Editing Continental Army (section)

==Establishments==
The Continental Army's forces included several successive armies or establishments:
* The Continental Army of 1775, comprising the initial [[New England]] Army, was organized by Washington into three divisions, six brigades, and 38 regiments. Major General [[Philip Schuyler]]'s ten regiments in New York were sent to invade [[British North America|Canada]].<ref name=Wehmann191>Wehmann 1989, pp. 191.</ref>
* The Continental Army of 1776, was reorganized after the initial enlistment period of the soldiers in the 1775 army had expired. Washington had submitted recommendations to the Continental Congress almost immediately after he had accepted the position of Commander-in-Chief, but the Congress took time to consider and implement these. Despite attempts to broaden the recruiting base beyond New England, the 1776 army remained skewed toward the Northeast both in terms of its composition and of its geographical focus. This army consisted of 36 regiments, most standardized to a single battalion of 768 men strong and formed into eight companies, with a [[wikt:rank and file|rank-and-file]] strength of 640.<ref name=Wehmann191/>
* The Continental Army of 1777–1780 evolved out of several critical reforms and political decisions that came about when it became apparent that the British were sending substantial forces to put an end to the [[American Revolution]]. The [[Second Continental Congress]] passed the "Eighty-eight Battalion Resolve", ordering each state to contribute one-battalion regiments in proportion to their population, and Washington subsequently received authority to raise an additional 16 battalions. Enlistment terms extended to three years or to "the length of the war" to avoid the year-end crises that depleted forces, including the notable near-collapse of the army at the end of 1776, which could have ended the war in a Continental, or American, loss by forfeit.<ref name=Wehmann191/>
* The Continental Army of 1781–1782 saw the greatest crisis on the American side in the war. Congress was bankrupt, making it very difficult to replenish the soldiers whose three-year terms had expired. Popular support for the war reached an all-time low, and Washington had to put down mutinies both in the [[Pennsylvania Line]] and in the [[New Jersey Line]]. Congress voted to cut funding for the Army, but Washington managed nevertheless to secure important strategic victories.<ref name=Wehmann191/>
* The Continental Army of 1783–1784 was succeeded by the [[United States Army]], which exists to the present day. As peace was restored with the British, most of the regiments were disbanded in an orderly fashion, though several had already been diminished.<ref name=Wehmann191/>