How many people were in the Continental Army?

Answer 1

The Revolutionary War & The Continental Army

•80,000 militia and Continental Army soldiers served at the height of the war. However, men and militias were constantly entering and leaving their volunteer service

•55,000 Americans served as privateers during the war

•25,000 Revolutionary Soldiers were estimated to have been wounded or maimed

•25,000 Revolutionary Soldiers died during the war

Source: Tyler Rogoway is a defense journalist and photographer that maintains the website Foxtrot Alpha for Jalopnik.com

(See the website: foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-revolutionary-war-by-the-numbers-1600199390 )

Answer 2

Never more than 17,000 men, and most of the time about half that.

When battles were impending the militia in the area would be called out to add to the size of the Patriot force, but the militia were notoriously unreliable and prone to run away, if they even showed up.

Congress adopted a plan for 1776 which would have created an Army of almost 90,000, but few states came anywhere near meeting their quota. These troops were to be enlisted for only one year. 1776 probably saw the peak of strength in Washington's Army as he tried to hang on to New York City. He had somewhere around 15,000 Continentals and a total of about 25,000 with what militia turned out, to oppose 35,000 British and Hessians and the Royal Navy. After a disastrous string of defeats, as Washington's Army was retreating across New Jersey, pursued by the British, future president James Monroe stepped out of the column to the side of the road and counted the passing troops. Washington's force then numbered no more than 4,000. It was with these troops, whose enlistments expired at the end of the year, that Washington turned and inflicted a stinging defeat at Trenton the day after Christmas. Most of these troops responded to Washington's plea to stay six weeks after their enlistments expired, for a few actual dollars which they were actually paid, and thus Washington had the men with which to inflict another defeat to the British at Princeton. Had Washington not been able to win these two relatively small battles the war would have been over then. So, in effect, the US owes its existence to Washington and these 4,000 faithful men.

Answer 3

11,000-12,000