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From: carlson@haven.mitre.org (Bruce Carlson)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Army customs...saluting
Message-ID: <1991Mar15.041426.10887@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 15 Mar 91 04:14:26 GMT
References: <1991Mar4.212815.9865@cbnews.att.com> <1991Mar6.042927.25702@cbnews.att.com> <1991Mar8.023526.10578@cbnews.att.com> <1991Mar14.014317.17212@cbnews.att.com>
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From: carlson@haven.mitre.org (Bruce Carlson)
>From: magnus%thep.lu.se@Urd.lth.se (Magnus Olsson)
>In article <1991Mar8.023526.10578@cbnews.att.com> cash@convex.com (Peter Cash) writes:
>>From: cash@convex.com (Peter Cash)
>>the American "lieutenant" comes from the French, and means "someone who
>>acts instead (or in the place of) another" (lieu = instead of; tenant = one
>>who holds). 
>This also explains the ranks of lieutenant general and lieutenant colonel -
>the officers who act for the general and the colonel, respectively.
>
>Magnus Olsson                   | \e+      /_


This rationale holds true for lieutenant colonel, but it is slightly
different for generals.  The origin of major general and 
lieutenant general is supposedly this:

"Major" General                - 2 star  (major general)
"Lieutenant Colonel" General   - 3 star  (lieutenant general)

At least this is a plausible explanation for why a lieutenant [general]
outranks a major [general].

Bruce Carlson