troops wore white cotton or duck uniforms in the hot
weather of the dry season, but these stood out so plainly against
the prevailing dust color of the roads and surrounding country as to
make their wearers distinct targets for the bush-whacking snipers of
the enemy tribesmen. Learning from bitter experience the necessity
for making themselves less conspicuous, the soldiers dipped their
uniforms in muddy pools and streams to give them the same color as the
background against which they must appear.
This expedient showed good results in reducing the casualty lists, and
dust-colored or “khaki” uniforms gradually replaced the white uniforms
with bright colored trimmings for summer service, and later for the
same reasons the same or a similar color was also adopted for the
winter field or “fighting” uniforms of the British Army.
Grim necessity gradually overcame the natural conservatism of the
military mind and the sentimental traditions that hung around the
colors of the uniforms that the troops had worn in famous campaigns,
until all of the great nations have now adopted “khaki” or other
dull colored uniforms for their troops in the field. This has taken
away from the battlefield much of its former picturesqueness and pomp;
gone from the battlefield is the “thin red line” of English poetry and
song, the red and blue of the French infantry, the gray and white of
the Austrians, and the blue, white and gold of the German Uhlans, while
the “American Boys in Blue” no longer charge with bayonets glittering
in the sun beneath the Stars and Stripes. To paraphrase a well-known
quotation, “It is not magnificent but it is war.”
In the naval services of the world the adoption of a regulation uniform
dress for officers and enlisted men came at a much later date than in
the armies, although the marines, being essentially “sea soldiers,”
followed the uniform regulations of the shore forces to a great extent
and were put in uniform much earlier than the sailors of the ships’
crews.
In the British Navy of Nelson’s time the officers wore uniforms
following certain prescribed styles, and the rank of the officer was
marked by insignia upon the epaulets and by sleeve and cuff decorations
as well, but the sailors who set and worked the sails and manned the
guns had no prescribed dress. It was the custom of those days for each
commodore and captain to prescribe a uniform dress for the crew of his
“barge” or “gig” (the “barge” being the special small boat propelled
by oars in which the admiral or commodore went from ship to shore and
_vice versa_, and the “gig” being the name for a similar boat used
especially by the captain of the ship).
These uniforms for the special boats’ crews were often fanciful in
design and gay in color schemes and served to enliven the landing
places at many a busy port.
During the Revolution the ships of the American Navy consisted at first
of merchantmen armed with a few guns and manned by the hardy seamen of
the merchant marine of the colonies. Later men-of-war were especially
built for that service and manned by duly commissioned officers and men
enlisted into the government service, but the British Navy was so large
that the colonials could make no headway against its strong fleets,
and a cruising and raiding warfare was resorted to for the purpose of
destroying as much British merchant shipping as possible. This warfare
was carried on principally by privateers, merchantmen armed and heavily
manned for the purpose and in some cases fast ships especially built
for such service. These privateers were officered by the splendid sea
captains of that date who were granted “letters of marque” by the
Colonial Government to carry the flag and prey upon the commerce of
the enemy, dividing the profits derived from the captured cargoes in
fixed proportion between the owners and crew of the privateers and the
Government.
Under such conditions there was no fixed uniform, and though the
officers frequently provided themselves with a dress patterned after
that of the French Navy with which they were allied, the men wore any
kind of clothing suited to their fancy.
After the Revolution the standing or regular army went out of
existence, but it soon became necessary to establish a regular navy
which consisted of a few fast, heavily gunned sailing frigates of the
type of the _Constitution_, _Constellation_ and _Chesapeake_. When the
War of 1812 came on it was this small but remarkably efficient regular
navy that alone saved the United States from disaster and dishonor.
By 1812 a regulation uniform had been prescribed for the officers of
the Navy, but the men were still allowed to wear any kind of clothing
suited to their work. Long cruises in distant seas made it necessary,
however, for a supply of clothing for the members of the crew to be
carried by the purser (the paymaster of that day), and as a measure of
economy and convenience these clothes were all made in the same style,
a custom which gradually brought about a certain uniformity in the garb
of the enlisted personnel of the Navy.
Thus it came about that the accepted sailor uniform consisted of easy
fitting garments suited to the work of hauling on the ropes, working
aloft on the rigging, masts and spars of the sailing ships and pulling
at the oars of the small boats. From this beginning came the sailor
uniform of to-day, the bell-mouthed trousers that could be rolled up
quickly and easily when the barefooted sailors washed down the decks,
the easy-fitting, loose-necked shirt or “jumper,” the short overcoat
or “peacoat” for winter wear, and the loose-topped, brimless cap which
to give it a smarter appearance when going ashore “on liberty” (the
sailor term for leave of absence) was provided with a light ring or
“grommet” to stretch the crown out flat, resulting in the common sailor
“flat-hat” of to-day.
This sailor uniform was originally designed for wear aboard ships
driven by sail-power, and though it is not especially suited to
the great steam-driven dreadnaughts of the modern navy it is still
retained, partly on account of sentiment and tradition and partly on
account of the fact that the Navy is probably more conservative than
any other profession or calling.
The uniforms of both officers and enlisted men in the United States
Navy follow rather closely in style, color and cut those worn in the
British Navy, and some interesting traditions of the latter service may
be seen even in our naval service. For instance, the black neckerchief
worn alike by the British and American sailor was made black after
Trafalgar as an emblem of mourning for the Great Nelson, and the
three white stripes around the edges of the collar were so placed to
commemorate Nelson’s three great victories, Copenhagen, the Nile and
Trafalgar.
In all countries naval uniforms follow much the same patterns and
practically all are of the same colors; dark blue, the so-called “navy
blue,” for winter wear, and white for summer wear.
The need of an inconspicuous uniform for naval officers and men is
not so apparent as it is in the case of the land forces, since in the
battles of ships at sea it is the ship which is the target and not the
personnel as in the battles on land.
Thus we see how tradition, sentiment and military necessity have each
played a part in the development of the uniforms worn by the fighting
forces of our country on land and sea.
CHAPTER II
SERVICE, CORPS AND RANK
The armed forces of the United States of America provided by
the statute law of the land pursuant to the provisions of the
Constitution are embraced within two grand divisions, the land forces
and the sea forces, under the supreme command of the President as
Commander-in-Chief.
These two grand divisions are subdivided into various services
according to the duties required of them and the laws establishing and
maintaining them.
_The Land Forces._—The land forces of the United States are made up
of the regular army or as it is sometimes called the “standing army,”
the organized land militia when called into the service of the United
States which is practically the same as the so-called national guards
of the several states, and such volunteers and drafted men as may be
authorized by the Congress from time to time as occasion demands.
In times of peace the Army consists of the regular army, but in case
of an invasion or threatened invasion of the territory of the United
States or of rebellion or threatened war against the constituted
government of the nation, this force may be augmented by calling the
organized militia into service and further augmented if necessary by
the employment of volunteers or drafted men, with the authorization of
the Congress.
The land forces, however raised, are also divided into the Mobile
Army and the Coast Artillery. The mobile army is intended for active
offensive operations against the enemy and is so called on account
of the fact that for its duties it requires the greatest degree of
mobility possible, while the coast artillery is intended to man and
fight the fixed and movable elements of land and coast fortifications
including land mines, submarine mines and torpedo defenses pertaining
to the fortifications.
These two groups frequently assist each other, the mobile forces
protecting the flanks and approaches to the fixed defenses, and the
latter being used as turning points or supporting points to the lines
of the mobile forces.
The Army is divided into various arms or corps according to the duties
required, as follows: infantry, cavalry, field artillery, coast
artillery corps, engineer corps, signal corps including aviation
section, quartermaster corps, ordnance corps, judge advocate’s corps,
inspector general’s corps and medical corps. Each of these arms
or corps has a distinctive badge to be worn on all uniforms and a
distinctive color for the facings and trimmings of dress uniforms, as
described and illustrated in Chapter IV.
For purposes of administration and control under war conditions the
mobile land forces are organized into Field Armies, the basis of the
organization being the Division. The division as prescribed in the
United States Army is an organization containing all of the arms and
services necessary for independent action.
A field army may be divided into army corps, each such being composed
of two or more divisions.
Divisions are subdivided into brigades, which are in turn subdivided
into regiments. A regiment of infantry is usually composed of three
battalions of four companies each; a regiment of cavalry of three
squadrons of four troops each; and a regiment of field artillery of two
battalions of three batteries each. Engineers are formed into regiments
according to the special requirements of their duties. The Coast
Artillery is organized into companies, the number of companies in any
one command depending upon the size of the forts to be garrisoned.
