Hi Cliff,
Yep! History as reported is only as reported. So much has faded into the past. I'm sure there are paper archives somewhere, written notes, and so forth, but no one has spent the money or time to resurrect them all.
This is just history folks, just history as it has been told:
- Marines in the Fighting Tops 1775-1844, depicts Marines in the rigging of ships firing on boarders.
- Early 1776 - Marines sailed with the first Continental Navy leading the first amphibious landing at New providence in the Bahamas.
- Major Samuel Nicholas's battalion of Marines fought as part of General George Washington's arme at Princeton and Trenton around Christmas 1776. Marines would perform entended land operations as an adjunct of the Army
- 1794 - U.S. Marine Corps saw frequent action on ship as part of the Quasi War with France and the Barbary Wars, and the attack on the fortress at Derna by seven (1+6)Marines helped bring a successful conclusion to the war with Tripoli.
- The War of 1812 was more of the ship-to-ship fighting, and occasionally as a land force.
and:
- April 19, 1775 American Revolution
- May 9, 1775 - Lake Champlain - soldiers capture a British sloop. Soldiers turned sailors and Marines man her. She is renamed "Liberty."
- May 10, 1775 - Liberty participates in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga from the British
- May 18, 1775 - Marines from "Liberty" assist in capturing another sloop. She is renamed "Enterprise." The crew of the sloop was reinforced with 18 Marines with the first known Marine officer, Lt. James Watson
- May 25, 1775 - The first recorded mention of American Marine appears in an account describing eight Connecticut Marines escorting pay for troops to Albany, NY, for further shipment to Ticonderoga. These Marines are often referred to as the "Original Eight"
- Jun 15, 1775 - Marines participate in the action between Katy and Washington (Rhode Island Navy) and an armed tender supporting the British frigate "Rose."
Many, Many more 1775-1844 Historical Data but let's not go into every one.
Some worth mentioning are:
- Nov 19, 1775 - Manpower - First discord between the Army and the Marines when Gen. Washington takes issue with orders from Congress to supply personnel from his force for the Marine battalions authorized on 10 November. The General noted that since the men "must be acquainted with maritime affairs," he would have to select from and therefore disrupt many of his units
1776.
- April 1776 - John Martin enlists to serve on the Continental brig "Reprisal" and becomes the first black Marine.
- Sep 22, 1776 - Canada - "Providence" and her Marines raid Canso Harbor, Nova Scotia, then strike at Isle Madam the next day.
- October 11-13, 1776 - Lake Champlain - Marines participate with Arnold's fleet in the Battle of Falcour Island on Lake Champlain.
1777
- Feb 5, 1777 - France - Marines of "Reprisal" lead a boarding party that storms and captures the British "Swallow" in the Bay of Biscay off France.
Skipping ahead:
1917
- April 1917 - by Fall, the 4th Brigade of Marines, became an element of the 2nd Infantry division.
It was during WWI that the media coined the slogan, "First To Fight" for the Marines. It's not something thought up by the Marines. So don't feel to bad that it was not another branch of service's slogan, it is just the Marines.
I have a book put out by the Marine Corps Association with 664 pages of History. So if you would like me to look something up, I do have it in the written form.
Semper Fi!
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