HISTORY OF NCOS (1775-1865)

Abstract

In 1775 with the birth of the Continental Army, began the history of the United States Army and the Non-Commissioned Officer Corps. The American NCO corps did not mirror the British Corp. American NCOs, like the Army itself, blended tradition of the Prussian, British and French into a unique style of their own. The United States Army Non-Commissioned Officer became further separated from his European counterparts over time as the American political system changed due to social attitudes and the movement into the west. Early in the American Revolution there was little standardization of NCO duties and responsibilities. In 1778, Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben was appointed Inspector General of the Army. He standardized the duties and responsibilities of the NCO. The Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States Army was printed in 1779. His work commonly became known as the Blue Book, which for 30 years served as the primary regulation for the Army. Von Steubens Blue Book specified the duties of the NCO.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 31, 2006
Accession Number
AD1117172

Entities

Organizations

  • United States Army Sergeants Major Academy

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • American Revolution
  • Ammunition
  • Court Martial
  • Gunpowder
  • Military Personnel
  • New York
  • Noncommissioned Officers
  • Personnel Management
  • Political Systems
  • Prisoners
  • Regulations
  • Revolutions
  • Ships
  • Standardization
  • Standards
  • Storage
  • Training
  • Transportation
  • United States
  • Weapons

Fields of Study

  • History

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.