Signal Corps troops are organized into companies and larger
organizations according to the duties assigned to them.
The Quartermaster Corps is charged with providing the supplies required
and with the transportation of both men and supplies.
The Medical Corps has charge of the hospitals and the personnel
required by them both at the permanent stations and in the field, and
for this purpose the corps is organized into ambulance companies and
field hospitals.
Chaplains are assigned to regiments and other organizations as may be
required.
Veterinarians, who are commissioned officers, are assigned to the
cavalry, field artillery and quartermaster transport trains, and
also have charge of such veterinary hospitals as may be required at
permanent posts or in the field.
The command of the Army is exercised by the President as
Commander-in-Chief through the medium of the Secretary of War and the
Chief of Staff, the latter officer having the rank of General and
taking the place of the former Commanding General of the Army.
The General Staff Corps of the Army, consisting of commissioned
officers detailed from the various branches of the Army for a term of
four years’ service, is charged with the duties of effecting under
the direction of the Chief of Staff the coordination and harmonious
cooperation of all branches of the military service, both line and
staff, in the execution of the military policies of the Government in
peace and war.
The administration of the Army and the War Department is effected under
the Secretary of War through the Chief of Staff by various bureaus or
offices, as follows: the Coast Artillery under a chief with the rank
of Major General; the Adjutant General’s Department under an Adjutant
General with the rank of Major General, which is the department of
records, orders and correspondence of the Army and the Militia; the
Judge Advocate General’s Department, under a Judge Advocate General
with the rank of Major General, which is the legal department of the
Army; the Inspector General’s Department under an Inspector General
with the rank of Major General; the Quartermaster Department, under a
Quartermaster General with the rank of Major General, which has charge
of supply and transportation; the Medical Department, under a Surgeon
General with the rank of Major General; the Corps of Engineers, under
a Chief of Engineers with the rank of Major General; the Ordnance
Corps, under a Chief of Ordnance with the rank of Major General; and
the Signal Corps, under a Chief Signal Officer with the rank of Major
General.
_The Sea Forces._—The sea forces of the United States consist of the
regular Navy, the Marine Corps, the Naval Militia of the several States
and territories when mustered into the service of the United States,
and the Coast Guard and Lighthouse Service when transferred to the
jurisdiction of the Navy Department in time of war or when war is
imminent, including in each case both the vessels and the personnel
pertaining to them, afloat and ashore. The vessels of the Coast and
Geodetic Survey and of the Bureau of Fisheries may also be transferred
to the jurisdiction of the Navy in time of war.
The vessels of the Navy are organized into fleets which are divided
for purposes of administration and tactics into forces, squadrons,
divisions, and sections.
A “Fleet” is an aggregation of vessels of various classes in one
organization under one command.
Fleets are subdivided into “Forces,” each “Force” being made up of the
vessels of a fleet that are of the same class or type that are assigned
to perform the same duty.
A “Force” is subdivided into “Squadrons,” and in turn, a “Squadron”
is subdivided into “Divisions,” and a “Division” is subdivided into
“Sections.”
A “Section” consists of two vessels of the larger classes or three
vessels of the smaller classes; a “Division” normally consists of two
“Sections,” and a “Squadron” usually consists of two “Divisions,”
although the numbers in each subdivision may be varied to suit special
occasions or duties.
A squadron of torpedo vessels is called a “Flotilla,” in deference to
long established custom.
A completely organized Fleet is composed of a Battleship Force, a Scout
Force, a Cruiser Force, a Destroyer Force, a Submarine Force, a Mine
Force and a Train Force, the latter consisting of the supply ships and
repair vessels and transports and being usually referred to as the
“Train.”
The Navy is administered ashore by a bureau system, consisting of a
number of bureaus and offices having charge of the various activities
required for the building and upkeep of the fleets at sea, and all
directed by the Secretary of the Navy through the Office of Naval
Operations, the Chief of Naval Operations with the rank of Admiral
being the senior or ranking officer of the Navy.
The bureaus are the Bureau of Navigation, whose Chief has the rank of
Rear Admiral, and which has charge of the issuing and enforcing of
orders to officers and enlisted men and the keeping of the records; the
Bureau of Ordnance, whose Chief has the rank of Rear Admiral, and which
has charge of the design, manufacture and repair of guns, torpedoes and
ammunition; the Bureau of Construction and Repair, whose head is the
Chief Constructor of the Navy and has the rank of Rear Admiral, and
which has charge of the designing, construction and repair of all of
the vessels of the Navy; the Bureau of Steam Engineering, whose head
is the Engineer in Chief of the Navy, with the rank of Rear Admiral,
and which has charge of the designing, construction and repair of the
engines and boilers in the ships of the Navy; a Bureau of Supplies and
Accounts, whose head is the Paymaster General of the Navy, with the
rank of Rear Admiral, and which has charge of the purchase and issue
of supplies and provisions for the Navy and the paying of the officers
and enlisted men; the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, whose head is the
Surgeon General of the Navy, with the rank of Rear Admiral, and which
has charge of the hospitals ashore, the hospital ships, and the health
and sanitation of the Navy both afloat and ashore; the Bureau of Yards
and Docks, whose Chief has the rank of Rear Admiral, and which has
charge of the designing and construction and repair of the buildings
and docks at the shore establishments of the Navy; and the Office of
the Judge Advocate General, whose head is the Judge Advocate General
of the Navy with the rank of Captain, and which has charge of the
courts-martial and legal affairs of the Navy.
For purposes of command and organization afloat and ashore the officers
of the Navy are divided into the “Line,” composed of the officers
holding the military command in the various ranks, and of a number of
“Staff Corps,” composed of officers who have charge of the various
coordinate duties.
These “Staff Corps” are the Medical Corps, the Pay Corps, the
Chaplains, the Corps of Naval Constructors, the Corps of Civil
Engineers and the Professors of Mathematics. Prior to 1899 there was
also a separate Corps of Engineers, but in that year this corps was
consolidated with the Line and since that time the only officers
holding the ranks of Chief Engineer, Passed Assistant Engineer and
Assistant Engineer in the Navy are officers of the old Engineer Corps
who are now carried on the Retired List of Officers.
_The Marine Corps._—The Marine Corps is a distinct military
organization normally forming an integral part of the Navy, but when
the President so orders any portion of the corps may be detached for
service with the Army, and in every war in which the United States has
been engaged the marines have fought as a part of the crews of the
fighting ships of the Navy, as landing forces and expeditionary forces
with the Navy and also on detached service with the Army.
The Marine Corps is commanded by a Major General Commandant whose
station is at Headquarters of the Corps in Washington, and who
is assisted by a staff consisting of an Adjutant and Inspector’s
Department, a Quartermaster’s Department and a Paymaster’s Department,
each headed by a Brigadier General.
The officers of the Adjutant and Inspector’s Department perform the
duties that are performed in the Army by the Departments of the
Adjutant General and the Inspector General; the Quartermaster’s
Department has charge of the supplies, provisions, transportation
and the construction and maintenance of barracks and buildings; and
the Paymaster’s Department has charge of the accounts and pay of the
officers and enlisted men of the Corps.
Detachments of the marines are stationed at all of the Navy Yards and
Naval Stations of the United States both at home and abroad, and they
also serve as Legation Guards for American Legations in countries
where such guards are considered necessary, as expeditionary forces
with the Fleet and for the protection of Americans and their rights
in foreign countries during revolutions and disorders, on detached
duty with the Army as circumstances require in time of war, and aboard
the battleships and cruisers of the Navy as a part of the crew, their
special duties aboard ship being as crews for the Torpedo Defense
batteries of guns of intermediate caliber and rapid-fire guns.
The Marines of a Fleet are organized into a regiment for duty as
a landing force, the detachment from each ship forming one of the
companies, and the Colonel commanding the regiment serves on the Staff
of the Admiral in command of the Fleet.
When assigned to shore duty the Marines are organized into permanent
companies, these companies being combined into provisional battalions,
regiments and brigades according to the service or duty required.
The Marine Detachment or company serving on board a ship of the Navy
is paraded as the guard of honor when such a guard is turned out to
receive the President, the ruler of any foreign country, or any lesser
officer or official entitled to such honors.
