Reference Entry
CREATION OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY
On this date, the Second Continental Congress voted to adopt the New England militia forces already besieging British-held Boston and to form them into a Continental Army. Before this decision, the men surrounding Boston answered primarily to their individual colonies, making coordination and supply uneven and uncertain.
Dated Historical Context
A RECORDED MOMENT IN HISTORY
Creation of the Continental Army
On this date, the Second Continental Congress voted to adopt the New England militia forces already besieging British-held Boston and to form them into a Continental Army. Before this decision, the men surrounding Boston answered primarily to their individual colonies, making coordination and supply uneven and uncertain. By creating a Continental Army, Congress signaled that the conflict with Britain was no longer simply a cluster of local uprisings but a common struggle that demanded a national force. The move also meant that questions of pay, clothing, weapons, and senior leadership would be handled for all the colonies together rather than separately. In later years, the United States Army would look back to June 14th, 1775 as its official birthday and trace its institutional lineage to that vote. The decision laid the foundation for the professional land force that would eventually fight on fronts from the Mississippi River to the Philippines and beyond.
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