Continental troops were the
trained British soldiers, commanded by experienced generals. They were
well fortified in Boston and the harbor was defended by their warships.
They felt no fear of the irregular line of posts with which the
Americans thought to hem them in.

Washington at once began the task of organizing the army and teaching
and training the men. In this he showed skill beyond almost any other
man in history. He was beset with many difficulties, among them the
jealousy and discontent of some of the officers. There was one general,
however, who was always ready to serve in any place and put the cause
above himself. This was Israel Putnam, the brave man who was plowing in
his field when he heard of the Battle of Lexington. He left his plow in
the furrow, unhitched his horses and galloped sixty-eight miles that day
to Cambridge! He was nearly sixty years of age at the time. He was much
loved by the army for his bravery and generosity and all were glad when
"Old Put" was appointed Major-General.

Washington formed the army into six brigades of six regiments each. He
wrote to Congress to appoint at once officers to help him. He wanted an
adjutant-general to train and discipline the troops; a quartermaster to
arrange for all supplies, and an officer to look after enlistments. The
men had enlisted for only a short time and numbers returned home after
this term of enlistment expired; so it was hard to keep the army up to
fighting strength. The lack of powder was also a very serious matter and
Washington sent to the southern colonies, asking for what they had in
store.

He at once began to improve the defenses and strengthen the weak places.
Soon a strong line of fortifications surrounded the city. The strictest
discipline was required and Washington visited the forts every day. The
arrival of fourteen hundred riflemen from Pennsylvania, Virginia and
Maryland was a great help; among these were the stalwart sharp-shooters
under Colonel Daniel Morgan, whom Washington had known in the French
war. They were six feet tall and over, and dressed in hunting shirts and
wide-brimmed hats. They had marched six hundred miles in three weeks.

The winter passed in drilling the army and trying to get powder.
Washington was besieging Boston without any powder, though the British
little thought that was the reason he did not attack them! All he could
do was to cut them off from nearby supplies of food, but they sent out
warships