We’ve seen images of Continental Soldiers of the American Revolution snap to attention with their right hand, palms down, smartly pressed to the forehead or hat’s brim. And Roman legionaries slapping their chests and thrusting their arms straight out from the body. Or Knights of old lifting their visors as a show of respect to a superior knight. All accepted as historical military salutes, however none have their basis is historical fact outside what has been perceived by Hollywood and fictional writers. Interestingly, there is some evidence that the military salute originated with the Greeks. Plato’s Emission Theory was widely accepted throughout ancient Greece. It was thought that visual perception, what we see, exists through beams of light emitted by the eyes. Soldiers of lower rank would shield their eyes with a hand so to protect themselves from the stronger eye beams of a superior officer. This theory would later be replaced by intromission theory which stated that one’s visual perception did not come from an eye, but entered it, representative of the object established as rays of light reflected from the object itself.
The military salute as we know it was a mark of recognition for an awarded commission (or as more often in the 18th century, one purchased) and for seniority of rank. Prior to the Revolutionary War, it was a long established courtesy for a subordinate to remove his headgear when in the presence of superiors. With the advent of more cumbersome headgear in the 18th and more so 19th century, the act of removing one’s hat in salute was replaced with a more simpler gesture of raising one’s arm and grasping or touching the visor. A 1745 British order book stated, “The men are ordered not to pull off their hats when they pass an officer, or to speak to them, but only to clap up their hands to their hats and bow as they pass.” Over time, the raising of one’s hand in salute, without bowing at one’s waist, resembled the modern hand salutes.
Every day General Washington issued a “General Orders of the Day,” in which he communicated daily passwords for sentries, troop movements, changes in policies, and general orders that were the lifeblood of the army. The army was regimented into divisions headed by a Major General, and within the division were brigades commanded by Brigadier Generals, beneath which the regiments were led by full colonels. Division Orders were also issued by the Major General under which the brigades of his command were directly affected. On June 7, 1781, the following Division Orders issued by Major General Parsons of the Hudson Highland army commanding the regiments of the Connecticut Line at West Point, included a section titled ‘Directions for Saluting.’ The general salute details the presentation of arms and the removal on one’s hat. No where does it indicate an arm is raised with hand touching the forehead, brow, or rim of a hat as was more common in modern salutes. The division order is given in its entirety:
- When a non com officer’s party passes a commissioned [officer] they are to carry arms. [Carry arms: the soldier holds his weapon in the right hand, the barrel resting against the hollow of the shoulder in a nearly perpendicular position. In this position the soldier is said to stand and the musket to be held at carry.]
- A single soldier or two or three when without non com officer with their arms meet a commissioned officer, halt, front and carry arms at least six paces before the officer gets to him and remains in that position till he has passed.
- If a non com officer’s party, or single soldier, overtakes and passes an officer, they are to carry arms. The same if an officer is standing or sitting still.
- When a soldier without arms meets an officer he will halt at the same distance as with arms, front and pull off his hat or cap with his right hand letting it down the length of his arm in a graceful easy posture.
- When an officer speaks to a soldier, his hat must be taken off in the same manner as when passing him, always remembering to look the officer full in the face. If the soldier has arms in his hands, he is to recover them briskly when speaking to an officer in room of taking off his hat, & continue in that position until the officer has done speaking with him.
- All sentries must present their arms to general officers and field officers of their own regiments; to all other commissioned officers they stand with shouldered arms.
- After retreat beating no honors to be paid.
- It is expected that these orders are strictly attended to by all soldiers without the chain of sentinels or the common limits of camp; when in camp the usual custom of lifting the hat without stopping.
- There is not anything of more importance to the introducing order and regularity in a regiment than the non com officer having a proper command over the men and supporting a dignity suitable to their station. In order to this a certain distinction is necessary to be observed & there is a respect due from the soldiers to them. The soldier, therefore, whenever a sergeant enters his quarters should rise and take off his hat in a graceful manner, after which he may sit unless the sergeant has some orders to deliver him, in which case he must stand with hat off til the sergeant has communicated the orders: and when the non com officer retires the same attention must be paid him as at his entering.
Seven & Twenty-one gun cannon salutes: The custom of firing cannon salutes originated with the British Royal Navy. When a cannon was fired, it partially disarmed the ship, so needlessly firing a cannon showed respect and trust. As a matter of courtesy, a warship would fire her guns harmlessly out to sea to show that she had no hostile intent. During the American Revolution, ships were required to fire seven guns, and forts, with their more numerous guns and a larger supply of gunpowder, to fire 21 times.