_The Coast Guard._—The Coast Guard was established by act of Congress
in January, 1915, which provided that the then existing Revenue-Cutter
Service and Life-Saving Service should be combined into one service
to be known as the Coast Guard, which shall constitute a part of the
military forces of the United States and which shall operate under the
Treasury Department in time of peace and operate as a part of the Navy,
subject to the orders of the Navy Department, in time of war, or at
other times when the President shall so direct.
In time of peace the Coast Guard is charged with the enforcement of
the revenue laws as applying to sea-borne commerce, with giving aid to
vessels in distress at sea, with the protection of the seal fisheries,
and with maintaining and operating the life-saving stations along the
coasts of the United States and its insular possessions. In time of war
or when so directed by the President it acts as a part of the Navy,
and the ships and personnel of the service become to all intents and
purposes a portion of the regular navy.
_The Lighthouse Service._—This service is charged with the duties
of establishing and maintaining the lighthouses and other aids to
navigation, such as buoys and beacons and range marks on shore, that
are required for the safe navigation of the waters adjacent to our
coasts, the harbors and the channels leading to them, and the inland
waterways.
In normal times the Lighthouse Service is operated under the Department
of Commerce, but by act of Congress of August, 1916, the President is
authorized to transfer the stations, vessels, equipment and personnel
of the service, as may be required, to the jurisdiction of the Navy
Department or to that of the War Department.
When so transferred to the Navy Department or to the War Department,
the Lighthouse Service becomes for the time being a portion of the
Navy or of the Army, as the case may be, and its officers and men are
subject to the laws and regulations of the service to which it is so
transferred.
_The Coast and Geodetic Survey._—This branch of the government service
is charged with surveying the harbors and waters contiguous to the
coasts of the United States and the insular possessions thereof and the
lakes and inland waterways contained therein, and with making charts
from such surveys for use in navigation.
The service is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Commerce,
but in time of war its vessels may be transferred to the Navy
Department and their crews taken into the naval service, in which case
they become subject to the laws and regulations of the Navy.
RANK, TITLE AND PRECEDENCE
Rank in its military sense is the character or quality bestowed upon
the men of the military and naval services which carries with it the
eligibility to exercise command or authority over other members of the
services within the limits prescribed by law and regulation. Rank is
divided into many different grades to mark the relative positions of
the persons upon whom it is conferred and to limit the extent of the
authority carried with it.
In all of the services of the United States, “Commissioned Officers”
are those who have received a commission from the President “by and
with the advice and consent of the Senate of the United States”; and
“Appointed Officers” are those who are appointed by the President or by
his order but who are not “commissioned” and confirmed by the Senate.
In the Army the “Appointed Officers” are Aviators, Army Field Clerks,
Field Clerks Quartermaster Corps, and Cadets at the Military Academy.
In the Navy the “Appointed Officers” are Warrant Officers and
Midshipmen.
In the Marine Corps the “Appointed Officers” are Warrant Officers.
In the Army and Marine Corps “Noncommissioned Officers” are selected
enlisted men who are appointed to the various ranks of enlisted
authority by orders from their proper military commanders.
“Petty Officers” in the Navy are appointed enlisted men corresponding
to noncommissioned officers in the Army and Marine Corps.
The “Title” of an officer is the name of the rank or grade in which he
holds a commission, the formal term by which he is officially addressed
in communicating with him, although custom sanctions some variations
from this general rule.
In the Army and the Marine Corps all commissioned officers, line and
staff, have positive rank in the several grades, and it is customary
to address them when communicating orally with them by the name of
the rank they hold, the variations being that all General Officers
(Generals, Lieutenant Generals, Major Generals and Brigadier Generals)
are commonly addressed as “General,” that Lieutenant Colonels are
addressed as “Colonel,” and that all subalterns (First Lieutenants
and Second Lieutenants) are addressed as either “Lieutenant” or as
“Mister.”
In the Navy it is customary to address officers of the Line (the
command branch of the service) by the name of their rank, and to
address officers of the Staff Corps either by the name of their rank
or as “Mister,” for all except officers of the Medical Corps, who are
usually addressed as “Doctor.” The exceptions to this rule are that
all Flag Officers (Admirals, Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals) are
usually addressed orally as “Admiral,” and that Lieutenant Commanders,
Lieutenants and Ensigns are often addressed as “Mister.”
It is customary to address the Warrant Officers of the Navy and Marine
Corps as “Mister.”
The precedence of the commissioned officers and other officers of the
Army, Navy and Marine Corps is determined first by the grade or rank
which the officers hold by virtue of their commissions or appointments,
and if of the same grade or rank, then by the date of commission or
appointment in the grade. There are certain exceptions to this latter
rule in the case of some grades in the Staff Corps of the Navy.
The precedence of the warrant officers, noncommissioned officers
and petty officers of all the services is determined upon the same
principle, the seniority of the different grades and the relative
seniority of the grades in different services being determined by
regulations and orders, and the precedence in each grade being
determined by the dates of the warrants or appointments.
The accompanying table shows the rank and title of each grade in the
Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, all of the grades having the
same relative rank being on the same horizontal line.
TABLE OF RELATIVE RANK OF OFFICERS IN THE NAVAL
AND MILITARY SERVICES OF THE UNITED STATES
--------------------------------------------------------------------
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS
--------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+---------
Army | Navy | Marine | Coast |Public
| | Corps | Guard |Health
| | | |Service
--------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+---------
None |Admiral of | None | None | None
| the Navy | | |
--------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+---------
General |Admiral | None | None | None
--------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+---------
Lieutenant |Vice | None | None | None
General | Admiral | | |
--------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+---------
Major |Rear |Major | None | None
General | Admiral | General | |
--------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+---------
Brigadier |Commodore |Brigadier | None |Surgeon
General[A] | |General | | General
--------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+---------
| | |Captain |Assistant
Colonel |Captain |Colonel | Commandant| Surgeon
| | | | General
--------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+---------
Lieutenant |Commander |Lieutenant |Senior |Senior
Colonel | |Colonel | Captain | Surgeon
--------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+---------
|Lieutenant | | |Surgeon
Major | Commander | Major |Captain |Passed
| | | |Assistant
--------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+---------
Captain |Lieutenant |Captain |First |Surgeon
| | | Lieutenant|
--------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+---------
First |Lieutenant, |First |Second |Assistant
Lieutenant | Junior | Lieutenant | Lieutenant| Surgeon
| Grade | | |
--------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+---------
Second |Ensign |Second |Third | None
Lieutenant | | Lieutenant | Lieutenant|
--------------+-----------------+-------------+ |
|Chief Boatswain, | | |
|Chief Gunner, | | |
|Chief Machinist, | | |
|Chief Carpenter, | | |
|Chief Sailmaker, | | |
|Chief Pharmacist,| | |
|Chief Pay Clerk | | |
--------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+---------
APPOINTED OFFICERS
--------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+---------
Aviator, |Midshipman at | None |Cadet and |
Signal Corps | the Naval | |Cadet |
Cadet at the | Academy, | | Engineer |
Military | Annapolis, Md. | | at the |
Academy, | | |Coast Guard|
West Point | | | Academy, |
| | |New London,|
| | | Conn. |
--------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+---------
WARRANT OFFICERS
--------------+-----------------+-------------+----------+---------
Army Field |Boatswain, |Marine Gunner|Boatswain,|Interne
Clerk |Gunner, |Quartermaster|Gunner, |Pharmacist
Field Clerk |Machinist, | Clerk |Machinist,|Clerk
Quartermaster|Carpenter, | |Carpenter,|
Corps. |Sailmaker, | |Keeper, |
|Pharmacist, | |Master’s |
|Pay Clerk, | | Mate |
|Mate | | |
| | | |
| | | |
--------------+-----------------+-------------+----------+---------
[A] In accordance with an Act of Congress of October 6, 1917. Brigadier
Generals of the Army and Marine Corps take relative rank with Rear
Admirals of the lower half of the grade of Rear Admiral.
The personnel of the Army, as provided by statute law, consists of
commissioned officers, appointed officers, noncommissioned officers and
privates as follows, according to grade or rank:
OFFICERS
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS
1. General.
2. Lieutenant General.
3. Major General.
4. Brigadier General.
5. Colonel.
6. Lieutenant Colonel.
7. Major.
8. Captain.
9. First Lieutenant.
10. Second Lieutenant.
APPOINTED OFFICERS
11. Aviator, Signal Corps.
12. Cadet.
13. Field Clerk, Field Clerk Quartermaster Corps.
ENLISTED MEN
NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND PRIVATES
14. (a) Sergeant major, regimental; sergeant
major, senior grade, Coast Artillery Corps; (b)
quartermaster sergeant, senior grade, Quartermaster
Corps; master hospital sergeant, Medical Department;
master engineer, senior grade, Corps of Engineers;
master electrician, Coast Artillery Corps; master
signal electrician; band leader; (c) hospital
sergeant, Medical Department; master engineer, junior
grade, Corps of Engineers; engineer, Coast Artillery Corps.
