| Department | Commander | Dates of Command |
|---|---|---|
| Main Army | George Washington | Duration of war |
| Eastern Department | Artemas Ward | 4 Apr 1776-20 Mar 1777 |
| William Heath | 20 Mar 1777-7 Nov 1778 | |
| Horatio Gates | 7 Nov 1778-Nov 1779 | |
| Northern Department (initially New York Department) | Philip Schuyler | 25 Jun 1775-19 Aug 1777 |
| Horatio Gates | 19 Aug 1777-17 Apr 1778 | |
| John Stark | 17 Apr 1778-19 Oct 1778 | |
| Edward Hand | 19 Oct 1778-20 Nov 1778 | |
| James Clinton | 20 Nov 1778-25 Jun 1781 | |
| John Stark | 25 Jun 1781-15 Oct 1781 | |
| William Alexander (Stirling) | 15 Oct 1781-21 Nov 1781 | |
| John Stark | 21 Nov 1781-29 Aug 1782 | |
| William Alexander (Stirling) | 29 Aug 1782-15 Jan 1783 | |
| Southern Department | Charles Lee | 1 Mar 1776-9 Sep 1776 |
| Robert Howe | 9 Sep 1776-25 Sep 1778 | |
| Benjamin Lincoln | 25 Sep 1778-13 Jun 1780 | |
| Horatio Gates | 13 Jun 1780-31 Oct 1780 | |
| Nathanael Greene | 31 Oct 1780-end of war | |
| Western Department | Edward Hand | 10 Apr 1777-26 May 1778 |
| Lachlan McIntosh | 26 May 1778-20 Feb 1779 | |
| Daniel Brodhead | 5 Mar 1779-24 Sep 1781 | |
| William Irvine | 24 Sep 1781 -end of war | |
| Highlands Department | William Heath | 12 Nov 1776-21 Dec 1776 |
| Alexander McDougall | 21 Dec 1776-12 May 1777 | |
| Israel Putnam | 12 May 1777-16 Mar 1778 | |
| Alexander McDougall | 16 Mar 1778-20 May 1778 | |
| Horatio Gates | 20 May 1778-24 Nov 1778 | |
| Alexander McDougall | 24 Nov 1778-27 Nov 1779 | |
| William Heath | 27 Nov 1779-21 Feb 1780 | |
| Robert Howe (acting) | 21 Feb 1780-21 Jun 1780 | |
| Alexander McDougall | 21 Jun 1780-3 Aug 1780 | |
| Benedict Arnold | 3 Aug 1780-25 Sep 1780 | |
| George Washington | 25 Sep 1780-28 Sep 1780 | |
| Alexander McDougall | 28 Sep 1780-5 Oct 1780 | |
| Nathanael Greene | 5 Oct 1780-17 Oct 1780 | |
| William Heath | 17 Oct 1780-11 May 1781 | |
| John Paterson (acting) | 11 May 1781-24 Jun 1781 | |
| Alexander McDougall | 24 Jun 1781-18 Jan 1782 | |
| William Heath | 18 Jan 1782-24 Aug 1782 | |
| Henry Knox | 24 Aug 1782-end of war | |
| Canadian Department | Richard Montgomery (provisional) | 9 Dec 1775-31 Dec 1775 |
| David Wooster (provisional) | 31 Dec 1775-6 Mar 1776 | |
| Charles Lee | 17 Feb 1776-1 Mar 1776 (never served) | |
| John Thomas | 6 Mar 1776-1 Jun 1776 | |
| John Sullivan | 1 Jun 1776-2 Jul 1776 | |
| Horatio Gates | Appointed 17 Jun 1776 but never served due to withdrawal of troops from department area |
page updated 7 May 2001