<P> When the war began, the 13 colonies lacked a professional army or navy . Each colony sponsored local militia . Militiamen were lightly armed, had little training, and usually did not have uniforms . Their units served for only a few weeks or months at a time, were reluctant to travel far from home and thus were unavailable for extended operations, and lacked the training and discipline of soldiers with more experience . If properly used, however, their numbers could help the Continental armies overwhelm smaller British forces, as at the battles of Concord, Bennington and Saratoga, and the siege of Boston . Both sides used partisan warfare but the Americans effectively suppressed Loyalist activity when British regulars were not in the area . </P> <P> Seeking to coordinate military efforts, the Continental Congress established a regular army on June 14, 1775, and appointed George Washington as commander - in - chief . The development of the Continental Army was always a work in progress, and Washington used both his regulars and state militia throughout the war . </P> <P> Three current branches of the United States Military trace their institutional roots to the American Revolutionary War; the United States Army comes from the Continental Army, formed by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775 . The United States Navy recognizes October 13, 1775 as the date of its official establishment, the passage of the resolution of the Continental Congress at Philadelphia that created the Continental Navy . And the United States Marine Corps traces its institutional roots to the Continental Marines of the war, formed by a resolution of the Continental Congress on November 10, 1775, a date regarded and celebrated as the birthday of the Marine Corps . At the beginning of 1776, Washington's army had 20,000 men, with two - thirds enlisted in the Continental Army and the other third in the various state militias . At the end of the American Revolution in 1783, both the Continental Navy and Continental Marines were disbanded . About 250,000 men served as regulars or as militiamen for the Revolutionary cause in the eight years of the war, but there were never more than 90,000 men under arms at one time . About 55,000 American sailors served aboard privateers during the war . The American privateers had almost 1,700 ships, and they captured 2,283 enemy ships . John Paul Jones became the first great American naval hero, capturing HMS Drake on April 24, 1778, the first victory for any American military vessel in British waters . </P> <P> Armies were small by European standards of the era, largely attributable to limitations such as lack of powder and other logistical capabilities on the American side . It was also difficult for Great Britain to transport troops across the Atlantic and they depended on local supplies that the Patriots tried to cut off . By comparison, Duffy notes that Frederick the Great usually commanded from 23,000 to 50,000 in battle . Both figures pale in comparison to the armies that were fielded in the early 19th century, where troop formations approached or exceeded 100,000 men . </P>

Where did most of the american revolution take place