The United States Army was founded on this day in 1775, making today the 245th birthday of armed services in America.
According to the U.S. Army Center of Military History, the Army was raised in the third month of Revolutionary War. Citizen soldiers fought against the British as early as April 1775, but it wasn’t until June that Congress resolved to raise “six companies of expert riflemen, be immediately raised in Pennsylvania, two in Maryland, and two in Virginia… [and] as soon as completed, shall march and join the army near Boston, to be there employed as light infantry, under the command of the chief Officer in that army.” The soldiers were enlisted for one year.
On June 15, 1775, Congress voted to appoint Gen. George Washington to command the new infantry. On June 16, Congress established the Adjutant General’s Corps, the Corps of Engineers, the Finance Corps and the Quartermaster Corps.
For more informaiton on the birthdays of the various Army branches, visit the U.S. Army Center of Military History’s website.
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