American colonial marines
The historical battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts sparked the beginning of the American War for Independence on 19 April 1775; soon after, the rest of the thirteen American colonies were pulled into the conflict.[1] Many of the leaders in the rebellion recognized that a naval engagement against the British was the primary option to prevent the British from restoring Crown rule by military occupation.[2]
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While all the original colonies had experience with militias formed for service on land from existing citizens, and could draw upon long-standing British military traditions for the training, equipment, tactics, and leadership of militia, few could draw directly upon existing naval militia traditions, as maintaining warships—and the crews, training, equipment, and leaders to properly employ them—was an expensive proposition from which the colonies had benefited under the (relatively) benevolent protection provided by the British Royal Navy, and its supporting arm, the Royal Marines.
Accordingly, nine of the 11 colonies eventually commissioned naval warships, and the sailors and Marines to crew them, initially filling a gap in military capabilities before the Continental Navy was capable of operations. After the Continental Navy (and Marine Corps) began operations, the new state navies (and Marine detachments serving aboard some of the state naval warships) continued operations and occasionally combined with the Continental Navy and Marine Corps for joint operations.
Arnold's flotilla
On 9 May 1775, sailors and mariner-militiamen aboard a flotilla under the command of Colonel Benedict Arnold captured a British sloop-of-war on Lake Champlain. The ship was renamed Liberty to honor the patriot cause. Two days later on 11 May, Liberty collaborated in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga from the British. Then on 18 May, Benedict's forces captured another British sloop George, and renamed it Enterprise.[3]
The new ship was reinforced with 18 Massachusetts militiamen, serving as Marines; the first known officer listed on the payroll was Lieutenant James Watson.
The first recorded narrative of American Marines were described during when the Connecticut Committee Public Safety sent £500 to Colonel Arnold in late-May, the shipment was escorted by eight colonial Marines;[3] although they were actually seamen.[4] They are often referred to as the "Original Eight."[1]
From 11–13 October 1776, the colonial Marines attached to Arnold's fleet participated in the Battle of Valcour Island. Although defeated in the Lake Champlain assault, they delayed a British invasion until the following year.[1]
Washington's fleet
The 2nd Continental Congress passed a resolution on 10 June 1775, in creating the Continental Army from all the available colonial forces and militias around Boston; they appointed George Washington, a Congressman of Virginia, as the General and Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. It was vital for General Washington's army to seize Boston to help interdict the Royal Navy's flow of supplies and reinforcement of troops to the British. Under-equipped and lacking gunpowder and supplies, Washington greatly depended in supplying his force from the surrounding colonial armies and navies, and from any cache that came from captured British ships of provision and matériel values.[2]
By mid-August 1775, General Washington formed his own "maritime fleet" due to the limitations of funding and resources from the Continental Congress. On 24 August, he brought a schooner into service, Hannah, to interdict any British ships in the Massachusetts Bay. Hannah became the first American-built ship in the fleet, also becoming the founding vessel of the United States Navy. Following, Washington relied on the 14th Continental Regiment, or "Marblehead Regiment", consisting of a militia of skilled mariners throughout New England, in providing him a naval assault force for the upcoming siege in the Lake Champlain area.[3] Other ships manned by this regiment included the schooners Harrison, Franklin, Hancock, Lee, and Warren.
Captain Nicholas Broughton sailed Hannah off the coast of Massachusetts on 7 September and recaptured the British sloop HMS Unity.[1]
On 10 October, the sailors and Marines of the Marblehead Regiment participated in the battle between Hannah and the British sloop HMS Nautilus in the harbor of Beverly, Massachusetts. Hannah was grounded by her captain in order to remove her powder and armaments, preventing their capture by the British. By 5 November 1775, Washington's regiment of Marines aboard Harrison participated in the capture of the British supply vessels HMS Polly and HMS Industry off of the coast of Boston, Massachusetts. Two days later, on 7 November, Lee recaptured the British sloop HMS Ranger in the Massachusetts Bay.[1]
Washington's Marblehead Regiment aboard Hancock and Franklin made an unopposed landing at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, on 17 November 1775. Three days later, they raided Canso Harbor, Nova Scotia. The Harrison and her Marine detachment fought against three British warships in Boston Harbor on 24 November 1775.[1] On 27 November 1775, Lee and her Marine detachment captured a sloop off the New England coast. Over the next several weeks, these Marines participated in the capture of many British ships off the coast of New England.
