Following the Battles of Lexington and Concord, which began the American Revolutionary War in April 1775, the four militia armies of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Hampshire laid siege to the British in Boston. Although there was a tacit agreement that General Artemas Ward, commander of the Massachusetts militia, was commander-in-chief of the operation, the colonial armies took their orders from their provincial assemblies. A priority of the Second Continental Congress – which oversaw the war effort until 1781 when the Articles of Confederation established the near powerless Congress of the Confederation – was to establish a unified army under central control. Washington, who advertised his military credentials by attending Congress in uniform, played a leading role in the military planning. He chaired four committees organized to counsel New York on its defensive preparations, draft plans for an intercolonial system of supply, discuss the financial arrangements for a twelve-month campaign and draft rules and regulations for the forces. On June 14, Congress voted to establish the Continental Army. The following day it unanimously voted to appoint Washington commander-in-chief. He refused a salary, saying he would accept only the reimbursement of his expenses.