Misplaced Pages

#520479

82-697: The noble train of artillery , also known as the Knox Expedition , was an expedition led by Continental Army Colonel Henry Knox to transport heavy weaponry that had been captured at Fort Ticonderoga to the Continental Army camps outside Boston during the winter of 1775–76. Knox went to Ticonderoga in November 1775 and moved 60 tons of cannon and other armaments over the course of three winter months by boat, horse, ox-drawn sledges, and manpower along poor-quality roads, across two semi-frozen rivers, and through

164-613: A "healthy sound negro" as a reward. The officers of both the Continental Army and the state militias were typically yeoman farmers with a sense of honor and status and an ideological commitment to oppose the policies of the British Crown . The enlisted men were very different. They came from the working class or minority groups (English, Ulster Protestant, Black or of African descent). They were motivated to volunteer by specific contracts that promised bounty money; regular pay at good wages; food, clothing, and medical care; companionship; and

246-670: A Commissary General of Purchases, with four deputies, and a Commissary General of Issues, with three deputies. William Buchanan was head of the Purchase Department (1777–1778), Jeremiah Wadsworth (1778–1779), and Ephraim Blaine (1779–1781). In 1780, the department became subordinated to the Superintendent of Finance , although Blaine retained his position. Charles Stewart served as Commissary General of Issues (1777–1782). The responsibility for procuring arms and ammunition at first rested with various committees of Congress. In 1775,

328-615: A cabin with a young British prisoner named John André at Fort George at the southern end of Lake George. André had been taken prisoner during the Siege of Fort St. Jean and was on his way south to a prison camp. The two were of a similar age and temperament, and found much common ground to talk about. The next time they met, however, Knox presided over the court martial which convicted André and sentenced him to death for his role in Benedict Arnold's treason. Knox's letters and diaries provide

410-453: A captain. Field officers usually included a colonel, a lieutenant colonel, and a major. A regimental staff was made up of an adjutant , quartermaster , surgeon, surgeon's mate , paymaster , and chaplain . Infantry regiments were often called simply regiments or battalions. The regiment's fighting strength consisted of a single battalion of 728 officers and enlisted men at full strength. Cavalry and artillery regiments were organized in

492-537: A fact that General Daniel Morgan integrated into his strategy at the Battle of Cowpens and used to fool the British in 1781. 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 to these obligations. There were constant funding issues and morale problems as

574-570: A field organization, usually known as the Military Branch of the Commissariat of Military Stores, was made responsible for distribution and care of ordnance in the field. In 1777, Congress established a Commissary General of Military Stores. Known as the Civil Branch, this organization was responsible for handling arsenals , laboratories , and some procurement under the general supervision of

656-450: A fight on May 10. The next day, a detachment captured the nearby Fort Crown Point , again without combat. Arnold began to inventory the two forts for usable military equipment, but he was hampered by a lack of resources and conflict over command of the forts, first with Allen and then with a Connecticut militia company sent to hold the fort in June. He eventually abandoned the idea of transporting

738-474: A noble train of artillery". Although Knox wrote to Washington of oxen, he was unable to procure them at his price, and rented horses instead, he wrote in his diary. Most depictions of the journey mistakenly show oxen. He then set out for Albany ahead of the train, crossed the frozen Hudson River at Glens Falls , and proceeded on through Saratoga to reach Lansingburg, New York on Christmas Day. Two feet (60 cm) of snow fell that day, slowing his progress, as

820-489: A result, the army went through several distinct phases, characterized by official dissolution and reorganization of units. The Continental Army's forces included several successive armies or establishments: Military affairs were at first managed by the Continental Congress in plenary session , although specific matters were prepared by a number of ad hoc committees . In June 1776 a five-member standing committee ,

902-409: A similar manner. A company of cavalry was frequently called a troop. An artillery company contained specialized soldiers, such as bombardiers , gunners , and matrosses . A continental cavalry regiment had a nominal strength of 280 officers and men, but the actual strength was usually less than 150 men and even fewer horses. Artificers were civilian or military mechanics and artisans employed by

