General-in-chief military forces in the field, as the generals-in-chief did in the 19th century. The rank of "General of the Armies of the United States" was conferred upon General John J. Pershing in 1919 and to Lieutenant General George Washington (posthumously) in 1975 by acts of Congress. Washington's date of rank was retroactively dated to 1799, so that he will always be the senior ranking general of the United States Army. (American general ranks and titles may be a little confusing; however, as reference is cited the public domain information of the Center for Military History of the United States Army
General of the Air Force the U.S. Army's rank of General of the Army and the U.S. Navy's rank of Fleet Admiral. In foreign militaries, the United States' rank of General of the Air Force has been equated to the rank Marshal of the air force. The only United States Armed Forces rank senior to General of the Air Force is General of the Armies; Admiral of the Navy is also technically senior, but an official comparison between General of the Air Force and Admiral of the Navy has never been made by the United States military. The General of the Armies rank has been