The Marines’ First Action and Aftermath
The Continental Marines’ first combat operation came about because the Continental Army was hard pressed for gunpowder. Its recently appointed commander in chief, general George Washington, had asked Congress for 400 barrels of gunpowder, but his political masters responded by sending him fewer than 40 barrels – barely enough for 20 rounds per soldier. Despite Washington’s repeated remonstrations, pleas, and threats of impending disaster if his forces were not adequately supplied, no more gunpowder was forthcoming. So alternatives were sought, and it was decided that if Congress could not provide what was needed, perhaps the British would.
Virginia’s colonial governor, Lord Dunmore, had removed his colony’s stores of weapons and munitions – including gunpowder – to Nassau, New Providence Island, in the Bahamas, when the Revolutionary War erupted, to secure them against capture by the rebels. When word arrived that there were over 200 barrels of gunpowder stored in the Bahamas, Congress directed the commander of the recently established Continental Navy, Esek Hopkins, to raid the British stores and seize the desperately needed munitions. The ensuing naval operation and amphibious assault was to be the first significant engagement of the new Navy and Marines.
On February 17th, 1776, Esek Hopkins sailed from Delaware to the Bahamas with a small fleet of eight ships, accompanied by a contingent of Continental Marines under the command of captain Samuel Nicholas. Stormy weather forced two of Hopkins’ ships to turn back, but he sailed on with his remaining six vessels, finally reaching New Providence Island on March 1st. There, he promptly captured two British merchantmen off Nassau, replacing the two ship he had lost on the way there. Then, for reasons lost to history, Hopkins kept his ships anchored offshore for two days, before finally landing a force of about 200 Marines and 50 sailors on the morning of March 3rd.
By then, the defenders were aware that enemy vessels were operating in their waters, and when ships were spotted sailing in to Nassau, the alarm was raised. At the approach of the American forces, the outnumbered defenders evacuated Fort Montagu, one of two fortifications defending Nassau, and it was promptly occupied by captain Nicholas and his Continental Marines. Nicholas failed to continue on to and capture Nassau that day, however, and spent the night of the 3rd in Fort Montagu. That night, the British in Nassau loaded most of the gunpowder stored there – 162 barrels out 200 – aboard a ship, which managed to sneak out of the harbor and sail away to safety. The following morning, Nicholas and his men occupied Nassau, and seized the remaining 38 barrels of gunpowder, wrapping up the Continental Marines’ first major operation.
By war’s end, the Continental Marines had grown to over 2000 men. After America secured its independence in 1783, the Continental Navy was demobilized, and its Marines were disbanded. In subsequent years, however, tensions with European powers, particularly France, played out on the high seas, and America’s inability to protect its shipping or retaliate against aggression led Congress to formally reestablish the US Navy in May of 1798. Two months later, on July 11th, 1798, president John Adams signed into law a bill establishing the United States Marine Corps as a standing military force within the Department of the Navy.
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Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading
History – Birth of the US Marine Corps
Military – The Origins of the Marine Corps
Time Magazine, November 10th, 2015 – How the US Marine Corps Was Founded Twice
Varsity Tutors – The Continental Marines: The Birth of the Leathernecks
Wikipedia – History of the United States Marine Corps
Marine Corps University – Brief History of the United States Marine Corps