Congress created the Continental Army on June 14, 1775, and Samuel and John Adams nominated Washington to become its commander-in-chief. Washington was chosen over John Hancock because of his military experience and the belief that a Virginian would better unite the colonies.
I'm pretty sure it is "living under harsh conditions" I could be wrong though.
The main reason why America's ties with the Allies were stronger than the ties with the Central Powers was because of economic reasons. The Allies purchased large amounts of weapons and war goods from the United States. Germany was developing its own weapons thus it didn't enlist for American supplies.
