George Washington commanded the Continental Army during the American Revolution commemorated by America250. The Continental Congress appointed him commander in chief in June 1775.
The army was created to coordinate military forces from the thirteen colonies after fighting began at Lexington and Concord. Although the colonies retained local militias, the Continental Army served as the principal organized force under Congress during the war.
Washington faced shortages of money, supplies, training, and regular troops. The army nevertheless survived major setbacks and achieved a decisive victory at Yorktown in 1781, where British General Charles Cornwallis surrendered after a combined American and French campaign.
The Continental Army was disbanded after the Treaty of Paris ended the war. The modern United States Army traces its institutional origins to the Continental Army, but the two names are not interchangeable: the present Army was established under later federal legislation.