SECTION 10

#1733086044521

984-627: A transfer of frontier forts with Major General Frederick Haldimand collapsed, however, the British maintained control over them, as they would into the 1790s. That failure and the realization that most of the remaining infantrymen's enlistments were due to expire by June 1784 led Washington to order Knox, his choice as the commander of the peacetime army, to discharge all but 500 infantry and 100 artillerymen before winter set in. The former regrouped as 1st American Regiment , under Colonel Henry Jackson of Massachusetts. The single artillery company, New Yorkers under Major John Doughty , came from remnants of

1066-567: The 2nd Continental Artillery Regiment . Congress issued a proclamation on October 18, 1783, which approved Washington's reductions. On November 2, Washington, then at Rockingham near Rocky Hill, New Jersey , released his Farewell Orders issued to the Armies of the United States of America to the Philadelphia newspapers for nationwide distribution to the furloughed men. In the message, he thanked

1148-501: The Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, at a time when the colonial revolutionaries had no standing army. Previously, each colony had relied upon the militia (which was made up of part-time citizen-soldiers) for local defense; or the raising of temporary provincial troops during such crises as the French and Indian War of 1754–1763. As tensions with Great Britain increased in

1230-657: The Board of War and Ordnance , was established in order to replace the ad hoc committees. The five members who formed the Board fully participated in the plenary activities of Congress as well as in other committees and were unable to fully engage in the administrative leadership of the Continental Army. A new Board of War was therefore formed in October 1777, of three commissioners not member of Congress. Two more commissioners, not members of Congress, were shortly thereafter added, but in October 1778,

1312-409: The Continental Congress feared the possibility of the Continental Army evolving into a permanent army. The army never numbered more than 48,000 men overall and 13,000 troops in one area. The turnover proved a constant problem, particularly in the winter of 1776–1777, and longer enlistments were approved. As the new country (not yet fully independent) had no money, the government agreed to give grants to

1394-610: The United States Army by their resolution of June 3, 1784. Although Congress declined on May 12 to make a decision on the peace establishment, it did address the need for some troops to remain on duty until the British evacuated New York City and several frontier posts. The delegates told Washington to use men enlisted for fixed terms as temporary garrisons. A detachment of those men from West Point reoccupied New York without incident on November 25. When Steuben's effort in July to negotiate

1476-564: The Board of War. Later in the war, a Surveyor of Ordnance was made responsible for inspecting foundries , magazines , ordnance shops, and field ordnance. In July 1777, the Board of War was authorized to purchase artillery. Congress created a hospital department in July 1775 as a part of the Continental Army's administrative structure. It came under the Director General of the Hospital Department , chosen by Congress but serving under

1558-650: The British out of Boston once the equipment began to arrive, at which point he would launch an attack on the city across the Charles River . He placed cannons from Ticonderoga at Lechmere's Point and Cobble Hill in Cambridge, and on Lamb's Dam in Roxbury. These batteries opened fire on Boston on the night of March 2, 1776, while preparations were made to fortify the Dorchester Heights from which cannons could threaten both

1640-505: The Commander-in-Chief through periodically inspecting and reporting on the condition of troops. The first incumbent was Thomas Conway (1777–1778), followed by Baron von Steuben 1778–1784, under whom the position became that of a de facto chief of staff. The Judge Advocate General assisted the commander-in-chief with the administration of military justice , but he did not, as his modern counterpart, give legal advise. William Tudor

1722-490: The Commander-in-Chief, and was staffed by four surgeons , an apothecary , twenty surgeon's mates , a nurse for every ten patients, a matron to supervise the nurses, a clerk, and two storekeepers. The department was reorganized in 1777; deputy director generals were added to the administrative structure; commissaries of hospitals were established to provide food and forage; and apothecary generals were established to procure and distribute medicines. The first director general

SECTION 20

#1733086044521

1804-475: The Continental Army has unfortunately no uniforms in 1775, and consequently many inconveniences must arise from not being able to distinguish the commissioned officers from the privates, it is desired that some badge of distinction be immediately provided; for instance that the field officers may have red or pink colored cockades in their hats, the captains yellow or buff, and the subalterns green." In 1776, captains were to have buff or white cockades. Later on in

