A History of Sergeant Ranks

The word sergeant comes from the Latin servientem, servant or soldier, through Old French sergent, and in medieval armies named a professional fighting man below knightly rank. Sergeants carried the halberd, kept order in the line, and served as bodyguards to commanders: the mayor of the palace, the sergeant of the king.

By the sixteenth century the sergeant was the company instructor, and modern armies layered the title: sergeant major at the top, color sergeant guarding the flags, lance corporal on the way up. The sergeant remains the rank that actually runs armies: drill, discipline, and the daily standard of the line..