[2] The General of the Army insignia consisted of five 3⁄8-inch (9.5 mm) stars in a pentagonal pattern, with touching points.

Soft shoulder epaulets with five 7⁄16-inch (11 mm) stars in silver thread and gold-threaded United States coat of arms on green cloth were worn with shirts and sweaters.

Toward the end of the American Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant achieved the first fixed promotion to lieutenant general in the U.S., since George Washington.

When appointed General of the Army, Grant wore the rank insignia of four stars and coat buttons arranged in three groups of four.

For a few months in 1885, as he was dying, Grant was accorded a special honor and his rank was restored by Congressional legislation.

[12][13][14][15][16] The five-star rank and authority of General of the Army and equivalent naval Fleet Admiral were created by an Act of Congress on a temporary basis when Pub.

The insignia for the 1944 General of the Army rank consists of five stars in a pentagonal pattern, with points touching.

[28] The rank is still maintained in the Army's structure, and could be awarded by the president with the consent of the United States Senate.

[31][32] In the 1990s, there were proposals in Department of Defense academic circles to bestow a five-star rank on the office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

[33][34][35] After the conclusion of the Persian Gulf War, but before his tenure as Secretary of State, there was talk of awarding a fifth star to General Colin Powell, who had served as CJCS during the conflict.

[39] As recently as the late 2000s, some commentators proposed that the military leader in the Global War on Terrorism be promoted to a five-star rank.

[40] In January 2011, the founders of the Vets for Freedom political advocacy group published an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal calling for David Petraeus to be awarded a fifth star in recognition of his work and the importance of his mission.

[5] With the bicentennial approaching, Congress passed legislation urging Washington's promotion for his service as the first commanding general of the United States Army on January 19, 1976.

[44] According to Public Law 94-479, Washington is established as having "rank and precedence over all other grades of the Army, past or present.

In 2024, Ulysses S. Grant was posthumously promoted to the rank of General of the Armies to celebrate 200 years since his birth.

[45] The promotion was officially conferred on April 19, 2024 with the same rank and precedence as Pershing, upholding the standard that Washington would permanently remain the army's highest-ranking officer.