Army’s 235th Birthday

The first Army Birthday I spent on active duty, we were at our first ORTT evaluation (it became ARTEP) when we got pulled out of the evaluation at Fort Bragg, issued new uniforms and equipment, loaded up at Green Ramp and flew to Fort Benning and jumped on Fryar Drop Zone for President Ford. It was my 7th jump – pretty exciting for a new private. Then we marched with President Ford presiding. It was the bicentennial birthday of the Army.

Following the Battles of Lexington and Concord, and as British troops moved back across Massachusetts toward Boston, colonial militia from around New England began massing around that city. Within days, thousands of militia members under the leadership of Artemas Ward of Massachusetts had Boston under siege.

By May 10, just weeks after hostilities began in Massachusetts, the Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia. On the agenda: creating a common army to defend the colonies.

A month later, on June 14, the Congress approved the creation of that army — the Continental Army. The new force was made of those militiamen already gathered outside Boston — some 22,000 of them — plus those in New York, about 5,000.

The following day, the 15th, the Congress named Virginian George Washington as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, and named Ward his second in command the following day.

The Congress also resolved to form a committee “to bring in a draft of rules and regulations for the government of the Army,” and voted $2 million to support the forces around Boston, and those in New York City.

Congress authorized the formation of 10 companies of expert riflemen from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, which were directed to march to Boston to support the New England militia. These were the first troops Congress agreed to pay from its own funds, and the units later became the 1st Continental Regiment.

I’m just a dog-faced soldier with a rifle on my shoulder….

Category: Politics