15. Ordnance sergeant; quartermaster sergeant,
Quartermaster Corps; supply sergeant, regimental.
16. Sergeant major, squadron and battalion;
sergeant major, junior grade, Coast Artillery Corps;
supply sergeant, battalion.
17. (a) First sergeant; (b) sergeant, first
class, Medical Department; sergeant, first class,
Quartermaster Corps; sergeant, first class, Corps
of Engineers; sergeant, first class, Signal Corps;
electrician sergeant, first class, Coast Artillery
Corps; electrician sergeant, Artillery Detachment,
United States Military Academy; assistant engineer,
Coast Artillery Corps; (c) master gunner, Coast
Artillery Corps; master gunner, Artillery Detachment,
United States Military Academy; band sergeant and
assistant leader, United States Military Academy
Band; assistant band leader; sergeant bugler;
electrician sergeant, second class, Coast Artillery
Corps; electrician sergeant, second class, Artillery
Detachment, United States Military Academy; radio
sergeant.
18. Color sergeant.
19. Sergeant; supply sergeant, company; mess
sergeant; stable sergeant; fireman, Coast Artillery
Corps.
20. Corporal.
21. (a) First Class Private; (b) Private.
The personnel of the Navy, pursuant to the provisions of the statute
law, consists of commissioned officers, appointed officers, warrant
officers, petty officers and seamen, in the various grades as follows:
OFFICERS OF THE NAVY
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF THE LINE
1. Admiral of the Navy.
(This rank is now vacant. By special act of
Congress it was conferred upon Admiral George Dewey
on March 2, 1899, and held by him until his death
on January 16, 1917. The rank is the same as that
of Admiral of the Fleet in foreign navies and that
of Field Marshal in foreign armies.)
2. Admiral.
3. Vice Admiral.
4. Rear Admiral.
5. Commodore.
(This rank was abolished for the active list by
act of Congress on March 3, 1899, and since that
date has been held by officers of that rank on the
Retired List of the Navy only.)
6. Captain.
7. Commander.
8. Lieutenant Commander.
9. Lieutenant.
10. Lieutenant Junior Grade.
11. Ensign.
12. Chief Boatswain.
Chief Gunner.
Chief Machinist.
(The commissioned officers of these three titles are
of the same grade; they rank next after ensigns.)
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF THE MEDICAL CORPS
1. Medical Director with the rank of Rear Admiral.
2. Medical Director with the rank of Captain.
3. Medical Inspector with the rank of Commander.
4. Surgeon with the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
5. Passed Assistant Surgeon with the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
6. Passed Assistant Surgeon with the rank of Lieutenant.
7. Assistant Surgeon with the rank of Lieutenant.
8. Assistant Surgeon with the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade.
9. Dental Surgeon with the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade.
10. Chief Pharmacist.
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF THE PAY CORPS
1. Pay Director with the rank of Rear Admiral.
2. Pay Director with the rank of Captain.
3. Pay Inspector with the rank of Commander.
4. Paymaster with the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
5. Passed Assistant Paymaster
with the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
6. Passed Assistant Paymaster with the rank of Lieutenant.
7. Passed Assistant Paymaster with the rank of Lieutenant,
Junior Grade.
8. Assistant Paymaster with the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade.
9. Assistant Paymaster with the rank of Ensign.
10. Chief Pay Clerk.
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF THE CORPS OF NAVAL CONSTRUCTORS
1. Naval Constructor with the rank of Rear Admiral.
2. Naval Constructor with the rank of Captain.
3. Naval Constructor with the rank of Commander.
4. Naval Constructor with the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
5. Naval Constructor with the rank of Lieutenant.
6. Assistant Naval Constructor with the rank of Lieutenant.
7. Assistant Naval Constructor with the rank of Lieutenant,
Junior Grade.
8. Chief Carpenter.
Chief Sailmaker.
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF THE CORPS OF CIVIL ENGINEERS
1. Civil Engineer with the rank of Rear Admiral.
2. Civil Engineer with the rank of Captain.
3. Civil Engineer with the rank of Commander.
4. Civil Engineer with the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
5. Civil Engineer with the rank of Lieutenant.
6. Assistant Civil Engineer with the rank of Lieutenant.
7. Assistant Civil Engineer with the rank of Lieutenant,
Junior Grade.
8. Assistant Civil Engineer with the rank of Ensign.
_Chaplains_ hold the relative rank of Captain, Commander, Lieutenant
Commander, Lieutenant or Lieutenant, Junior Grade, according to length
of service.
_Professors of Mathematics_ hold the rank of Captain, Commander,
Lieutenant Commander or Lieutenant according to length of service. This
corps was established to provide especially trained mathematicians for
duty as astronomers at the Naval Observatories and as Instructors at
the Naval Academy, but pursuant to the act of Congress of August 29,
1916, no further officers are to be commissioned in this corps.
In the days of sailing ships officers having the title of Sailmaker
were provided for the then important work of superintending the
manufacture of sails, but since the advent of steam and electricity
this branch has been discontinued and only a few are still borne on the
official register. The commissioned officers of this branch have the
title of Chief Sailmaker and relative rank the same as that of Chief
Boatswain, Chief Gunners, Chief Machinists, Chief Carpenters, Chief Pay
Clerks and Chief Pharmacists, that is, they rank with but next after
Ensigns.
MIDSHIPMEN
Midshipmen are appointed officers undergoing the course of instruction
at the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. Each senator,
representative and delegate in Congress has the appointment of three
midshipmen to be at the Naval Academy at any one time, the President is
empowered to appoint two midshipmen and the Secretary of the Navy is
empowered to appoint one hundred midshipmen each year to be selected
from enlisted men of the Navy and Marine Corps who are not over the age
of twenty years.
The Corps of Midshipmen consists of four classes, the First Class
corresponding to “seniors” at universities, the Second Class
corresponding to “juniors,” the Third Class corresponding to
“sophomores,” and the Fourth Class corresponding to “freshmen.”
The regular course of study is four years although the President was
authorized by the act of Congress of March 4, 1917, to reduce the
course to three years for a period of two years from the passage of the
act, owing to the urgent need of more officers in the Navy.
WARRANT OFFICERS
Warrant officers form an intermediate class between the commissioned
officers and the enlisted personnel. They receive appointments from
the President but are not confirmed by the Senate. They are appointed
by selection from the most efficient and deserving enlisted petty
officers. After six years’ service as warrant officers, if found
qualified, they are commissioned by the President, “by and with the
advice and consent of the Senate,” as Chief Boatswains, Chief Gunners,
Chief Machinists, Chief Carpenters, Chief Sailmakers, Chief Pharmacists
and Chief Pay Clerks, as the case may be, to take rank with but next
after Ensigns.
The Warrant Officers of the Line are as follows:
Boatswain
Gunner
Machinist
The Warrant Officers of the Staff are as follows:
Carpenter
Sailmaker
Pharmacist
Pay Clerk
All warrant officers take rank and precedence next after commissioned
officers, their relative rank among themselves being determined by date
of appointment.
Warrant officers are eligible to be commissioned as Ensigns after
passing the prescribed examination, in which case they are advanced to
higher rank in the same manner as other Ensigns commissioned after
graduation from the Naval Academy. In this manner a young man who
proves himself worthy of the honor may rise from the lowest enlisted
grade to be an Admiral.
ENLISTED MEN OF THE NAVY
The highest grade of enlisted men in the U. S. Navy is that of Mate.
Mates are rated by authority of the Secretary of the Navy from seamen
of over two years’ service. They have no relative rank, but take
precedence over all other enlisted men. They wear a uniform like that
of warrant officers with a distinctive insignia as later described.
The classes of enlisted men in the Navy corresponding to the
“noncommissioned officers” of the Army and Marine Corps are styled
“Petty Officers.”
All of the enlisted men of the Navy are divided into branches according
to their principal duties, the different grades in these several
branches being as follows:
CHIEF PETTY OFFICERS
------------------------+------------------------+-----------------
SEAMAN BRANCH | ARTIFICER BRANCH | SPECIAL BRANCH
------------------------+------------------------+-----------------
Chief Master-at-Arms | Chief Machinist’s Mate.| Chief Yeoman.
