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The Continental Marines:
November 10, 1775 is the celebrated
birthday of the US Marines. After several attempts by the American colonies to work out
some sort of reconciliation between the Crown and the American people, the Colonial
Congress decided to take a sterner attitude. A committee of the Congress drafted a
resolution to create a new military unit, called the Continental
Marines. |
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Captain Samuel Nicholas |
This resolution was drafted in a popular
Philadelphian
inn called Tun Tavern, and was later approved by the entire legislative body. The owner of
the tavern, Robert Mullan, was named a Marine Captain, and the owner of another tavern,
Samuel Nicholas, was designated commandant of the Continental Marines.
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| 1776, March - Nicholas' Marines land on New
Providence Island, Bahamas. In 13 days they secure 2 forts, occupy Nassau, control the
Government House, seize 88 guns, 16,535 shells and other supplies.
Returning from the raid, they encountered a British ship.
Marines engaged the ship with muskets and assisted in manning the
broadside cannon. |
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| 1776, December -
Nicholas' Marines assist Washington's Army in the second battle of Trenton
(the first recorded joint Army-Marine engagement). Later that spring,
Washington incorporated some of the Marines in to artillery units of his
reorganized Army |
| 1778, January - Marines
sail down the Mississippi and secure New Orleans to keep British traders
out. |
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1778, April
- A Marine detachment under the command of John Paul Jones makes two
raids on Great Britain soil (the 1st in 700 years). Depicted
here is Jones and his Marines preparing to raid Whitehaven. |
| 1783, January - Marines
board and seize the British ship Baille in the West Indies |
| 1785, June - After the
end of the American Revolutionary War (Jan, 1783), the last of the nations
warships are sold. The Continental Marines go out of existance, along with
the Navy. |
| 1798, July 11 -
President John Adams officially signs a bill in to law, creating the US
Marines
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