<P> The rank of General of the Armies was intended for bestowal upon George Washington, who held the rank of "General and Commander - in - Chief" which was a grade senior to all American major generals and brigadier generals from the American Revolutionary War . However, only a few months after the Congressional proposal, Washington died on December 14, 1799 . The United States Army at that time had also drastically reduced in size and there was no practical need for a superior General rank, thus the proposal for General of the Armies was soon forgotten . </P> <P> In 1865, after the close of the American Civil War, Congress again revisited the idea of a superior General rank . The result was the creation of a special rank called "General of the Army of the United States", which was held by Ulysses S. Grant . This early version of General of the Army was in fact a four - star general officer rank although, unlike in modern times, Congress intended for only one Army officer to hold the position, thus granting the rank the same authority as the initial concept of General of the Armies . William T. Sherman and Philip Sheridan would also hold the position . By Sheridan's tenure, the insignia had been changed to that of a major general superimposed upon a golden national eagle . This change was made since the United States Army of the 1880s had no rank of lieutenant general, thus creating an insignia gap between two and four stars . </P> <P> The rank of General of the Army of the United States ceased to exist upon the death of Sheridan in 1888 . The next proposal to create a superior general rank would occur thirty one years later during the First World War . In the interim, the highest possible general officer rank of the United States Army was that of two - star major general . Within the United States Navy, three - and four - star ranks continued into the 20th century, leading to the creation of the Admiral of the Navy rank in 1899 . George Dewey was appointed this rank which, at the time of its creation, was considered a four - star admiral with an added honorary title . A comparison between Admiral of the Navy and General of the Armies was first made in 1944, although the rank of Admiral of the Navy was never declared equal in seniority . </P> <P> During World War I, the United States Congress authorized the appointment of three - star lieutenant generals and four - star generals to be granted temporarily for service in the National Army . Tasker H. Bliss and John J. Pershing were promoted to general in October 1917, and Peyton C. March was promoted to that rank in May 1918 . Hunter Liggett and Robert Lee Bullard were both promoted to lieutenant general on October 16, 1918 . In 1919, by Congressional directive, the rank of General of the Armies was formally established and John J. Pershing became the first person to hold the rank . </P>

Who was the highest ranking general in the us army