What army did the Second Continental Congress establish from the colonies’ forces in 1775?
Answer
Continental Army
The Second Continental Congress established the Continental Army from the colonies’ forces in 1775.
Congress created the army on June 14, 1775, soon after fighting began around Boston. The force brought together militia and provincial units that had responded to the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
On June 15, Congress appointed George Washington commander in chief. He traveled to Massachusetts and formally took command at Cambridge on July 3, 1775.
The Continental Army remained the principal American land force throughout the Revolutionary War. It was not identical to every militia unit: state militias continued to operate separately, while the Continental Army represented Congress’s central military organization. The modern United States Army traces its institutional origins to this force.