An army of observation is a military body whose purpose is to monitor a given area or enemy body in preparation for possible hostilities.
Some of the more notable armies of observation include: French revolutionary Armée d'Observation, predecessor of the Army of the Danube (1799). Third Reserve Army of Observation, a Russian army tasked to monitor the Austrian border in 1811 prior to the French invasion of Russia. The New England Army of Observation, which was organized in April 1775 by Massachusetts Bay Colony and the other New England Colonies, in anticipation of hostilities with Great Britain. American History Central Army of Observation (New England). The army of observation at Fort Jesup, Louisiana, United States, which monitored between 1822 and 1845 Texas' transition from Spanish to Mexican control, and to eventual independence The Hanoverian Army of Observation which monitored the border prior to the French Invasion of Hanover in 1757
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