November 10, 2024, is the 249th birthday of the Marine Corps and comes just one day before Veterans Day. These dates remind us that it is always important to reflect on our military history and honor our active-duty soldiers and veterans.
The Continental Marines
What we now know and call the United States Marine Corps came into being on November 10, 1775. This is a well-known fact, especially among those who have served this branch of our armed forces.
But what I have compiled here will provide some interesting information that even the most Gung-Ho Marines have never known before but history has recorded.
For example, during the Second Continental Congress, October 13, 1775, it came to be that the Continental Navy would have as a normal part of the warship’s complement, an enlistment of Continental Marines, which was officially created on November 10, 1775.
Though urban legend has it that the first recruiting post for the then Continental Marines was Tun Tavern, Philadelphia, historian Edwin Simmons maintains that the place was named Conestoga Wagon, a tavern owned by the Nicholas family.
He makes that contention based on the fact that Captain Samuel Nicholas, who became the only Commandant of the Continental Marines, would have used that tavern as its first recruiting post.
At any rate, the Marine Corps records Tun Tavern as the main recruiting rendezvous. It was owned by the mother of Robert Mullen, who later received a commission as a captain in June 1776.
History does record that four additional Marine Security Companies were also raised and helped George Washington defend Philadelphia.
Two battalions of Marines were to be raised in accordance with the Continental Marine Act of 1775, as decreed by Congress.
They became distinguished by the names of the First and Second Battalions. But only one battalion was formed, as an amphibious assault that General Washington had planned became impossible to implement.
The Continental Marines’ mission was multi-purpose, but their most important duty was to serve as onboard security forces, according to Wikipedia, protecting the captain of a ship and his officers.
The Free Encyclopedia, as Wikipedia refers to itself, states, “During naval engagements, in addition to manning the cannons along with the crew on the ship, Marine sharpshooters were stationed in the fighting tops of the ship’s masks specifically to shoot the opponents’ officers, naval gunners, and helmsmen.”
Leathernecks
Ever wonder how the Marines got the nickname “Leatherneck(s)?”
Their uniforms, which specified green coats with white facings, included a leather high collar to protect against cutlass slashes and to keep a man’s head erect.
The color green was used because that color of cloth was most plentiful in Philadelphia and it served to distinguish Marines from the red of the British and the blue of the Continental Army and Navy.
The Marines were involved in four engagements during the Revolutionary War – the Battle of Nassau, Battle of Trenton, Battle of Princeton and the Penobscot Expedition.
Here is something that I’m certain most die-hard Marines are not aware, after the American Revolutionary War came to a close, the Continental Marines were disbanded in April 1783.
The organization would not be re-created until 1798, a lapse of 15 years.
But during the Revolutionary War the Continental Marines, whose slogan was “Don’t Tread On Me,” earned their proverbial stripes by their courage under fire, a legacy that we honor again for the 249th year on November 10, 2024.
God Bless America, and God Bless our troops wherever they are serving.
Marine One – U.S.M.C. Sergeant E-5, 1961-1966, two tours of duty in Vietnam.
