No Rank

Army Private E-1 Enlisted Soldier, U.S. Army

(Next) E-2 PV2 Private Second Class

Army Ranks » Private Rank • PVT Pay • PVT Rank History

History of the Army Private Rank

A Private is a Enlisted Soldier in the United States Army at DoD paygrade E-1.

The military rank of Private is used by militaries across the world. For European countries, and subsequently the United States, the term "Private" derives from the mediaeval concept of "Private Soldiers." These were men who volunteered or were conscripted into service by feudal lords and, later on, rulers of states. In the English language, it made its appearance with the earliest form of the British Army as an established force for the whole of the state. The tradition of privates being the lowest ranking soldiers with only individual responsibilities derives from the idea that private soldiers had no responsibility other than their individual duty to fight.

With the formation of the United States and a standing military as the country became more established, the idea of the lowest ranking soldiers being known as privates was continued and still holds to this day.

Want to learn more? Read about the Army's Private rank on Military-Ranks.org.