Major general (United States) and two of artillery commanded by a brigadier general. The rank of major general was abolished in the U.S. Army by the Act of March 16, 1802, and restored by the Act of January 11, 1812, as preparations were being made for the War of 1812. Major general has been a rank in the U.S. Army ever since. Until the American Civil War, major general was the highest rank that could be attained by an officer in the U.S. Army, though Winfield Scott had been given the brevet rank of lieutenant general in 1855. This was a consequence of the
General of the Armies General of the Armies The General of the Armies of the United States, or more commonly referred to as General of the Armies (abbreviated as GAS or Gas), is the highest possible rank in the United States Army. The rank is informally equated to that of a six-star general or Generalissimo and is currently one of the two highest possible operational ranks in the United States Armed Forces. The rank has been held only twice in history – once by an active-duty officer (John J. Pershing), and once by posthumous promotion to George Washington in 1976. The rank of General