Two battalions of Continental Marines were formed on 10 November 1775 in Philadelphia as a branch on infantry troops able to fight on land or at sea. This makes the proud organization 246 years old today.
The Marine Corps served a small role in the Civil War, mostly involved with blockade duty. As more states seceded in the early days before war was fought, about a third of the officer corps left U.S. service and started the Confederate States Marine Corps.
There was a battalion of Marine recruits performed poorly at the First Battle of Bull Run and retreated with the rest of the forces.
Blockade duty included sea-based amphibious operations to secure forward bases. One of these occurred at Tybee Island, Georgia in late November 1861, when Marines and sailors from the USS Flag landed a reconnaissance in force to occupy the lighthouse and Martello Tower on the northern end of the island .
These positions were later used as the base of Army operations against nearby Fort Pulaski.
--Old Secesh
No comments:
Post a Comment