The birth of an army

The origin of the Army, Navy and Marines began more than 13 years before the Declaration of Independence was signed.

Dates in bold are battles

1763

Feb. 10: The Treaty of Paris ends the French and Indian War. The English drive the French from North America, and the English national debt soars.

Oct. 7: Proclamation of 1763 — King George III banned colonists from settling beyond the Appalachian mountains.

1764

April 5: Sugar Act — Smugglers could be tried in Admiralty Courts, without the benefit of a jury.

1765

March 22: Stamp Act — Tax on paper goods and legal documents.

March 24: Quartering Act — Colonies must provide housing and food for British troops.

March 29: Virginia House of Burgesses passes the Virginia Resolves, seven resolutions that challenge the legality of the Stamp Act.

Oct. 7-25: Stamp Act Congress meets in New York City to discuss the crisis.

1766

March 18: Parliament repeals the Stamp Act and passes the Declaratory Act, which reiterates Parliament’s authority over the colonies.

1768

Feb. 11: Massachusetts Assembly issues Massachusetts Circular Letter, denouncing Townsend Acts.

Aug. 1: Boston Non-Importation Agreement — Boston merchants agree to not import British goods, or sell to Britain.

1770

Jan. 19: Golden Hill Riot, New York.

March 5: Boston Massacre.

1772

June 9: Gaspée Affair — A British ship patrolling for smugglers runs aground in Rhode Island and a local mob burns it; the mob is then accused of treason.

1773

May 10: Tea Act — An attempt by Parliament to undercut smugglers by reducing the price of tea to the colonies.

Dec. 16: Boston Tea Party.

1774

March 31: Boston Port Act — Parliament closes the city’s port in response to the Tea Party.

May 20: Administration of Justice Act and Massachusetts Government Act, two of the so-called Intolerable Acts, further anger colonists.

June 2: Quartering Act is amended.

Sept. 5–Oct. 26: First Continental Congress — Carpenter’s Hall, Philadelphia.

1775

March 23: Patrick Henry’s “Liberty or Death” speech, Richmond, Virgina.

April 18: Revere and Dawes Ride.

April 19: Battles of Lexington and Concord, in Massachusetts.

May 10: Ethan Allen and Green Mountain Boys seize Fort Ticonderoga, Second Continental Congress meets.

June 14: The Second Continental Congress formally established an American Continental Army. Their order authorized the establishment of ten light infantry companies of 80 soldiers each. These companies formed the 1st Continental Regiment and augmented the roughly 27,000 citizen soldiers serving with state militias during the American Revolutionary War.

Within days of establishing combat forces, Congress also ordered the establishment of four departments to provide support. These departments became the Adjutant General’s Corps, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Finance Corps and the Quartermaster Corps. Then, in November, Congress established field artillery, and a year later created cavalry units.

June 15: George Washington appointed commander-in-chief.

June 17: Battle of Bunker Hill.

July 3: George Washington assumes command of the Army outside Boston.

July 5: Congress approves the Olive Branch Petition, a final attempt to avoid war with Britain.

Oct. 13: The U.S. Navy is established.

Nov. 19-21: First Siege of Ninety Six, South Carolina.

Nov. 13: Americans take Montreal.

Dec. 9: Battle of Great Bridge, Virginia.

Dec. 22: Battle of Great Cane Brake, South Carolina.

Dec. 23-30: Snow Campaign, South Carolina.

Dec. 30-Jan. 1: Battle of Quebec.

1776

Jan. 10: Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense.

Feb. 27: Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge, North Carolina.

March 3: Continental Navy captures New Providence Island, Bahamas.

March 17: British evacuate Boston.

April 12: Halifax Resolves, North Carolina—First colony to authorize its delegates to vote for independence.

June 7: Lee Resolution: Richard Henry Lee proposes independence to the Second Continental Congress.

June 28: Battle of Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina.

July 1: Cherokee attack the southern frontier.

July 4: Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence.

It’s worth noting that two other branches of the military will turn 250 this year as well. The Navy, Oct. 13 and Marine Corps, Nov. 10.

Active-duty troops

As of September 2023, the U.S. military consisted of 2.86 million people worldwide. The CIA reports that the U.S. has the world’s third-largest active military by size, surpassed only by China and India in 2023.

The Department of Defense listed nearly 1.29 million people as active-duty troops, and 767,238 as national guard/reserves:

453,551 in the Army

332,322 in the Navy

318,698 in the Air Force

172,577 in the Marine Corps

8,879 in the Space Force

You can learn a lot more about U.S. Army history here.

Sources: U.S. Army, battlefields.org, Goodfellow Air Force Base, USA Facts, History.army.mil