h would have ruined us. For the next ten months, British military forces avoid another engagement with American troops. British General Thomas Gage, the officer who had ordered the march on Lexington and Concord, admitted that he and other British officers had underestimated the fighting spirit of the Americans. He wrote, These People Show a Spirit and Conduct against us they never showed against the French, and every body had Judged of them from their former Appearance, and behavior . . . which has led many into great mistakes. The New England militia units used their good showing against the British to strengthen their forces and in June of 1775 they asked the Second Continental Congress, which had convened in May of 1776, for official recognition and reinforcements. Congress agreed and sent militia units from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. Congress also appointed a general for this new Continental Army: George Washington. The same guy who had made the tactical blunder at Fort Necessity. Washington was a bit more mature, and it was obvious that he wanted the job. He showed up at meetings of the Continental Congress in his militia uniform. And the Continental Congress thought it would be a good idea to appoint Washingtonthey thought that having a southern general lead a force made mostly of New England troops would have a unifying effect upon the colonies. Washington arrives in Boston in early July of 1775 and is faced with a difficult task. He must make these volunteers into an army. This was a problem because the New England troops were militia, and not regular soldiers. Most had only signed up for nine months, and didnt expect their service to last even that long. Moreover, they thought they were defending their homes from British tyranny and not joining an army and becoming professional soldiers. Washington nonetheless begins to train his troops outside of Boston as if they were a regular armyhe flogs soldiers th...
