On January 24, 1776, Congressional delegate Edward Rutledge, echoing General George Washington's own concerns, suggested that a war office similar to Great Britain's be established.

[2][3] Pressure from Washington[4] and the large volume of military business led Congress to establish the Board of War and Ordnance on June 12, 1776.

[5] Five delegates of Congress, initially John Adams, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Harrison, James Wilson, and Edward Rutledge, assisted by a permanent secretary, Richard Peters, composed the Board of War.

They assumed the prescribed responsibilities for compiling a master roster of all Continental Army officers; monitoring returns of all troops, arms, and equipment; maintaining correspondence files; and securing prisoners of war.

[7] The original board could not keep pace with the volume of work, and in early April 1777 it recommended its own replacement by a permanent administrative body.