Chief Boatswain’s Mate. | Chief Electrician. | Hospital Steward.
Chief Gunner’s Mate. | Chief Carpenter’s Mate.| Bandmaster.
Chief Turret Captain. | Chief Water Tender. | Chief Commissary
| | Steward.
Chief Quartermaster. | |
------------------------+------------------------+-----------------
PETTY OFFICERS, FIRST CLASS
--------------------+----------------------+--------------------
SEAMAN BRANCH | ARTIFICER BRANCH | SPECIAL BRANCH
--------------------+----------------------+--------------------
Master-at-Arms, | Machinist’s Mate, | First Musician.
first class. | first class. |
Boatswain’s Mate, | Electrician, | Yeoman,
first class. | first class. | first class.
Turret Captain, | Boilermaker. | Commissary Steward.
first class. | |
Gunner’s Mate, | Coppersmith. | Ship’s Cook,
first class. | | first class.
Gun Captain, | Blacksmith. | Baker,
first class. | | first class.
Quartermaster, | Plumber and Fitter. |
first class. | Sailmaker’s Mate. |
| Carpenter’s Mate, |
| first class. |
| Water Tender. |
| Ship Fitter, |
| first class. |
| Painter, |
| first class. |
--------------------+----------------------+--------------------
PETTY OFFICERS, SECOND CLASS
-------------------+--------------------+-----------------
SEAMAN BRANCH | ARTIFICER BRANCH | SPECIAL BRANCH
-------------------+--------------------+-----------------
Masters-at-Arms, | Machinist’s Mates, | Yeoman,
second class. | second class. | second class.
Boatswain’s Mates, | Electricians, | Ship’s Cooks,
second class. | second class. | second class.
Gunner’s Mates, | Carpenter’s Mates, |
second class. | second class. |
Gun Captains, | Printers. |
second class. | Oilers. |
Quartermasters, | Ship Fitters, |
second class. | second class. |
| Painters, |
| second class. |
-------------------+--------------------+-----------------
PETTY OFFICERS, THIRD CLASS
--------------------+----------------------+----------------------
SEAMAN BRANCH | ARTIFICER BRANCH | SPECIAL BRANCH
--------------------+----------------------+----------------------
Masters-at-Arms, | Electricians, | Yeoman,
third class. | third class. | third class.
Coxswains | Carpenter’s Mates, | Hospital Apprentices,
Gunner’s Mates, | third class. | first class.
third class. | Painters, |
Quartermasters, | third class. |
third class. | |
--------------------+----------------------+----------------------
SEAMEN, FIRST CLASS
--------------------+----------------------+-----------------
SEAMAN BRANCH | ARTIFICER BRANCH | SPECIAL BRANCH
--------------------+----------------------+-----------------
Seaman Gunners. | Firemen, first class.| Musicians,
Seamen. | | first class.
| | Ship’s Cooks,
| | third class.
| | Bakers,
| | second class.
--------------------+----------------------+-----------------
SEAMEN, SECOND CLASS
--------------------+----------------------+----------------------
SEAMAN BRANCH | ARTIFICER BRANCH | SPECIAL BRANCH
--------------------+----------------------+----------------------
Ordinary Seamen. | Firemen, | Musicians,
| second class. | second class.
| Shipwrights. | Buglers.
| | Hospital Apprentices.
| | Ship’s Cooks,
| | fourth class.
--------------------+----------------------+----------------------
SEAMEN, THIRD CLASS
--------------------+----------------------+-----------------
SEAMAN BRANCH | ARTIFICER BRANCH | SPECIAL BRANCH
--------------------+----------------------+-----------------
Apprentice Seamen. | Coal Passers. | Landsmen.
| Landsmen. |
--------------------+----------------------+-----------------
MESSMAN BRANCH
---------------------------------+-------------------------------
Stewards to Commanders in Chief. | Wardroom Cooks.
Cooks to Commanders in Chief. | Steerage Stewards.
Stewards to Commandants. | Steerage Cooks.
Cooks to Commandants. | Warrant Officers’ Stewards.
Cabin Stewards. | Warrant Officers’ Cooks.
Cabin Cooks. | Mess Attendants, first class.
Wardroom Stewards. | Mess attendants, second class.
| Mess Attendants, third class.
---------------------------------+-------------------------------
The personnel of the Marine Corps, in accordance with the provisions of
the statute law, consists of commissioned officers, warrant officers,
noncommissioned officers and privates, in the various grades as follows:
OFFICERS OF THE MARINE CORPS
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF THE LINE AND STAFF
1. Major General Commandant.
2. Brigadier General.
3. Colonel.
4. Lieutenant Colonel.
5. Major.
6. Captain.
7. First Lieutenant.
8. Second Lieutenant.
WARRANT OFFICERS
Marine Gunner.
Quartermaster Clerk.
ENLISTED MEN OF THE MARINE CORPS
1. Sergeant Major.
Quartermaster Sergeant.
2. First Sergeant.
Gunnery Sergeant.
3. Drum Major.
4. Leader of Band.
5. Second Leader of Band.
6. Sergeant.
7. Corporal.
8. Principal Musician.
9. Musician first class.
10. Musician second class.
11. Musician third class.
12. Drummer.
Trumpeter.
Private.
The personnel of the Coast Guard, in accordance with the statute
law, consists of commissioned officers, appointed officers, warrant
officers, petty officers and seamen as follows:
OFFICERS OF THE COAST GUARD
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF THE LINE
1. Captain Commandant.
2. Senior Captain.
3. Captain.
4. First Lieutenant.
5. Second Lieutenant.
6. Third Lieutenant.
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF ENGINEERS
1. Engineer in Chief.
2. Captain of Engineers.
3. First Lieutenant of Engineers.
4. Second Lieutenant of Engineers.
5. Third Lieutenant of Engineers.
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF CONSTRUCTION BRANCH
1. Constructor (with rank of first lieutenant).
APPOINTED OFFICERS
Cadet
Undergoing three years course of instruction at
the Coast Guard Academy at New London, Connecticut.
Cadet Engineer.
WARRANT OFFICERS
Master’s Mate.
Keeper. (In charge of Life-Saving Station).
Boatswain.
Gunner.
Machinist.
Carpenter.
Sailmaker.
ENLISTED MEN OF THE COAST GUARD
The enlisted men of the Coast Guard have ratings, or grades, similar to
those of the Navy, as follows:
------------------+----------------------------+-------------------
SEAMAN BRANCH | ARTIFICER BRANCH | SPECIAL BRANCH
------------------+----------------------------+-------------------
Master-at-Arms. | Electrician. | Yeoman.
No. 1 Surfman. | Electrician, first class. | Ship’s Writer.
Signal | Machinist, first class. | Bayman (nurse).
Quartermaster | Carpenter, first class. | Cabin Steward.
Wheelman. | Sailmaker, first class. | Wardroom
Assistant Master | Oiler, first class. | Steward.
at Arms. | Blacksmith, first class. | Cook.
Quartermaster. | Plumber, first class. | Cadet’s Cook.
Coxswain. | Painter, first class. | Steerage Cook.
Seaman. | Electrician, second class. | Bugler.
Surfman. | Carpenter, second class. | Boy, first class.
Ordinary Seaman. | Oiler, second class. | Boy, second class.
| Electrician, third class. |
| Fireman. |
| Coal Heaver. |
------------------+----------------------------+-------------------
The personnel of the Lighthouse Service pursuant to statute law
consists of the officers and enlisted men in the following grades:
FOR SERVICE AFLOAT IN LIGHTSHIPS AND TENDERS
Captain
Master Mess attendant
Master and Pilot Chief Engineer
First Officer Engineer
Second Officer Assistant Engineer
Third Officer First Assistant Engineer
Cadet Officer Second Assistant Engineer
Mate Cadet Engineer
Second Mate Wireless Operator
Mate and Carpenter Machinist
Quartermaster Oiler
Seaman Fireman, first class
Deck hand Fireman, second class
Shipkeeper
Steward
Cook
FOR SERVICE ASHORE AT LIGHTHOUSES
Keeper Assistant Keeper
Laborer Assistant Laborer
COMMAND
Since rank and grade carry with them the corresponding responsibilities
and duties appropriate to the office it is necessary to know the
commands to which the various grades are ordinarily assigned in order
to properly understand the meaning of rank and grade.
In the Army the commands considered appropriate for the officers of the
various grades are as follows:
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS
General Two or more Field Armies
operating together.