1886-615: The Continental Army was disbanded in 1783 after the Treaty of Paris formally ended the war. The Continental Army's 1st and 2nd Regiments went on to form what was to become the Legion of the United States in 1792, which ultimately served as the foundation for the creation of the United States Army . The Continental Army consisted of soldiers from all the Thirteen Colonies and, after 1776, from all 13 states. The American Revolutionary War began at

1968-464: The Continental Congress increasingly adopted the responsibilities and posture of a legislature for a sovereign state, the role of the Continental Army became the subject of considerable debate. Some Americans had a general aversion to maintaining a standing army; but on the other hand, the requirements of the war against the British required the discipline and organization of a modern military. As

2050-537: The Massachusetts reliefs by Henry L. Norton . In 1975, the marker locations between Kinderhook, New York , and Alford, Massachusetts , were updated after new research, confirming theories originally advanced by North Egremont, Massachusetts , postmaster Joseph Elliott, found Knox did not pass through Claverack, New York . A new marker was added to the trail at Roxbury Heritage State Park in Boston in 2009, adjacent to

2132-518: The Northern Continental Army. In addition to the Continental Army regulars, state militia units were assigned for short-term service and fought in campaigns throughout the war. Sometimes the militia units operated independently of the Continental Army, but often local militias were called out to support and augment the Continental Army regulars during campaigns. The militia troops developed a reputation for being prone to premature retreats,

2214-478: The Quartermaster General. Thomas Mifflin served as Quartermaster General (1775–1776 and 1776–1778), Stephen Moylan (1776), Nathanael Green (1778–1780), and Timothy Pickering (from 1780). Congress also created the position of Commissary General of Stores and Provisions directly responsible to Congress, with Joseph Trumbull as the first incumbent. In 1777, Congress divided the department into two,

2296-533: The aid of the beleaguered Continental Army in January 1776. In 1926, the 150th anniversary of Knox's march, the states of New York and Massachusetts both began installing commemorative plaques at 56 locations in the two states that trace the route the expedition passed through. The exact nature of the collaboration between the two states is unclear, however the work was completed in 1927. The New York markers' bronze reliefs were designed by Henry James Albright , and

2378-536: The armaments to Boston and resigned his commission. In July 1775, George Washington assumed command of the forces outside Boston, and one of the significant problems which he identified in the nascent Continental Army was a lack of heavy weaponry, which made offensive operations virtually impossible. It is not known who proposed the operation to retrieve the Ticonderoga cannons, but historians tend to credit either Henry Knox or Benedict Arnold with giving Washington

2460-429: The army to provide services. They included blacksmiths , coopers , carpenters , harnessmakers , and wheelwrights . In June 1775, Congress created the position of Quartermaster General , after the British example. He was charged with opening and maintaining the lines of advance and retreat, laying out camps and assigning quarters. His responsibilities included furnishing the army with materiel and supplies, although

2542-476: The army camp outside Boston to aid the war effort there against British forces. They included forty-three heavy brass and iron cannons , six cohorns , eight mortars , and two howitzers . Knox, using sledges pulled by teams of oxen to haul these cannons, many weighing over a ton , crossed an icy Lake George in mid-winter. He proceeded to travel through rural New York and the snow-covered Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts , finally arriving to

Noble train of artillery - Misplaced Pages Continue

2624-400: The artillery train pass through Framingham, Massachusetts on January 25, and Knox arrived in Cambridge two days later and personally reported to Washington that they had arrived. According to Knox's accounting, he spent £521 on an operation that he had hoped would take two weeks but actually took ten weeks. Washington wanted to end the siege, and he formulated a plan to draw at least some of

2706-534: The blending of persons from every colony into "one patriotic band of Brothers" had been a major accomplishment, and he urged the veterans to continue this devotion in civilian life. Washington said farewell to his remaining officers on December 4 at Fraunces Tavern in New York City. On December 23 he appeared in Congress, then sitting at Annapolis, and returned his commission as commander-in-chief : "Having now finished

2788-510: The cannon was recovered. On January 9, the last of cannons had crossed the Hudson, and Knox rode ahead to oversee the next stage of the journey. Details are sketchy concerning the remaining journey, as Knox's journal ends on January 12. He reached the vicinity of Claverack, New York on January 9, 1776, and proceeded through the Berkshires , reaching Blandford, Massachusetts two days later. There

