Brevet rank
Brevet is a term taken from the English language for a titular or temporary rank. Brevet ranks were common in some armies, particularly the British and US.
United States
Brevet rank was first awarded to 36 foreign, mostly French, officers in the Continental Army during the American War of Independence in 1776 . By 1784 another 50 officers received the rank. This rank only had a temporary effect on the right to a higher command or higher pay.
The Congress of the United States of America confirmed in the 101 Articles of War of 1806 this possibility of awarding the brevet ranks . Soldiers - both men and officers - were to be promoted and honored for a certain period of time for services acquired in combat; There was no entitlement to service , and only partially to a higher command or a higher salary. It often happened that an ordinary soldier or officer was assigned a higher-ranking task, but there was no position corresponding to the task in the establishment plan and he initially performed the task at a higher certification level without higher pay. However, it was common to use the higher rank in salutations and correspondence.
Examples:
- Winfield Scott : ranked major general in 1814 and lieutenant general in 1855; 1841 regular major general as Commanding General of the United States Army .
- George Armstrong Custer : Major general general ranked 1864; last regular rank lieutenant colonel .
- Nelson Appleton Miles : ranked Brigadier General in 1864 and Major General in the Voluntary Army in 1865, ranked Brigadier General in 1867 and Major General in the Regular Army in 1867; regularly as Brigadier General in 1880, as Major General in 1890 and as Lieutenant General in 1900 and last Commanding General of the United States Army .
The titular rank also served two other purposes: On the one hand, it was taken into account in court martial , since the judiciary could only be formed from officers who were higher in rank than the defendant.
On the other hand, it was used in the event of a conflict. The background to this was the composition of the armed forces from regular units and militia troops . The military trained professional soldiers of the US Army led rather small units and thus also lower ranks. The larger militia contingents, on the other hand, were often headed by politicians who then claimed higher ranks, but who lacked military experience. When regular and militia units fought together, the high command went to the higher-ranking commander - by referring to the titular rank, the tried and tested professional soldiers should be given preference.
From today's perspective, a slightly confusing situation arose when officers from regular units were withdrawn from their service and assigned to a militia force. In addition to their rank in the US Army, they also had the rank given to them by the militia, in addition they could have acquired a titular rank in both troops, i.e. a total of up to four different ranks. During the civil war , the northern states made particularly frequent use of the possibility of being awarded brevet ranks. At the beginning only deserved soldiers were honored, as the conflict continued, then all officers in the field and finally also those in the stage . This practice led to anger among the officers who had been honored in combat, so from 1866 onwards the awarding of titular ranks was largely dispensed with and instead decorations were awarded. After 1945 only a few brevet ranks were awarded and in 1956 they were abolished.
See also
Web links
- Encyclopædia Britannica - Brevet (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Translation in dict.cc
- ^ Roger D. Hunt, Jack R. Brown: Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue , Olde Soldier Books, 1997, ISBN 1-56013-002-4
- ^ John H. and David J. Eicher: Civil War High Commands. Stanford University Press, 2001, accessed April 9, 2020 (Custers' life data, p. 196).
- ↑ Description in Geschichte-Wissen.de