Washington+Takes+Command+of+Continental+Army

=Continental Army Under New Management=

Washinton Past:
On June 15, 1775, Congress chose George Washington to lead the Continental army. A Virginian, Washington probably has more military experience than anyone else, for he fought as a frontier warrior in the French Indian War. During the French Indian War, he commanded a brigade of troops from several colonies during the capture of Fort Duquesne, the only native-born American at the time to command a force that size. On July 3,1775, Washington formally took command. He described the army as, "a mixed multitude of people...under very little discipline, order, or government". He planned to turn this group of people into an army, based from his experience and observations of the British Regulars during the French Indian War. He wrote, "Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak and esteem to all." Even though [|Washington] started out with an inexperienced and poorly equipped group of civilian soldiers, he turned them into an army and succesfully fought a war against the British, and at the same time encouraged the help of the French. Washington, while establishing dicipline into the army he had, started to form a new one that enlisted directly in the Continental Service. A plan was formed during conferences with a congressional committee that visited the camp September, 1775, for such an army. The army would have 26 regiments, each with 728 infantry, and would have two additional regiments, one consisting of riflemen and the other consisting of artillery. It looked like a good plan on paper, but Washington soon realized he couldn't carry it out, because both the officers and men refused to reorganize from the units they were used to serving. The men saw their families and farms at home as their first obligation. Washington led the army through many battles, including [|Saratoga] and [|Yorktown]. He also led the famous historic [|Crossing of the Delaware]. After the Revolutionary War, Washinton was voted to be the first President of the newly formed United States of America, and set nearly all the modern-day precidents for the president, like how long each term is, and how many you can serve in a row (its two, by the way), and how to address the President.

Washinton Today:
Washinton is around us today in many common items, such as the dollar and quarter, which both have his head imprinted on it. The U.S. Capital is named after him as well - //Washinton// D.C., the state of //Washinton//, ect. Questions: 1) When did Congress choose George Washington to take command of the continental army? 2) How did Washington plan to organize the army? 3) How did Washington first describe the army he was to lead?