About

Since its official establishment on June 14, 1775, the U.S. Army has played a vital role in the growth and development of the nation. On that day, the Continental Congress adopted the New England Army of Observation, making it a “continental” army, and voted to raise troops that same day. The Continental Army thus became America’s first national institution. Five days later Congress unanimously appointed George Washington as the commander in chief of the forces gathered at Boston.

Washington and the Army would go on to endure hardships, disease, and battlefield defeats over the next 18 months in 1775 and 1776 until a string of American victories at Trenton and Princeton turned the tide for the Army and the new nation.

The National Army Museum will present a full day symposium focusing on the first two years of the Revolutionary War to highlight the 250th anniversary of the Army’s founding, and the opening of the Museum’s new special exhibit, “CALL TO Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War.”

8:30-8:45 a.m. – Museum Director’s Welcome, with Tammy E. Call
8:45-9:45 a.m. – The Roots of Conflict, with David L. Preston, Ph.D.
10-11 a.m. – The Formation of the Continental Army, with Holly Mayer, Ph.D.
11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. – The Early War in the South, with Michael Cecere
Lunch
1:45-2:45 p.m. – Revolutionary War Leadership, a panel discussion with early American historians Christian McBurney, Joyce Lee Malcolm, and Ricardo A. Herrera
3-4 p.m. – Washington’s Campaigns, 1776-77, with Mark E. Lender, Ph.D.