Marines in the Revolution

On 10 November 1775 the Second Continental Congress authorized the raising of two battalions of Marines. From this small beginning we have seen the United States Marine Corps grow into a powerful force for the nation’s security. In this volume, through the actions and words of the participants, we read of a small Marine force which promptly challenged Great Britain’s control on both land and sea. Our first amphibious raid landed in the Bahamas on 3 March 1776, capturing gravely needed munitions, and proving to the foe that the infant American Marine Corps was a threat to be reckoned with. Likewise we read of small bands of Marines who dared to stand in the way of British troops at Princeton, New Jersey, and Charleston, South Carolina. And we also learn of the little-known Marine expedition down the Mississippi River under naval Captain James Willing in 1778. Historians, past and present, all too often neglect completely the maritime history of the American Revolution or they pass over it with superficial attention. Mr. Charles R. Smith has corrected this omission with respect to Continental Marines. Based on extensive and careful research, the author has rescued from oblivion those actions from which our modern concepts of amphibious warfare have grown. Original artwork used to illustrate this volume was prepared by Major Charles H. Waterhouse, USMCR. A free-lance illustrator, Major Waterhouse’s work has appeared in a wide variety of publications, ranging from children’s books to his forthright interpretations of the war in Vietnam, published under the titles, Vietnam Sketchbook-Drawings from Delta to DMZ, and Vietnam War Sketches-From the Air, Land and Sea. The original text and artwork have been used in this publication; occasionally there may be instances of imperfections with these old texts (i.e., blurred or missing pages, poor image quality).