Two British frigates captured the patriot ship Washington on 3 December, taking the sailors and Marines amongst her crew prisoner.[1]
A company of Washington's Fleet (along with his "Marblehead" Regiment) aboard Franklin, commanded by Captain James Mugford (of Commodore John Manly's Continental Navy squadron), captured the British transport HMS Hope on 17 May 1775. The ship was stocked with one thousand carbines and 75 tons of gunpowder. On June 16, Washington's Fleet intercepted captured two British troopships attempting to reinforce Boston, which the British Army had abandoned prior their arrival.[1]
In the Atlantic on 7 June, the frigates Hancock and Boston, along with their Marine detachments, captured the British frigate HMS Fox.[1]
State navies
During the Revolutionary War, eleven out of thirteen colonies that had institutionalized a state navy also designated a crew of Marines. The state Marines served mainly on coastal defense vessels, and were mostly recruited from state militias.[3]
Connecticut
In July 1775, the Marines in the sloop Spy, from the Connecticut State Navy, participated in the capture of the 250-ton British Tory brig HMS Nancy.[1]
In October, the Connecticut Marines aboard Spy assisted in the capture of a large British ship.[1]
The Connecticut Navy ship Defence and her Marines captured the British ship Grog.[1]
On 15 April 1778, Marines participated in the actions in which Connecticut's Navy ships Oliver Cromwell and Defense captured the British letters-of-marque Admiral Keppel and Cyrus.
Massachusetts
In July 1779, the Massachusetts Marines (of the Massachusetts Naval Militia) and the Continental Marines—under the command of Continental Navy Captain Dudley Saltonstall—participated in an expedition to Penobscot Bay to besiege the British army forces, fortifications, and their warships. On 26 July, the landing force assaulted Nautilus Island (Banks Island)[3] against a British stronghold of cannons, an artillery battery. Outnumbered, the British forces surrendered. Two days later, the American sailors and Marines alike engaged in their failed effort against the British positions on Bagaduce Peninsula.
Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Committee of Public Safety established a state navy, the Pennsylvania Navy, to protect the Delaware River and its avenues of approach.[5]
On 27 May, the Marines of the Pennsylvania Navy employed row galleys to drive off two British warships in the Delaware River.[1]
On 8 March 1777, the British frigate HMS Levant defeated the Pennsylvania Navy ship Montgomery and her Marines.[1]
Marines joined the crewman of two armed barges in capturing two British supply ships in the Delaware River on 7 March 1778. The barges also supported General Anthony Wayne's brigade as it searched New Jersey for provisions for Washington's army at Valley Forge.
Rhode Island
On 15 June 1775, sailors and Marines of the Rhode Island State Navy became the first "American navy" when the Rhode Island General Assembly commissioned two ships, the sloop Katy, and Washington, a schooner; and appointed Abraham Whipple as commodore. That same day, he voyaged out to sea and encountered the British frigate HMS Rose, which Whipple and his men eventually captured when they forced it aground.[1] It became the first naval engagement of the American Revolution. Momentarily, Whipple's sloop, Katy, was taken over by the Continental Congress, whose sought a 'national naval force'; it was later renamed and reclassified as the sloop-of-war, Providence.
South Carolina
On 11 November 1775, militiamen and mariners of the South Carolina Navy aboard Defense participated in the action against the British ships Tamar and Cherokee at Charleston.[1]
Virginia
Commodore James Barron was in command of the Virginia State Navy during the Revolutionary War.
References
- Hoffman, Jon T. (2002). USMC: A Complete History. New York City, New York: Universe Publishing.
- Abbot, Willis J. (1890). The Naval History of the United States. New York: Peter Fenelon Collier.
- Millet, Allan R. (1991). Semper Fidelis: The History of the United States Marine Corps. New York City, New York: The Free Press. ISBN 1-59114-790-5.
- Journal of the Continental Congress (9–10 Nov 1775), Committee on Nova Scotia: Proposals; NDAR, II: 972, 957–958.
- Jackson, John W. (1974). The Pennsylvania Navy, 1775–1781. New Brunswick City, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press.