United States Army

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United States Army

United States military

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Jan 8, 2025 • Article History

Quick Facts

Date:: 1783 - present

Areas Of Involvement:: land warfare; defense

Related People:: George Washington; Andrew Jackson; Dwight D. Eisenhower; Ulysses S. Grant; James Monroe

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United States Army, major branch of the United States armed forces charged with the preservation of peace and security and the defense of the country. The army furnishes most of the ground forces in the U.S. military organization. In the early months of the American Revolution, the first regular U.S. fighting force, the Continental Army, was organized by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1775. It comprised the 22,000 militia troops then besieging Boston and an additional 5,000 militiamen in New York. It was placed under the control of a five-member civilian board, and U.S. military forces have remained ...(100 of 4573 words)

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