<Li> The Continental Army of 1783--84 was succeeded by the United States Army, which persists to this day . As peace was closed with the British, most of the regiments were disbanded in an orderly fashion, though several had already been diminished . </Li> <P> In addition to the Continental Army regulars, local militia units, raised and funded by individual colonies / states, participated in battles throughout the war . Sometimes, the militia units operated independently of the Continental Army, but often local militias were called out to support and augment the Continental Army regulars during campaigns . (The militia troops developed a reputation for being prone to premature retreats, a fact that was integrated into the strategy at the Battle of Cowpens .) </P> <P> After the war the Continental Army was quickly disbanded as part of the American distrust of standing armies, and irregular state militias became the new nation's sole ground army, with the exception of a regiment to guard the Western Frontier and one battery of artillery guarding West Point's arsenal . However, because of continuing conflict with Indians, it was soon realized that it was necessary to field a trained standing army . The first of these, the Legion of the United States, was established in 1791 . </P> <P> The War of 1812, the second and last American war against the British, was less successful than the Revolution had been . An invasion of Canada failed, and U.S. troops were unable to stop the British from burning the new capital of Washington, D.C. . However, the Regular Army, under Generals Winfield Scott and Jacob Brown, proved they were professional and capable of defeating a major invasion by the regular British army in the Niagara campaign of 1814 . The nation celebrated the Army's great victory under Andrew Jackson, at the Battle of New Orleans in January 1815, thus ending the war on a high note . </P>

When did the united states get a standing army