Continental Army

, was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army on June 15 , 1775 .]]

The Continental Army was the unified command structure of the Thirteen Colonies fighting Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War . The Army was created by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14 , 1775 . Most of the Continental Army was disbanded on November 3 , 1783 after the Treaty Of Paris . A small residual force remained at West Point and some frontier outposts, until Congress created the United States Army by their resolution of June 3 , 1784 .

CREATION, ORGANIZATION AND REORGANIZATION

On June 7 the Continental Congress decided to proceed with the establishment of a Continental Army for purposes of common defense. Referring to themselves as "the twelve United Colonies", ( Georgia was not yet represented), the congress adopted forces already in place in Cambridge, Massachusetts as the first units of the Continental Army. They then elected, by unanimous vote, George Washington , on June 15 , as commander-in-chief. Washington accepted the position without any compensation, except reimbursement of his expenses.

Four major-generals ( Artemas Ward , Charles Lee , Philip Schuyler , and Israel Putnam ) and eight brigadier-generals ( Seth Pomeroy , Richard Montgomery , David Wooster , William Heath , Joseph Spencer , John Thomas , John Sullivan , and Nathanael Greene ) were appointed in the course of a few days.

As the Continental Congress increasingly accepted the responsibilities and posture of a legislature for a sovereign state, the role of the Continental Army was the subject of considerable debate. There was a general aversion to maintaining a standing army among the Americans; but, on the other hand, the requirements of the war against the British required the discipline and organization of a modern military. As a result, the army went through several distinct phases, characterized by official dissolution and reorganization of units.

Broadly speaking, Continental forces consisted of several successive armies, or "establishments":

The Continental Army Of 1775 , comprising the initial New England army, organized by Washington into three divisions. Also Major General Philip Schuyler's ten regiments sent to invade Canada .

The Continental Army Of 1776 , reorganized after the initial enlistment period of the soldiers in the 1775 army had expired. Washington had submitted recommendations to the Continental Congress almost immediately after he had accepted the position of commander-in-chief, but these took time to consider and implement. Although attempts to broaden the recruiting base beyond New England, the 1776 army remained skewed toward the Northeast both in terms of its composition and geographical focus.

The Continental Army Of 1777 - 1780 was a result of several critical reforms and political decisions that came about when it was apparent that the British were sending massive forces to put an end to the American revolution. The Continental Congress passed the Eighty-eight Battalion Resolution , ordering each state to contribute forces in proportion to their population, and Washington was given authority to raise additional 15 battalions. Also, enlistment terms were extended to three years or "the length of the war" to avoid the year-end crises that depleted forces.

The Continental Army Of 1781 - 1782 saw the greatest crisis on the American side in the war. Congress was for all intents and purposes bankrupt, making it very difficult to replenish the soldiers whose three-year terms had expired. Popular support for the war was at its all-time low, and Washington had to put down mutinies both in the Pennsylvania Line and New Jersey Line . Congress voted to cut funding for the army, but Washington managed nevertheless to secure important strategic victories.

The Continental Army Of 1783 - 1784 , which was succeeded by the United States Army , which persists to this day. As peace was closed with the British, most of the regiments were disbanded in an orderly fashion, though several had already been diminished.

In addition, a number of militia units, raised and funded by individual colonies/states, participated in battles.

The financial responsibility for providing pay, food, shelter, clothing, arms, and other equipment to specific units was assigned to states as part of the establishment of these units. States differed in how well they lived up these obligations. There were constant funding issues on the one hand and morale problems on the other as the war continued.

THE EMERGENCE OF COMBAT CAPABILITIES

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	quote	Could we but get a good regular army we should soon clear the continent of these damned invaders
	source	Thomas Nelson to Thomas Jefferson , 2 January 1777 <!-- quoted in Jeremy Black, ''The War for America'', p 44 -->

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Continental Army