Lieutenant General A Field Army.
Major General A Corps or a Division.
Brigadier General A Brigade.
Colonel A Regiment.
Lieutenant Colonel Second in Command of a Regiment.
Major A Battalion of Infantry or Artillery
or a Squadron of Cavalry.
Captain A Company of Infantry, a Battery
of Artillery or a Troop of Cavalry.
First Lieutenant } Junior Officers of a Company,
Second Lieutenant } Battery or Troop.
NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICERS
Sergeant Major, Regimental The senior or highest noncommissioned
officer of a regiment.
Sergeant Major, Battalion The senior noncommissioned
or Squadron officer of a battalion
of infantry or artillery
or of a squadron of cavalry.
First Sergeant The senior noncommissioned
officer of a company,
battery or troop.
Color Sergeant The noncommissioned officer
who carries the national
flag, or colors, of a regiment.
Sergeant The noncommissioned officer
who acts as the right and
left guide of a company,
battery or troop, or of a
subdivision of such a unit.
Corporal The noncommissioned officer
who acts as a squad leader.
The duties of the corresponding grades of noncommissioned officers as
given in the list on pages 30 and 31 are explained to a great extent by
their titles.
The Privates are the enlisted men of the rank and file who form the
great body of the fighting force of the Army in all of its arms and
branches.
In the Navy the commands usually assigned to the Line officers of the
various grades are as follows:
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS
Admiral Command of a Fleet.
Vice Admiral Second in command of a Fleet.
Rear Admiral Command of a Force or a Division.
Captain Command of a First Class ship.
Commander Command of a Second Class ship
or Second in command
of a First Class ship.
Lieutenant Commander Command of a large Destroyer
or a Gunboat, second
in command of a Second
Class ship, or head of
a Department in a First Class ship.
Lieutenant Command of a small Destroyer
or a river Gunboat,
second in command
of a large Destroyer or a
Gunboat, or Division Officer
of a First or Second Class ship.
Lieutenant, Junior Grade Command of a Torpedo
Boat or Submarine, or
Division Officer of a First
or Second Class ship.
Ensign Command of a small submarine,
Division Officer of a First
or Second Class ship or
Destroyer, or Junior Officer
on a Ship.
WARRANT OFFICERS
The duties assigned to the Commissioned Warrant Officers and Warrant
Officers aboard ship are as follows:
The Chief Boatswain or Boatswain attached to a ship has general charge
of all of the rigging, anchors, chains, hawsers, boat gear and tackles
of the ship and is responsible for the condition of such stores.
The Chief Gunner or Gunner attached to a ship is assigned to ordnance
duty under the Gunnery Officer and has charge of the ordnance stores
and ammunition and the repairs to guns and their gear.
The Gunner assigned to Electrical duty has general charge of the
electrical plants and wiring of the ship and the stores pertaining
thereto.
The Chief Carpenter or Carpenter attached to a ship has charge of the
repairs to the structure of the ship which are made by the ship’s force
and the stores for this purpose, including paint.
The Chief Sailmaker or Sailmaker has charge of the sails and awnings
and the repairs to them.
The Chief Pay Clerk or Pay Clerk is the assistant to the Paymaster in
the Commissary and Supply Department of the ship.
The Chief Pharmacist or Pharmacist is attached to the Medical
Department of a ship and has charge of the medical stores and their
issue under the orders of the Surgeon.
PETTY OFFICERS
Petty Officers in the Navy correspond to the noncommissioned officers
of the Army, and they are divided into three general Branches, the
Seaman Branch consisting of the deck force which mans the guns of the
battery and performs the strictly “sailor” duties; the Artificer Branch
composed of the engineering force, the electricians, the carpenters and
the painters; and the Special Branch made up of yeomen, or clerical
force, the commissary stewards, cooks and bakers, the hospital nurses
and the bandsmen.
As a rule the special duties of each of the Petty Officers are
indicated by their titles, or “ratings,” as it is styled in the Navy,
as given in the list on pages 37-40, but a few words of explanation may
not be amiss.
Masters-at-Arms are the policemen of the ship; boatswain’s mates are
the petty officers who assist the boatswain and see that the orders
of the officer of the deck are carried out in the different parts of
the ship; turret captains are the petty officers who have charge of
the turret guns crews under the Division Officer; gunner’s mates are
the petty officers who assist the gunner and see to the repairs of the
guns of the battery and have charge of the issue of powder and shell
from the magazines to the guns; gun captains are the petty officers
in charge of the individual gun crews; quartermasters are the petty
officers who stand the watch at the wheel and steer the ship under the
orders of the Officer of the Deck; machinist’s mates are the petty
officers on duty at the engines and machinery; water tenders see that
the proper amount of water is kept in the boilers, and the duties of
the other petty officers are as indicated by their “ratings.”
The ordinary enlisted men are apportioned to the three branches in the
same manner as the petty officers, the Seaman Branch having seamen
gunners especially trained for duty at the guns, seamen, ordinary
seamen and apprentice seamen under training; the Artificer Branch
having firemen who tend the fires under the boilers, coal passers who
transfer the coal from the bunkers to the firerooms and landsmen or
untrained men; and the Special Branch having the musicians of the band
and buglers, and the lower ratings of cooks, bakers and hospital men.
In the Marine Corps the commands considered appropriate for the
officers of the different grades are as follows:
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS
Major General Commandant In command of the Marine
Corps, at Headquarters,
Washington, D. C.
Brigadier General A Brigade.
Colonel A Regiment of Infantry or
Artillery, or as Fleet Marine
Officer of a Fleet.
(In command of the Fleet
Regiment of Marines
when it is landed for service
on shore).
Lieutenant Colonel Second in Command of a
Regiment of Infantry or
Artillery, or as Fleet Marine
Officer.
Major A Battalion of Infantry or
Artillery.
Captain A Company of Infantry or
a Battery of Artillery, or
in command of a Marine
Detachment of a First
Class ship.
First Lieutenant Junior Officer of a Company
or Battery, or in command
of a Marine Detachment
of a Second Class ship.
Second Lieutenant Junior Officer of a Company
or Battery or of a
Marine Detachment of a
First Class ship.
WARRANT OFFICERS
Marine Gunners perform duty in the Marine Corps analogous to that
performed by Gunners in the Navy.
Quartermaster Clerks perform duties as assistants to the officers
of the Paymaster and Quartermaster Departments of the Marine Corps
corresponding to the duties of Pay Clerks in the Navy.
NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICERS
The noncommissioned officers of the Marine Corps perform duties ashore
similar to those performed by noncommissioned officers of infantry and
artillery in the Army and also perform duties aboard ship similar to
those performed by certain of the petty officers of the Navy.
The Marine Detachments assigned to some of the smaller ships of the
Navy are commanded by First Sergeants.
Gunnery Sergeants are assigned duties afloat similar to those performed
by Gunner’s Mates in the Navy, while on shore their duties are normally
in connection with the care and repair of the guns of the artillery,
both heavy and light.
In the Coast Guard in times of peace when the service is operating
under the Treasury Department the duties of the various grades of
officers are as follows:
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS
Captain Commandant In charge of the service at the
Headquarters in Washington, D. C.
Senior Captain In charge of a Division of the Service.
Captain Command of a Cruising Cutter.
First Lieutenant Command of a Harbor Cutter or
Executive Officer of a Cruising Cutter.
Second Lieutenant } Watch Officer on a Cruising Cutter.
Third Lieutenant }
Engineer Captains and Lieutenants perform engineering duty on the
cruising and harbor cutters in accordance with their rank.
WARRANT OFFICERS
Keepers are in charge of the Life-Saving stations all along the coast
of the United States, while the other warrant officers, Boatswains,
Gunners, Machinists and Carpenters, perform duties of the same nature
as the corresponding ranks in the Navy.
The petty officers and seamen perform the duties as indicated by their
“ratings,” similar to those performed by men of like “ratings” in the
Navy.
In the Lighthouse Service the appropriate commands and duties performed
by the officers and men in the various ranks and ratings are as
indicated by their titles and ratings, these duties in general being
similar to those performed by the officers and men of various grades in
the other Sea Services in so far as these duties apply to the peculiar
needs of the Lighthouse Service afloat and ashore.
