What army did George Washington command during the American Revolutionary War?

George Washington commanded the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

The Second Continental Congress established the Continental Army on June 14, 1775, after fighting had begun at Lexington and Concord. Congress selected Washington, a Virginia military leader and former British officer, as its commander in chief. He accepted the appointment and traveled north to take command near Boston.

The Continental Army was the central military force created by the revolutionary Congress, although state militias and foreign allies also played major roles. Washington struggled with shortages of troops, supplies, training, and consistent financing throughout the war. Its soldiers served in campaigns from New England to the Southern Colonies.

The Continental Army should not be confused with today's United States Army, which traces its institutional origins to the same revolutionary period but is the modern federal force. The Continental Army was the wartime army of the revolutionary states and was disbanded after independence.