Early Marines Enlisted Ranks

[GyG1345]

There evolved from the Continental Marines of 1775, the enlisted titles of sergeant, corporal, drummer, fifer, and private. When the U.S. Marine Corps was established in 1798, the old titles were retained; but for some unknown reason both sergeants and corporals were placed in the same pay grade at ten dollars per month. Also, a new law in 1798 provided for staff noncommissioned officers in the event that the Marine Corps or any part of it was called upon to serve on land with the Army.

William Ward Burrows, the Lieutenant Colonel Commandant, lost no time in creating the enlisted ranks authorized by the new law of 1798. By May of 1800, a quartermaster sergeant had been appointed; and on 1 January of the following year William Farr was serving as drum major, while Archibauld Summers held the post of sergeant major.

Ref
Enlisted Ranks And Grades, U.S. Marine corps, 1775-1958, by Bernard C. Nalty-Historical Branch, G-3, Headquarters, US Marine Corps, Washington, DC, June 1959

[GyG1345]

It has been my intention for sometime now to do another webpage on history of Marine Corps enlisted rank/insignia, using Nalty's reference, above, as a reference. Much of Nalty's writing includes such information as to pay, specialists, the various kinds of warrants issued, etc. I intend to concentrate on the ranks/grades themselves omitting the above mentioned items.

Until 1833 the rank structure was relatively simple with only (aside from the quartermaster sergeant and drum major) sergeants, corporals, fifers/drummers, and privates; there was only one sergeant major and he served at Marine Corps headquarters. There was a problem in the rank structure in that there were no intermediate grades between the sergeant and the sergeant major. To remedy this the rank of orderly sergeant was created, which led to the creation of the first sergeant rank later.

The rank of gunnery sergeant, as a specialist, came into being in 1898.

By the time of WW I, only the gunnery sergeant and first sergeant existed between the sergeant and SgtMaj/QMSgt/DrumMaj ranks.

Shortly after WWI, however, things began to become rather complicated in USMC enlisted rank with the creation of many, many new ranks and titles--mostly as a result of the demand for specialists in the modern profession of arms.

By 1946 the Marine Corps took drastic measures to abolish the numerous ranks that had come into being, and with this went the memorable ranks of SgtMaj, 1stSgt, gunnery sergeant, master gunnery sergeant, master technical sergeant, etc, etc.

I will attempt to do a webpage on all of this using only the essentials of information, rather than the sometimes very detailed data found in the above reference.

Then agin, I may never get around to it.

Dick Gaines;)