[Illustration: UNITED STATES NATIONAL FLAG]
[Illustration: PRESIDENT’S FLAG]
[Illustration: SECRETARY OF WAR _For Asst. Sec’y. white flag with red
stars and emblem_
UNION JACK
SECRETARY OF THE NAVY _For Asst. Sec’y. white flag with blue stars and
anchor_]
[Illustration: ADMIRAL
VICE ADMIRAL
REAR ADMIRAL SENIOR IN RANK _For junior in rank, red field_]
[Illustration: SENIOR OFFICER’S PENNANT COMMISSION PENNANT
ENSIGNS, FLAGS AND PENNANTS.]
CHAPTER III
ENSIGNS, FLAGS AND PENNANTS
The National Flag of a country is the flag which bears the device of
the nation, the emblem by which the nationality of the state is shown.
An Ensign is the flag or insignia used to show the nationality of the
armed forces of a nation; more properly speaking, it is the colors
displayed by a ship of war or carried by a regiment of soldiers.
In some countries flags of different designs from those of their
national flags are prescribed to be carried by the troops of the armies
or displayed as “colors” by the ships of war, but in the United States
of America the National Flag, the “Stars and Stripes,” is carried by
the Army and displayed as the colors by all ships of the Navy.
The flag of the United States was authorized by a resolution of
Congress of June 14, 1777, reading as follows:
_Resolved_, That the flag of the thirteen United
States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white;
that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue
field, representing a new constellation.
For the design of the flag made in accordance with this resolution
it was decided to make the stripes of equal width and the stars
five-pointed.
Vermont was admitted as a State in 1791 and Kentucky was admitted in
1792, and as a result an act of Congress approved on January 13, 1794,
provided:
That from and after the first day of May, Anno
Domini one thousand seven hundred and ninety-five,
the flag of the United States be fifteen stripes,
alternate red and white. That the union be fifteen
stars, white in a blue field.
The rapid increase in the number of States in the succeeding years
caused much confusion regarding the exact design of the flag and there
came to be a great diversity as to the numbers of stars and stripes. In
order to clear up all doubt the Fifteenth Congress passed an act, which
was approved by the President on April 4, 1818, entitled,
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES
_Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
Representatives of the United States of America in
congress assembled_, That from and after the fourth
day of July next, the flag of the United States be
thirteen horizontal stripes, alternate red and white;
that the union be twenty stars, white in a blue field.
SECTION 2. _And be it further enacted_,
That on the admission of every new state into
the Union, one star be added to the union of the
flag; and that such addition shall take effect on
the fourth day of July then next succeeding such
admission.
In accordance with this law there are at present forty-eight stars
in the union of the flag. The proportions of the national flag as
prescribed by the Presidential Executive Order No. 1637, dated October
29, 1912, are as follows:
Hoist (or width) of flag 1
Fly (or length) of flag 1.9
Hoist (or width) of union ⁷/₁₃
Fly (or length) of union .76
Width of each stripe ¹/₁₃
[Illustration: GREAT BRITAIN
WHITE ENSIGN UNION FLAG RED ENSIGN]
[Illustration: BLUE ENSIGN
JACK FOR VESSELS IN THE EMPLOY OF PUBLIC OFFICES ADMIRALTY FLAG]
[Illustration: ADMIRAL VICE ADMIRAL REAR ADMIRAL]
[Illustration: PENNANT]
[Illustration: FRANCE NATIONAL FLAG]
[Illustration: ADMIRAL OF FRANCE VICE ADMIRAL REAR ADMIRAL]
[Illustration: PENNANT ENSIGNS, FLAGS AND PENNANTS.]
There is an exception made in these proportions in the case of the
flags carried by the troops, in which case the sizes are established by
special orders for the Army and Navy.
For the small flags flown by the small boats and launches of the ships
of war and other government ships the executive order places the
number of stars in the union at thirteen on account of the fact that
the identity of the several stars would be lost if the whole number of
forty-eight were used.
The Union Jack is a flag consisting of the union of the national flag,
and it is flown at the jackstaff in the bow of ships of war. Its size
should be the same as that of the union of the flag with which it is
flown.
A pennant is triangular shaped, in some cases having a V-shaped notch
cut in the outer end of the fly.
The “commission pennant” is long and narrow, the portion next the
hoist, or mast, having a blue field with thirteen white stars and the
remainder being divided longitudinally into two parts, red and white.
It is flown at the mainmast head of all ships in commission which
have no officer on board above the rank of Captain in the Navy, and
indicates that the ship carrying it is “in commission,” or on active
service.
On ships of war carrying an officer senior in rank to a Captain the
prescribed distinctive flag for such officer is flown at the mainmast
head in place of the commission pennant, and the ship is known as a
“Flagship.”
Naval officers above the rank of Captain in the Navy are called “Flag
Officers.”
These distinctive flags of higher command are shown in the
illustrations. When two or more flag officers of the same grade are in
the same fleet the senior one flies the blue flag of his grade and all
the others fly the red flag of the grade.
On any one ship of war only the distinctive flag of the senior officer
of flag or higher rank is flown; thus, if the President is aboard an
Admiral’s flagship the flag of the President is flown but not that of
the Admiral.
In former times the flag was carried into the front line of battle by
the troops who used it as their rallying point, but in the battles of
to-day, where every attempt is made to disguise and screen the lines
of troops from the enemy, the flags and standards of the brigades and
regiments would serve to mark the exact position of the lines and thus
convey valuable information to the enemy and enable him to concentrate
the fire of artillery and machine guns upon them. Therefore the flags
are kept far in the rear to be carried in parades and ceremonies only
or when the victorious troops march in triumph through the streets of
cities captured from the enemy.
In the accompanying illustrations the ensigns, flags and pennants of
the principal maritime nations are shown, the national flag and the
ensigns carried by the land troops being indicated in each case.
In addition to the flags of the United States shown in the
illustrations special flags are provided as distinguishing insignia
for the Naval Reserve, the Naval Militia of the several States and
territories, and for the merchant ships operated under the United
States Shipping Board.
[Illustration: BELGIUM
ADMIRAL Vice Admiral 3 upper circles Rear Admiral 2 upper circles
ENSIGN & MERCHANT FLAG COMMODORE]
[Illustration: PENNANT]
[Illustration: ITALY ENSIGN JACK MERCHANT]
[Illustration: ADMIRAL VICE ADMIRAL REAR ADMIRAL]
[Illustration: PENNANT]
[Illustration: RUSSIA ENSIGN JACK MERCHANT FLAG]
[Illustration: NATIONAL PENNANT]
[Illustration: ADMIRAL VICE ADMIRAL REAR ADMIRAL]
[Illustration: JAPAN ENSIGN MERCHANT]
[Illustration: MINISTER OF THE NAVY ADMIRAL]
[Illustration: VICE ADMIRAL REAR ADMIRAL]
[Illustration: PENNANT ENSIGNS, FLAGS AND PENNANTS.]
_The Naval Reserve Flag._—This flag is a “swallow-tailed” pennant of
blue bunting bearing a design in the center consisting of two crossed
anchors surcharged by a shield of the United States and surmounted by
a spread eagle, the design being in white, the thirteen stars on the
shield being blue and the bars on the shield being alternate white
and red. This flag may be flown as an insignia on private vessels or
vessels of the merchant service commanded by officers of the Naval
Reserve Force, but shall not be flown in lieu of the national ensign.
_The Naval Militia Flag._—This flag is flown as a distinguishing flag
by ships of the Naval Militia of the several States and territories
when not in the service of the United States. It has a blue field with
a yellow diamond in the center and a blue vertical foul anchor in the
center of the diamond. These ships of the Naval Militia also fly a
pennant at the mainmast, the part next the mast being white with the
yellow diamond and blue foul anchor design upon it and the remainder of
the pennant is divided longitudinally into two equal stripes of blue
and yellow.
_The Shipping Board Flag._—This flag is flown as a distinguishing
flag, or “house flag,” by the merchant ships operated under the United
States Shipping Board, and consists of a white flag bearing a shield
of the United States in the center supported by a blue anchor with the
letters “U. S. A.” above the design and the letters “S. B.” below it.
The shield has a blue field with thirteen white stars and the thirteen
stripes are alternate white and red.
The National Ensign carried by each regiment of United States troops is
4 feet 4 inches in height and 5 feet 6 inches long, on a pike or staff
9 feet long, with the edges trimmed with knotted yellow silk fringe
2½ inches wide and a cord and two tassels of red, white and blue silk
strands.
In addition to the National Ensign each regiment carries a Regimental
Standard of the same dimensions as the National Flag, this standard
being of the distinctive color for the arm of the service to which the
regiment belongs, and bearing the corps insignia and the number of the
regiment.
