Which military force did the Second Continental Congress create on June 14, 1775?

The Second Continental Congress created the Continental Army on June 14, 1775.

The army was established during the American Revolutionary War to coordinate military forces from the thirteen colonies. George Washington was appointed its commander in chief shortly afterward, on June 19, 1775.

Before the Continental Army existed, local militia units and other colonial forces were already fighting British troops, especially around Boston. Congress’s action created a unified continental force, although recruitment, supplies, pay, and discipline remained serious problems.

The Continental Army should not be confused with today’s United States Army, which traces its lineage to the same Revolutionary-era origin but received its modern institutional name in 1784. The Continental Navy and Continental Marines were separate wartime organizations.