The troops assembled in Cambridge come from multiple colonies and various backgrounds, with different levels of military training and experience, different expectations on how to relate to their superior officers, different weaponry, and even different ideas about how long they will be serving in the cause of the revolution. Even their campgrounds vary from military standard canvas tents to sod houses with doors and windows. Food and supplies from nearby towns and fields are exhausted, and over 20,000 men need to be fed, housed, clothed, and trained. From this confusion, Washington, Franklin, and others seek to create the guidelines for the new Army of the United Colonies.