In the Army the Regimental Standards are as follows:
_Regiments of Engineers_, of scarlet silk having embroidered upon it in
proper colors the Coat of Arms of the United States, with below it the
insignia of the Corps of Engineers and a scroll bearing the inscription
“5 U. S. ENGINEERS” (the number being that of the regiment) embroidered
in white silk, trimmed around the edges with white silk fringe and
having a cord and tassels of white and scarlet silk strands.
_Coast Artillery Corps_, of scarlet silk having embroidered upon it
in proper colors the Coat of Arms of the United States, with below it
two cannons crossed embroidered in yellow silk and a scroll bearing
the inscription “U. S. COAST ARTILLERY CORPS” embroidered in red silk,
trimmed around the edges with yellow silk fringe and having a cord and
tassels of red and yellow silk strands.
_Infantry Regiments_, of blue silk having embroidered upon it in proper
colors the Coat of Arms of the United States, with below it a scroll
bearing the inscription “24 U. S. INFANTRY” (the number being that of
the regiment) embroidered in white silk, trimmed around the edges with
yellow silk fringe and having a cord and tassels of blue and white silk
strands.
_Cavalry Regiments_, of yellow silk having embroidered upon it in
proper colors the Coat of Arms of the United States, with below it a
scroll bearing the inscription “7 U. S. CAVALRY” (the number being that
of the regiment) embroidered in yellow silk, trimmed around the edges
with yellow silk fringe.
_Field Artillery Regiments_, of scarlet silk having embroidered upon it
in proper colors the Coat of Arms of the United States, with below it
a scroll bearing the inscription “8 U. S. FIELD ARTILLERY” (the number
being that of the regiment) embroidered in red silk, trimmed around the
edges with yellow silk fringe.
_Signal Corps Battalions_, of orange silk having embroidered upon it
in proper colors the Coat of Arms of the United States, with below it
the insignia of the Signal Corps and a scroll bearing the inscription
“4 BATTALION SIGNAL CORPS” (the number being that of the Battalion)
embroidered in white silk, trimmed around the edges with white silk
fringe.
_The United States Navy_ Regimental Standard, carried by infantry
regiments of sailors when landed for shore operations, is of blue silk
with a white diamond in the center and a vertical blue anchor upon the
white diamond.
_The United States Navy_ Regimental Standard, carried by artillery
regiments of sailors when landed for shore operations, is of red silk
with a white diamond in the center and a vertical red anchor upon the
white diamond.
_The United States Naval Militia_ Regimental Standards are of the same
design as those for the regular Navy except that the diamond in the
center is yellow.
_The United States Marine Corps_ Regimental Standard is of blue silk
having embroidered upon it in the center the Marine Corps insignia in
shades of white, gold and gray silk to represent silver and gold, with
above it a scroll in red silk bearing the designation of the regiment
in white silk embroidery, and below it a scroll of red silk bearing
the inscription “U. S. MARINE CORPS,” trimmed around the edges with
yellow silk fringe and having a cord and tassels of yellow and red silk
strands.
Each regimental National Ensign and Regimental Standard has upon the
staff beneath the flag a silver plate for each battle in which the
regiment has been engaged, the name and date of the battle being
engraved thereon.
Flags are provided for the use of general officers of the United States
Army to be flown from a staff in the bow of a boat when making official
trips by water, or from a staff at the front of an automobile; these
flags being of red bunting bearing four white stars for a general,
three white stars for a lieutenant general, two white stars for a major
general and one white star for a brigadier general.
The flag for the Chief of Staff of the United States Army is of scarlet
and white silk, divided diagonally from the lower left hand corner to
the upper right hand corner, bearing in the center a large five-pointed
star embroidered in white silk surcharged with the coat of arms of the
United States embroidered in proper colors. In the upper left hand
corner on the scarlet silk is a large five-pointed star embroidered
in white and in the lower right hand corner a large five-pointed star
embroidered in red.
For a coast defense district commander a red flag bearing two cannon,
crossed, in yellow, is authorized, and for a post commander a pennant,
the third next the staff being blue bunting with thirteen white stars
and the remainder being of red bunting.
[Illustration: GERMANY ENSIGN JACK NATIONAL FLAG AND MERCHANT]
[Illustration: ADMIRAL VICE ADMIRAL REAR ADMIRAL]
[Illustration: PENNANT]
[Illustration: AUSTRIA-HUNGARY ENSIGN JACK MERCHANT]
[Illustration: ADMIRAL VICE ADMIRAL REAR ADMIRAL]
[Illustration: PENNANT
ENSIGNS, FLAGS AND PENNANTS.]
For the general officers and post commanders of the United States
Marine Corps flags and pennants of similar design, but with the
addition of the Marine Corps insignia in white added, are provided.
_A Guidon_ is a small flag or pennant carried by each troop of cavalry,
company of mounted engineers, battery of field artillery, mounted
company of the signal corps, field hospital, ambulance company and
motor truck company, to designate the unit which carries it.
The cavalry guidon is made up of two horizontal stripes, the upper
one red and the lower one white, the outer end being notched or cut
“swallow-tailed,” with the number of the regiment in white on the upper
stripe and the letter of the troop in red on the lower stripe.
The field artillery guidon is of the same shape and colors as the
cavalry guidon with the addition of two cannons crossed in the center,
the cannons and the regimental number and battery letter being in
yellow.
The guidon for a company of mounted engineers is of the same shape as
the cavalry guidon, of scarlet with the corps insignia of the engineers
in the center, the word “MOUNTED” above it and the number of the
company below it, the insignia, letters and numbers being in silver
embroidery.
The guidon for a mounted company of the signal corps is of the same
shape as the cavalry guidon, of orange with two flags crossed of white
with red centers in the center and the letter of the company in white
above them.
Each aero squadron carries a guidon of orange silk with the insignia
of the signal corps in white and red in the center, the number of
the squadron above the insignia in white and a white eagle with wings
spread below the insignia.
Each telegraph company carries a guidon similar to the one for the
aero squadron except that in place of the eagle there is a design
representing forked lightning.
The guidon for each field hospital organization and ambulance company
is of the same shape as the cavalry guidon, of maroon color, having in
the center the insignia of the hospital corps, a caduceus, in white,
with the number of the organization above the insignia and the initials
“F. H.” for field hospital or “A. C.” for ambulance company in white
below the insignia.
The guidon for a motor truck company is a pennant, triangular in shape,
of red, white and blue, the white portion being diamond shaped with one
of the horizontal points at the staff and the other at the outer end
of the pennant, the triangular portion above the white diamond next to
the staff being red and the corresponding triangular portion below the
white diamond being blue, with the quartermaster corps insignia in blue
at the center of the white diamond.
The flag of the Geneva Convention, to be used in connection with the
national flag in time of war with a country which was a signatory
of that convention, is a white flag having a red Greek cross in the
center. It is used to mark hospitals, hospital ships, field hospitals,
ambulances and ambulance vessels and boats. The size prescribed to mark
general hospitals in the United States Army is 5 feet hoist (high) by 9
feet fly (wide) with the red cross 4 feet high and 4 feet wide and the
arms of the cross 16 inches wide. The smaller Geneva Convention flags
are of the same general proportions.
An interesting development of warfare resulting from the increasing use
of aircraft in war is the use of distinguishing marks for the aircraft
of the different nations. At first the national flags were used for
this purpose, but it was found that they would not serve to identify
the nationality of the aeroplane or dirigible airship when viewed from
all directions and another system of distinguishing marks has been
adopted.
These aircraft distinguishing marks for the aircraft of the principal
nations are shown in the accompanying illustration. In order that the
aircraft carrying them may be distinguished both from above and below
these marks are painted on the upper side of each upper wing and on the
lower side of each lower wing of aeroplanes and on both the upper and
lower sides of the gas bags of dirigible airships and balloons. The
marks are also carried on the sides of the fusilage near the bow and on
the sides of the vertical rudders of aeroplanes in many cases.
These distinguishing marks are necessary for the aircraft employed in
war in order that friend may be distinguished from foe by the airmen
and by the gunners and riflemen afloat and ashore.
[Illustration: UNITED STATES GREAT BRITAIN]
[Illustration: FRANCE BELGIUM]
[Illustration: ITALY RUSSIA]
[Illustration: GERMANY AND AUSTRIA TURKEY
AIRCRAFT DISTINGUISHING MARKS]
[Illustration: SEAL OF THE U. S. WAR DEPARTMENT]