Free «The Formation and Evolution of the Continental Army» Essay

Introduction

The United States of America is one of the nations that boast of a rich history that has been shaped by the good and the bad times that this nation has gone through. While it is among the nations that has gone through rapid industrialization and technological advancements, there are events in history that have shaped the course that was taken by this nation to enable it to be where it is at the moment. Among these events is the American Revolutionary War. This was a war that was fought by thirteen States against the Kingdom of Great Britain. During this war, the thirteen former British colonies ganged against the Kingdom of Great Britain by forming an army referred to as the Continental Army. This research paper will therefore focus on the formation and evolution of the Continental Army and the role it played in this war. While there are different challenges that the Continental Army came across, their determination and hard was able to earn New England independence and thus the United States of America.

Research Findings and Discussion

The formation of the Continental Army

There are various pieces of work that have focused on the formation and evolution of the Continental Army. The formation of the continental army was necessitated by the fact that there was a need for the preservation of the rights of an American. It was therefore evident to the Continental Congress at that particular time that there was need for a strategy that would enable them to defeat the iron rule of their British colonists. However, there were little resources that could be provided to support an army that was able hold on the rebellion for a long period of time. As a result, the Continental Army was adopted on June 14, 1775 with General George Washington being chosen as the Continental Army Commander, who had an experience in the French and the Indian war, with a heart that was committed to the American cause and the general freedom that was needed by the American people at that particular period of time.

However, the formation of the Continental Army was not without challenges. To begin with, organizing the men who enlisted in the army to be able to form an organized army was a challenge to the General George Washington and thus a challenge to the States that had agreed to form the Continental Army. One of the greatest challenges was the willingness of people to be enlisted in the Army. Most people considered this an extra year of service to the nation and thus an extra year away from home and particularly their families. Therefore, General George Washington was forced to use militias from States such as Massachusetts and New Hampshire. This challenge was further coupled by the fact that the enlistment was for short term period and therefore, the process of enlistment was to be repeated at the end of one year again.

The Evolution of the Continental Army

The conditions of the Continental Army worsened and the Continental Congress was unable to cater for the needs of the soldiers and therefore, after a period of time, there were no supplies to the soldiers. Therefore, to counter this challenge, the Continental Congress passed a legislature that required the thirteen States to take care of the needs of the soldiers under their jurisdiction. There was also an increased control over the size of this army with each State required to work on how to recruit and manage the soldiers’ camps that were in their territories. These States were mandated to ensure that General George Washington got the required support in order to continue fighting. Therefore, it was the responsibility of these States to act accordingly considering the situations in which they were at that particular time.

The policies that guided the enlistment exercise were also revised to produce a refined strategy that required that soldiers that were enlisted in the Continental Army did so with a knowledge that they were no longer going to serve for a year as it had been previous, but as long as there was war. To General Washington and the Continental Congress, this was a way of reducing the problems that were faced when enlisting soldiers in the Continental Army and as a result the need to include the militias in this army. One of the issues that General Washington and Continental Congress wanted to achieve was a collective responsibility that would enable every State to participate not by words alone but by action too.

Conclusion

The United States of America has gone through a revolution that can only be compared to that of a few nations throughout the world. These challenges have contributed greatly to the formation and evolution of its various governmental systems enabling it to emerge as a superpower in the world. Among these is the Continental Army, whose formation and leadership under General Washington was able to bore fruit by earning the United States not only independence but a quest to support freedom among its people and those of its allies. On the other hand, there have progress in the military strategies that have been developed ever since to deal with the enemy, with this nation working on eliminating every possibility of it being controlled again by any other nation of the world.