Recently, I found myself pondering why the United States armed forces do not have the rank of field marshal, despite many other countries using the title for their highest-ranking officers. Interestingly, we have had a role that is functionally very similar throughout history, known as General of the Army, which was first established for Ulysses S. Grant in 1866. The most recent instance of this title being bestowed was upon future-Secretary of State George C. Marshall. One of the reasons for not using the title marshal was to avoid the somewhat awkward title of Field Marshal Marshall, which was deemed “undignified”. Additionally, the military decided against the term because marshal was already being used for local law enforcement, and they wanted to prevent any confusion between U.S. Marshals and potential Field Marshals.
