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“The March to Valley Forge” Painting By William B. Trego
“You say to your soldier [in Europe], “Do this” and he doeth it; but [in America] I am obliged to say, ‘This is the reason why you ought to do that,” and then he does it.’ — Baron von Steuben to Baron de Gaudy, 1787-88” https://www.nps.gov/vafo/learn/historyculture/valley-forge-history-and-significance.htm

“June 14th: The Birthday of the U.S. Army
The U.S. ARMY BIRTHDAY: America’s Senior Service
America’s Revolutionary War began on 19 April 1775 with exchanges of musketry between British regulars and Massachusetts militiamen at Lexington and Concord. As their fellow citizen soldiers from New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island responded to the alarm, a state of war existed between the four colonies and the British government. Called the Army of Observation, a force of New Englanders surrounded Boston and had the British troops who occupied it under siege, but they needed help. They appealed to delegates who represented all thirteen colonies to join them in the struggle for American liberty.

When the delegates to the Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia on 10 May, they soon learned that armed men commanded by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold had captured the British forts at Ticonderoga and Crown Point on Lake Champlain in New York. The constitutional crisis, in which Americans sought a redress of grievances from the British king and Parliament, had become open hostilities. The delegates realized that even though many desired reconciliation, they would now have to address the new military situation. The Congress took the next step that eventually transformed a local rebellion into a war for independence when it established the Continental Army: the force we know today as the U.S. Army.

On 14 June 1775, Congress “Resolved, That six companies of expert riflemen, be immediately raised in Pennsylvania, two in Maryland, and two in Virginia… [and] as soon as completed, shall march and join the army near Boston, to be there employed as light infantry, under the command of the chief Officer in that army.”

The delegates then prescribed an oath of enlistment that required the soldiers to swear:
“I have, this day, voluntarily enlisted myself, as a soldier, in the American continental army, for one year, unless sooner discharged: And I do bind myself to conform, in all instances, to such rules and regulations, as are, or shall be, established for the government of the said. Army.”

The next day Congress voted to appoint George Washington “to command all the Continental forces” and began laying the foundation for “the American army.”

With words that sound hauntingly familiar two hundred forty-five years later, “The delegates of the United Colonies … reposing special trust and confidence in the patriotism, valor, conduct, and fidelity” of George Washington, issued its first commission by appointing him “General and Commander in chief of the Army of the United Colonies, and of all the forces now raised, or to be raised by them, and of all others who shall voluntarily offer their services, and join the Defense of American liberty, and for repelling every hostile invasion…”
Resources
* Detailed account of the Army’s founding from Robert Wright’s The Continental Army https://history.army.mil/html/faq/birth_rwright_CA.html
* Origins of the U.S. Army Flag https://history.army.mil/faq/armyflag.htm
* Select Chronology of Army History https://history.army.mil/html/faq/army_bday_chron.html
* Army Birthday feature at the Army home page http://www.army.mil/birthday/
https://history.army.mil/html/faq/birth.html

“Since its official birth on 14 June 1775—over a year before the Declaration of Independence—the United States Army has played a vital role in the growth and development of the American nation. Drawing on both long-standing militia traditions and recently introduced professional standards, it won the new Republic’s independence in an arduous eight-year struggle against Great Britain. At times it provided the lone symbol of nationhood around which patriots could rally. During the Civil War it preserved the Union through four years of bitter conflict that turned brother against brother. It has repeatedly defended the United States against external threats, from the “second war of independence” with Great Britain in 1812 through the crusades that finally rid the world of the specters of Nazi totalitarianism, Japanese imperialism, and world communism. The defense of the nation has always been the Army’s primary mission but… not its only one. From the beginning the Army has also been involved with internal improvements, natural disaster relief, economic assistance, domestic order, and a host of other contingencies. Although these missions may not have always been those it would have chosen for itself, our Army has drawn great satisfaction from knowing that when the nation was in need, it answered the call….
Washington, D.C.
JOHN S. BROWN
14 February 2005
Chief of Military History” https://history.army.mil/html/books/070/70-71-1/cmhPub_70-71-1.pdf (52 pages)

“Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben (born Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin Louis von Steuben; September 17, 1730 – November 28, 1794), also referred to as Baron von Steuben (German: [fɔn ˈʃtɔʏbm̩]), was a Prussian military officer who played a leading role in the American Revolutionary War by reforming the Continental Army into a disciplined and professional fighting force…. In 1775, as the American Revolution had begun, Steuben saw a reduction in his salary and sought some form of military work; unable to find employment in peacetime Europe, he joined the U.S. war effort through mutual French contacts with U.S. diplomats, most notably ambassador to France Benjamin Franklin. Due to his military exploits, and his willingness to serve the Americans without compensation, Steuben made a positive impression on both Congress and General George Washington, who appointed him as temporary Inspector General of the Continental Army. Appalled by the state of U.S. forces, Steuben took the lead in teaching soldiers the essentials of military drills, tactics, and discipline based on Prussian techniques.[7] He wrote Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States, which remained the army’s drill manual for decades, and continues to influence modern U.S. army manuals.[5][8] Steuben also addressed widespread administrative waste and graft, helping save desperately needed supplies and funds. As these reforms began bearing fruit on the battlefield, in 1778, Congress, on Washington’s recommendation, commissioned Steuben as Inspector General with the rank of Major General. He served the remainder of the war as Washington’s chief of staff and one of his most trusted advisors.[4][9] After the war, Steuben was made a U.S. citizen and granted a large estate in New York in reward for his service. In 1780, he was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society, a learned society that included many of the nation’s most prominent Founding Fathers.[10]” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Wilhelm_von_Steuben

Regarding Valley Forge: “Despite the difficulties, there were a number of significant accomplishments and events during the encampment. Because of its far-reaching consequences, the single most noteworthy achievement was the maturation of the Continental Army into a professional force under the tutelage of Friedrich Wilhelm Baron von Steuben. Baron von Steuben assessed the army and recognized that Washington’s men needed more training and discipline. At the same time he realized that American soldiers would not submit to harsh European-style regulation. Von Steuben did not try to introduce the entire system of drill, evolutions, maneuvers, discipline, tactics, and Prussian formation into the American army:
I should have been pelted had I attempted it, and should inevitably have failed. The genius of this nation is not in the least to be compared with that of the Prussians, Austrians, or French. You say to your soldier [in Europe], “Do this” and he doeth it; but [at Valley Forge] I am obliged to say, “This is the reason why you ought to do that,” and then he does it. 
— Baron von Steuben to Baron de Gaudy, 1787-88” https://www.nps.gov/vafo/learn/historyculture/valley-forge-history-and-significance.htm