2870-611: The cannons and authorized £1000 for the purpose, and he wrote to General Philip Schuyler asking him to assist Knox in the endeavor. Washington's call for the weapons was echoed by the Second Continental Congress , and they issued Knox a colonel's commission in November—although it did not reach him until he returned from the expedition. Knox departed Washington's camp on November 17 and traveled to New York City for supplies, reaching Ticonderoga on December 5. He shared

2952-566: The chief artillery officer of the Continental Army, and later served as the first United States Secretary of War . At the time of the exploit's sesquicentennial (150th anniversary), the State of New York and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts both placed historical markers along the route that Knox was believed to have taken. In 1972, some markers were moved in New York after new information surfaced about

3034-473: The city and the British fleet in the harbor. Continental Army troops occupied this high ground on the night of March 4. British General William Howe first planned to contest this move by assaulting the position, but a snowstorm prevented its execution. After further consideration, he decided instead to withdraw from the city . On March 17, British troops and Loyalist colonists boarded ships and sailed for Halifax, Nova Scotia . Henry Knox went on to become

3116-523: The combined forces south to Virginia without the British commanders in New York realizing it. This resulted in the capture of the main British invasion force in the south at the Siege of Yorktown , which resulted in the American and their allied victory in the land war in North America and assured independence. A small residual force remained at West Point and some frontier outposts until Congress created

3198-458: The command of Artemas Ward . The British force in Boston was increasing by fresh arrivals. It numbered then about 10,000 men. The British controlled Boston and defended it with their fleet, but they were outnumbered and did not attempt to challenge the American control of New England. Washington selected young Henry Knox , a self-educated strategist, to take charge of the artillery from an abandoned British fort in upstate New York, and dragged across

3280-441: The count of how many soldiers George Washington had was delayed a little over a week. Instead of obeying their commanders and officers without question, each unit was a community that had democratically chosen its leaders. The regiments, coming from different states, were uneven in numbers. Logically, they should be evened, which would mean moving soldiers around. In the spirit of American republicanism , if George Washington separated

3362-641: The department, as well as state troops and militia – if released by the governor of the state. All troops under the department commander were designated as an army ; hence troops in the Northern Department were called the Northern Army , in the Southern Department the Southern Army , etc. The department commander could be field commander or he could appoint another officer to command the troops in

Noble train of artillery - Misplaced Pages Continue

3444-411: The field. Depending on the size of the army, it could be divided into wings or divisions (of typically three brigades ) that were temporary organizations, and brigades (of two to five regiments ) that in effect were permanent organizations and the basic tactical unit of the Continental Army. An infantry regiment in the Continental Army typically consisted of 8 to 10 companies, each commanded by

3526-440: The first ten companies of Continental troops on a one-year enlistment, riflemen from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia to be used as light infantry . The Pennsylvania riflemen became the 1st Continental Regiment in January 1776. On June 15, 1775, Congress elected by unanimous vote George Washington as Commander-in-Chief, who accepted and served throughout the war without any compensation except for reimbursement of expenses. As

3608-472: The forests and swamps of the lightly inhabited Berkshires to the Boston area, covering approximately 300 miles (500 km). Historian Victor Brooks has called Knox's exploit "one of the most stupendous feats of logistics" of the entire American Revolutionary War . The route which he followed is now known as the Henry Knox Trail , and the states of New York and Massachusetts have erected markers along

3690-635: The gundalow had foundered and sunk not far from Sabbath Day Point. This appeared to be a serious setback at first, but Knox's brother William, captain of the gundalow, reported that she had foundered but her gunwales were above the water line, and that she could be bailed out. This was done, the ship was refloated, and the gundalow arrived at the southern end of the lake two days later. On December 17, 1775, Knox wrote to Washington that he had built "42 exceeding strong sleds, and have provided 80 yoke of oxen to drag them as far as Springfield ", and that he hoped "in 16 or 17 days to be able to present your Excellency

3772-426: The gundalow set sail for the southern end of the lake, with Knox sailing ahead in a small boat. Ice was already beginning to cover the lake, but the gundalow reached Sabbath Day Point, after grounding once on a submerged rock. They sailed on again the next day, with Knox going ahead. He reached Fort George in good time, but the gundalow did not appear when expected. A boat went to check on its progress and reported that

