Who served as commander in chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War?

George Washington served as commander in chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

The Second Continental Congress appointed Washington to the position on June 19, 1775, shortly after fighting began at Lexington and Concord. He formally took command in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on July 3, 1775, overseeing troops from the various colonies.

Washington’s army faced major shortages of money, supplies, training, and enlistments. His leadership included the difficult winter at Valley Forge, the crossing of the Delaware River before Trenton, and the final campaign that trapped the British army at Yorktown in 1781.

Washington was not the only important American commander. Horatio Gates led American forces at Saratoga, Nathanael Greene commanded in the southern theater, and Henry Knox directed the Continental Army’s artillery. Washington, however, held the overall command throughout the war.