Union Army major general rank insignia
A major general (or two-star general) is a rank in an army. It is between the ranks of lieutenant general and brigadier general. A major general usually commands a division. It comes from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparently confusing system whereby a lieutenant general outranks a major general (although a major outranks a lieutenant, a lieutenant outranks a sergeant-major.) A Major general is addressed as "general".