3854-511: The help of France and for the remainder of the war, clothing was coming from over-sea procurement. The disbursing of money to pay soldiers and suppliers were the function of the Paymaster-General . James Warren was the first incumbent of this office. His successor was William Palfrey in 1776, who was followed by John Pierce Jr. in 1781. The Continental Army lacked the discipline typically expected of an army. When they first assembled,

3936-416: The idea; regardless, Washington chose Knox for the job. Knox was a 25-year-old bookseller with an interest in military matters who served in the Massachusetts militia, and he had become good friends with Washington on his arrival at Boston. When Washington gave him the assignment, he wrote that "no trouble or expense must be spared to obtain them." On November 16, Washington issued orders to Knox to retrieve

4018-589: The lead crew refused to continue owing to a lack of snow and the upcoming steep descent to the Connecticut River valley, but Knox hired additional oxen and persuaded the crew to go on. As the train moved east, news of it spread and people came out to watch it pass. In Westfield, Massachusetts , Knox loaded one of the big guns with powder and fired it to the applause of the assembled crowd. At Springfield, Knox had to hire new work crews, as his New York-based crews wanted to return home. John Adams reported seeing

4100-740: The membership was set to three commissioners not members of Congress and two commissioners members of Congress. In early 1780, the Quartermaster General , the Commissary General of Purchase, and the Commissary General of Issue were put under the direction of the Board. The Office of the Secretary at War was created in February 1781, although the Office did not start its work until Benjamin Lincoln assumed

4182-479: The military , as did the Continental Congress , though there were minor disagreements about how this was to be carried out. Throughout its existence, the Army was troubled by poor logistics, inadequate training, short-term enlistments, interstate rivalries, and Congress's inability to compel the states to provide food, money, or supplies. In the beginning, soldiers enlisted for a year, largely motivated by patriotism; but as

SECTION 50

#1733086044521

4264-520: The move was the presence of heavy weaponry at Ticonderoga. On May 3, the committee gave Arnold a Massachusetts colonel's commission and authorized the operation. The idea to capture Ticonderoga had also been raised to Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys in the disputed New Hampshire Grants territory in Vermont. Allen and Arnold joined forces, and a force of 83 men captured the fort without

4346-417: The notable battles of Trenton , Princeton , Brandywine , Germantown , and Morristown, among many others. The army increased its effectiveness and success rate through a series of trials and errors, often at a great human cost. General Washington and other distinguished officers were instrumental leaders in preserving unity, learning and adapting, and ensuring discipline throughout the eight years of war. In

4428-669: The office in October 1781. On June 15, 1775, Congress elected by unanimous vote George Washington as Commander-in-Chief, who accepted and served throughout the war without any compensation except for reimbursement of expenses. Washington, as commander-in-chief, was supported by a chief administrative officer, the Adjutant General . Horatio Gates held the position (1775–1776), Joseph Reed (1776–1777), George Weedon and Isaac Budd Dunn (1777), Morgan Connor 1777, Timothy Pickering (1777–1778), Alexander Scammell (1778–1781), and Edward Hand (1781–1783). An Inspector General assisted

4510-441: The officers and men for their assistance and reminded them that "the singular interpositions of Providence in our feeble condition were such, as could scarcely escape the attention of the most unobserving; while the unparalleled perseverance of the Armies of the United States, through almost every possible suffering and discouragement for the space of eight long years, was little short of a standing Miracle." Washington believed that

4592-564: The officers and soldiers of the continental line as established by the resolutions of Congress, fixing the arrangement of the Continental Army May 27, 1778, which rate of pay continued to the end of the war. During the American Revolutionary War, the Continental Army initially wore ribbons , cockades , and epaulettes of various colors as an ad hoc form of rank insignia, as General George Washington wrote in 1775: "As

4674-515: The organization of the Clothing Department. After this, on many accounts, the soldiers of the Continental Army were often poorly clothed, had few blankets, and often did not even have shoes. The problems with clothing and shoes for soldiers were often not the result of not having enough but of organization and lack of transportation. To reorganize the Board of War was appointed to sort out the clothing supply chain. During this time they sought out

