A QUESTION OF RANK (Timeline-191)

[Tiro]

Here's a question that only occurred to me today - is it ever specified what specific type of sergeant Jake Featherston was during his service with the CS Artillery?

To the best of my understanding he holds a position roughly equivalent to that of a Staff Sergeant in the modern US Army ('Professional Advisor' to a very green lieutenant and leading sergeant in the battery), but I'm not sure that would be his actual rank in the US Army of 1914 - our only wholly American working model for the Confederate States Army of AMERICAN FRONT.

I think he might well have ranked as a First Sergeant, but am not sufficiently familiar with the American army of the period to be certain.

May I please ask if anyone more expert has any thoughts on the topic?

 

[Polish Eagle]

Given the British influences on the CS (up to and including copying the uniform), I’m inclined to say that looking at British noncom ranks would be more enlightening.

 

[Tiro]

A fair point, though one suspects the CSA might also borrow from the French Army (which was, I believe, more highly-rated than the British Army at the time of the First World War - though that may be damning with faint praise, given there wasn't very much of a British Army to take an interest in before the Great War!).

 

[bguy]

Was Featherston the leading sergeant in his battery? I don't really recall him ever managing anything more than his own gun and crew, which seems more like the duties of a Sergeant than a First Sergeant.

 

[Darth_Kiryan]

I always figured that he was the 2ic of the artillery battery, given he took over once Stuart died.

 

[Tiro]

I would appreciate input from a more experienced scholar of First World War precedents, but my understanding is that Captain Stuart would have had at least one lieutenant under him in the table of organisation (though it seems plausible that the senior sergeant would be the one actually running things, even while the Captain gives the orders, unless the CSA - like the French Army - used NCO ranks mostly as a sort of field test for future officers).

 

[Tiro]

Was Featherston the leading sergeant in his battery? I don't really recall him ever managing anything more than his own gun and crew, which seems more like the duties of a Sergeant than a First Sergeant.

Given that Sergeant Featherston seems to be his captain's senior advisor and the man giving many of the actual orders even before JEB III was promoted to glory, my assumption was that he would be the senior NCO in his battery - if only because the only superiors we see him obliged to acknowledge are all officers - but I'm not strictly certain (I'm also aware that Harry Turtledove is far less pedantic about details like this than his fans have time to be: the man does like to hit his deadlines!).

 

[Polish Eagle]

I would appreciate input from a more experienced scholar of First World War precedents, but my understanding is that Captain Stuart would have had at least one lieutenant under him in the table of organisation (though it seems plausible that the senior sergeant would be the one actually running things, even while the Captain gives the orders, unless the CSA - like the French Army - used NCO ranks mostly as a sort of field test for future officers).

That's an interesting take, and adds a new dimension to his resentment of the Confederate brass for ending his promotion possibilities after the uprising--Featherston in 1914 could have quite plausibly expected an officer-track career, ending at Colonel even.

A fair point, though one suspects the CSA might also borrow from the French Army (which was, I believe, more highly-rated than the British Army at the time of the First World War - though that may be damning with faint praise, given there wasn't very much of a British Army to take an interest in before the Great War!).

My thinking is that the British-pattern reforms of the CS military took place after the Boer war--old-fashioned grey uniforms are mentioned as still issued to militias and retired soldiers, so that implies that they embraced British military fashions and doctrine fairly recently. I don't know if the Boer war is mentioned elsewhere in the books, but perhaps it goes much better for Britain ITTL--enhancing the prestige of the British Army (perhaps, with a plausible threat of invasion by the US and a certainty of large-scale land battles in Canada, Britain invests more in land forces ITTL).

 

[Michael B]

That's an interesting take, and adds a new dimension to his resentment of the Confederate brass for ending his promotion possibilities after the uprising--Featherston in 1914 could have quite plausibly expected an officer-track career, ending at Colonel even.

On the other hand if you take into consideration Featherston's background it is likely that he did not have much in the way of education. Also, if you look at the social structure of the CSA it is likely that officers ought to be gentlemen, leastways in peace time. Take OTL pre WW2 RAF with sergeant pilots who flew essentially the same missions as officer pilots but were socially inferior.

Featherston's best chances of becoming an officer was a field promotion in the time of war. He very nearly achieved it. Whether he could have held the rank postwarin the First Richmond Howitzers is unlikely. Whilst it recruited the best other ranks available it was a toff's unit for officers. Come peace time he would have been trasferred to aunit like the First Sonara Artillery albeit with a promotion to captain or even major.