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Founding the Nation Trail

Boston: Washington Takes Command, July-August 1775

Introduction

When General George Washington arrived at Cambridge, Massachusetts, on 3 July 1775, he lost no time turning a rag-tag force of some 20,000 provincial militia into the nucleus of a unified Continental Army. The decisions he made during that summer of 1775 produced a fighting force that would endure eight difficult years of conflict and forge the character of the modern United States Army.

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1. General Orders Regarding the Unified Nature of the Continental Army

One of General Washington’s first directives to the Contintental Army, issued in a written declaration...
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2. General Orders Regarding Private Property

Mindful of the need to maintain strong public support for the Patriot cause, Washington prohibited...
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3. General Orders Regarding Standards of Cleanliness

The greatest danger to an 18th-century soldier was death by disease rather than by wounds...
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4. General Orders Regarding Fraternization with the Enemy

Some Continental soldiers struck up conversations with their British counterparts across the front lines while...
5

5. General Orders Regarding the Dissemination of Official Regulations

Some soldiers facing court-martial pled ignorance of the regulation they had violated. To prevent this,...
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6. General Orders Regarding Furloughs

Dismayed by the number of soldiers and officers who applied for extended furloughs, Washington instructed...
7

7. General Orders Regarding Badges of Rank

Washington authorized his officers and non-commissioned officers to wear colored badges so all soldiers could...
8

8. Washington’s Appeal to General Thomas Asking for his Continued Service

In early July of 1775, Brig. Gen. John Thomas resigned his newly-awarded commission from the...
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9. General Orders Regarding the Handling of British Deserters

During the siege of Boston in the summer of 1775, a steady trickle of British...
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10. General Orders Regarding the Dispensation of Plunder

Washington established a system to dispose of any lawfully gained spoils of war.
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11. General Orders Regarding the Unnecessary Discharge of Weapons

During the first summer of the Continental Army, many of its soldiers had not yet...
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12. Washington’s Appeal for More Gunpowder

The Continental Army relied on the various colonial committees to obtain most of its supplies....
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13. Washington Highlights the Necessity of Standardizing Unit Strength

The army that Washington inherited in early July 1775 consisted of units from half a...
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14. General Orders Regarding the Officer Corps in the Continental Army

Washington spent much of his first summer at Boston turning what had been provincial militia...
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15. General Orders Regarding Rations

No detail too small, including the weekly ration alloted to the common soldier, escaped Washington’s...
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16. General Orders Regarding Sick Leave

Seeing some officers abuse the dispensation of sick leave, Washington instructed his officers to permit...
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17. General Orders Regarding Promotions

Washington established a policy of promotion based on merit rather than family connections or purchased...
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18. General Orders Regarding Standards of Conduct for Officers

When Washington learned that certain officers were attempting to enrich themselves through various financial and...