4756-481: The primary sources for much of the daily activity in this journey. His description is detailed for some of the events and dates, but there are also significant gaps, and significant portions of the journey are poorly documented, especially much of the Massachusetts section. Some of these gaps occur because Knox did not write about them, and others because pages are missing from the diary. Other sources confirm some of Knox's details or report additional details, but parts of

4838-507: The promise of land ownership after the war.By 1780, more than 30,000 men served in the Continental army, but the lack of resources and proper training resulted in the deaths of over 13,000 soldiers. By 1781–1782, threats of mutiny and actual mutinies were becoming serious. Up to a fourth of Washington's army were of Scots-Irish (English and Scottish descent) Ulster origin , many being recent arrivals and in need of work. The Continental Army

4920-406: The raising of a colonial army consisting of 26 company regiments. New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut soon raised similar but smaller forces. On June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress decided to proceed with the establishment of a Continental Army for purposes of common defense, adopting the forces already in place outside Boston (22,000 troops) and New York (5,000). It also raised

5002-420: The river ice was still too thin to move it over the Hudson. Knox and his men tried to accelerate the process of thickening the river ice by pouring additional water on top of existing ice. The first of the cannon arrived at Albany by January 4, but some cannons crashed through the ice into the river on the way to Albany, and again on crossing the Hudson heading east toward Massachusetts. In every instance, however,

SECTION 60

#1733086044521

5084-574: The route are not known with certainty, and modern descriptions of those parts are based on what is known about Massachusetts roads at the time, including the placement of markers for the Henry Knox Trail . Regardless, the route was more or less in the corridor of today's Massachusetts Turnpike ( Interstate 90 ). Upon arrival at Ticonderoga, Knox immediately set about identifying the equipment to take and organizing its transport. He selected 59 pieces of equipment, including cannons ranging in size from 4- to 24-pounders , mortars, and howitzers. He estimated

5166-533: The snow to and placed them in the hills surrounding Boston in March 1776. The British situation was untenable. They negotiated an uneventful abandonment of the city and relocated their forces to Halifax in Canada. Washington relocated his army to New York. For the next five years, the main bodies of the Continental and British armies campaigned against one another in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. These campaigns included

5248-410: The snow-covered route needed to be broken open. He finally reached Albany the next day, again slowed by significant snow on the ground. There he met with General Philip Schuyler , and the two of them worked over the next few days to locate and send north equipment and personnel to assist in moving the train south from Lake George. The snowfall was sufficient to enable sleds to move the train overland, but

5330-406: The soldiers from the officers they had chosen they did not believe they should have to serve. George Washington had to give in to the soldiers and negotiate with them. He needed them to have an army. Soldiers in the Continental Army were volunteers; they agreed to serve in the army and standard enlistment periods lasted from one to three years. Early in the war, the enlistment periods were short, as

5412-551: The soldiers which they could exchange for money. In 1781 and 1782, Patriot officials and officers in the Southern Colonies repeatedly implemented policies that offered slaves as rewards for recruiters who managed to enlist a certain number of volunteers in the Continental Army; in January 1781, Virginia's General Assembly passed a measure which announced that voluntary enlistees in the Virginia Line 's regiments would be given

5494-406: The supply of arms, clothing, and provisions fell under other departments. The transportation of all supplies, even those provided by other departments, came under his ambit. The Quartermaster General served with the main army under General Washington, but was directly responsible to Congress. Deputy quartermasters were appointed by Congress to serve with separate armies, and functioned independently of

5576-415: The total weight to be transported at 119,000 pounds (about 60 tons or 54 metric tons). The largest pieces were the 24-pounders which were 11 feet (3.4 m) long and estimated to weigh over 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg). The equipment was first carried overland from Ticonderoga to the northern end of Lake George , where most of the train was loaded onto a scow-like ship called a gundalow . On December 6,

5658-530: The train's movements between Albany and the state boundary. Given the lack of documentation for the Massachusetts portion of the journey, most of the markers there were placed along the route that the train was only assumed to have taken, based on what was known about Massachusetts roads of the time. Fort Knox , an Army post in Kentucky famous as the site of the United States Bullion Depository ,

