In June 1775, the Continental Congress authorized the creation of thirteen rifle companies from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia to march to Boston to demonstrate a united continental response. This marked the very beginning of what would become the United States Army. One of these companies was raised in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, which is still home to the US War College. Three different men in this company kept journals of their march, each of which provides a unique window into the experience of America’s first responders in the first year of the American Revolution.