Brigadier General ranks above
Colonel and below
Major General. The rank of Brigadier General has existed in the United States armed forces since the American Revolutionary War. A brigadier general was at first strictly an infantry officer who commanded a brigade, but the responsibilities of the rank drastically expanded throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
Between March 16, 1802 when the rank of Major General was abolished as a rank by an Act of Congress [8] until the rank of Major General was restored by the Act of January 11, 1812 [9] as preparations were being made for the War of 1812, Brigadier General was the highest rank in the U.S. Army.
The first Brigadier General in the U.S. Marine Corps was Commandant Archibald Henderson, promoted to the rank of brevet Brigadier General in the 1830's for his service in the Second Seminole War. The first non-brevet Brigadier General in the Marines was Commandant Jacob Zeilin who was promoted to the rank in 1874, but when he retired in 1876, Colonel once again became the highest rank in the Marines until March 1899 when Commandant Charles Heywood was promoted. Ever since then the office of Commandant has been held by a general officer, with the permanent rank of the Commandant raised to Major General in 1908 and to first Lieutenant General and then General during World War II, which rank it has held ever since.
An Air Force brigadier general typically commands a large wing. Additionally, one-star generals of all services may serve as high-level staff officers in large military organizations.
The insignia for a brigadier general is one silver star worn on the shoulder or collar, with the insignia unchanged dating back to the creation of the rank some two centuries ago. Since the Mexican-American War, however, the lower rank of colonel has been the normal rank appointed to command a brigade.