5740-493: The war continued. This led to the army offering low pay, often rotten food, hard work, cold, heat, poor clothing and shelter, harsh discipline, and a high chance of becoming a casualty. At the time of the siege of Boston , the Continental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts , in June 1775, is estimated to have numbered from 14,000 to 16,000 men from New England (though the actual number may have been as low as 11,000 because of desertions). Until Washington's arrival, it remained under

5822-535: The war dragged on, bounties and other incentives became more commonplace. Major and minor mutinies—56 in all—diminished the reliability of two of the main units late in the war. The French played a decisive role in 1781 as Washington's Army was augmented by a French expeditionary force under Lieutenant General Rochambeau and a squadron of the French navy under the Comte de Barras . By disguising his movements, Washington moved

5904-400: The war, the Continental Army established its own uniform with a black and white cockade among all ranks. Infantry officers had silver and other branches gold insignia: Henry Knox Trail Knox was commissioned by Continental Army commander George Washington in 1775 to transport 59 cannons from captured forts on Lake Champlain, 30 from Fort Ticonderoga and 29 from Crown Point , to

5986-464: The war. The Department of New York (later the Northern Department) was created when Congress made Philip Schuyler its commander on June 15, 1775. The Southern and Middle Departments were added in February 1776. Several others were added the same year. A major general appointed by Congress commanded each department. Under his command came all Continental Army units within the territorial limits of

6068-605: The way. The American Revolutionary War erupted with the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775. Benedict Arnold was a militia leader from Connecticut who had arrived with his unit in support of the Siege of Boston ; he proposed to the Massachusetts Committee of Safety that Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain in the Province of New York be captured from its small British garrison. One reason that he gave to justify

6150-591: The winter of 1777–1778, with the addition of Baron von Steuben , a Prussian expert, the training and discipline of the Continental Army was dramatically upgraded to modern European standards through the Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States . This was during the infamous winter at Valley Forge . Washington always viewed the Army as a temporary measure and strove to maintain civilian control of

6232-515: The work assigned me, I retire from the great theatre of Action; and bidding an Affectionate farewell to this August body under whose orders I have so long acted, I here offer my Commission, and take my leave of all the employments of public life." Congress ended the War of American Independence on January 14, 1784, by ratifying the definitive peace treaty that had been signed in Paris on September 3. Monthly pay of

6314-620: The years leading to the war, colonists began to reform their militias in preparation for the perceived potential conflict. Training of militiamen increased after the passage of the Intolerable Acts in 1774. Colonists such as Richard Henry Lee proposed forming a national militia force, but the First Continental Congress rejected the idea. On April 23, 1775, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress authorized

6396-543: Was Benjamin Church (1775), he was followed by John Morgan (1775–1777), William Shippen (1777–1781), and John Cochran (1781). Keeping the continentals clothed was a difficult task and to do this Washington appointed James Mease , a merchant from Philadelphia, as Clothier General. Mease worked closely with state-appointed agents to purchase clothing and things such as cow hides to make clothing and shoes for soldiers. Mease eventually resigned in 1777 and had compromised much of

6478-493: Was created to coordinate military efforts of the colonies in the war against the British , who sought to maintain control over the American colonies. General George Washington was appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and maintained this position throughout the war. The Continental Army was supplemented by local militias and volunteer troops that were either loyal to individual states or otherwise independent. Most of

6560-638: Was named after Henry Knox. Source: Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War . It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Congress , meeting in Philadelphia after the war's outbreak. The Continental Army

6642-465: Was racially integrated, a condition the United States Army would not see again until the late 1940s . During the Revolution, African American slaves were promised freedom in exchange for military service by both the Continental and British armies. Approximately 6,600 people of color (including African American, indigenous, and multiracial men) served with the colonial forces, and made up one-fifth of

6724-586: Was the first appointee. He was followed by John Laurance in 1777 and Thomas Edwards in 1781 The Mustermaster General kept track by name of every officer and man serving in the army. The first mustermaster was Stephen Moylan . He was followed by Gunning Bedford Jr. 1776–1777 and Joseph Ward. Units of the Continental Army were assigned to any one of the territorial departments to decentralize command and administration. In general there were seven territorial departments, although their boundaries were subject to change and they were not all in existence throughout

#520479