United States Marine Corps
By John Selby and Michael Roffe
4.5/5
()
About this ebook
John Selby
John Selby is an author, executive counselor, researcher, videographer, marketing consultant, and awareness-management pioneer. He is the author of over two dozen self-help, spiritual-growth, business-success and psychology books published in fourteen languages with over half a million books in print. Early in his career he conducted mind-management research for NIH and the New Jersey Neuro-Psychiatric Institute and explored innovative approaches to stress relief, insomnia treatment, cognitive shifting, and short-form meditation. Educated at Princeton University, UC Berkeley, the Graduate Theological Union, and the Radix Institute, John spent two decades working as a therapist and mindfulness coach, while continuing with research into more effective cognitive methods for quieting the mind and maintaining a more alert, relaxed, enjoyable present-moment focus. John lives and works in Kauai. He can be reached at www.iUplift.com.
Read more from John Selby
Kundalini Awakening: A Gentle Guide to Chakra Activation and Spiritual Growth Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Kundalini Rising: Exploring the Energy of Awakening Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Expand This Moment: Focused Meditations to Quiet Your Mind, Brighten Your Mood, and Set Yourself Free Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Master Key System: Using the Classic Work to Discover Prosperity, Joy, and Fulfillment Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsListening With Empathy: Creating Genuine Connections With Customers and Colleagues Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Quiet Your Mind: An Easy-to-Use Guide to Ending Chronic Worry and Negative Thoughts and Living a Calmer Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Soul Man Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJesus for the Rest of Us Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to United States Marine Corps
Titles in the series (19)
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Foot Grenadiers Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The British Army of the Crimea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5United States Marine Corps Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Buffs Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The English Civil War Armies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Frederick the Great’s Army (1): Cavalry Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Napoleon's Guard Infantry (1) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrussian Light Infantry 1792–1815 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Napoleon's Women Camp Followers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrussian Reserve, Militia & Irregular Troops 1806–15 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAustrian Specialist Troops of the Napoleonic Wars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wellington's Dutch Allies 1815 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flags of the Third Reich (2): Waffen-SS Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Frederick the Great's Army (3): Specialist Troops Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Napoleon's Campaigns in Italy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Italian Colonial Troops 1882–1960 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related ebooks
The Chesapeake Campaigns 1813–15: Middle ground of the War of 1812 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFort William Henry 1755–57: A battle, two sieges and bloody massacre Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5War of 1812 Land Battles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSoldiers and Uniforms of the American Army, 1775-1954 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Development of British Light Infantry Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConfederate Cavalryman vs Union Cavalryman: Eastern Theater 1861–65 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Louisbourg 1758: Wolfe’s first siege Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Buffs Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Wingate's Men: The Chindit Operations: Special Forces in Burma Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsArtillery Through the Ages A Short Illustrated History of Cannon, Emphasizing Types Used in America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Armies of Europe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCamp & Outpost Duty for Infantry: 1862 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDon Troiani's Civil War Soldiers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Russians and Prussians During the Seven Years' War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUS Airborne Divisions in the ETO 1944–45 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5U.S. Marine Corps Uniforms and Equipment in World War II Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The British Army in the Far East 1941–45 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fredericksburg 1862: 'Clear The Way' Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Canopies Of Blue:: The U.S. Airborne Experience In The Pacific In WWII As A Case Study In Operational Art And Multi-Role Flexibility Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNapoleon's Cavalry, Artillery and Technical Corps 1799–1815: History, Organization and Equipment Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe British Army in Italy 1917-1918 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUS Army Infantry Divisions 1944–45 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Arms and Armor of the Pilgrims, 1620-1692 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsArtillery Through the Ages: A Short, Illustrated History of the Cannon, Emphasizing Types Used in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Western Front Companion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The British Army of the Crimea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wellington's Foot Guards Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5JAPANESE IN BATTLE 2nd Edition [Illustrated Edition] Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOrdinary Heroes: Untold Stories from the Falklands Campaign Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tyneside Irish: 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th (Service) Battalions of Northumberland Fusiliers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Wars & Military For You
Resistance: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sun Tzu's The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Twilight of the Shadow Government: How Transparency Will Kill the Deep State Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Art of War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Art of War: The Definitive Interpretation of Sun Tzu's Classic Book of Strategy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Kingdom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Making of the Atomic Bomb Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The History of the Peloponnesian War: With linked Table of Contents Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of War & Other Classics of Eastern Philosophy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Happiest Man on Earth: The Beautiful Life of an Auschwitz Survivor Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Daily Creativity Journal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wager Disaster: Mayem, Mutiny and Murder in the South Seas Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The God Delusion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Unabomber Manifesto: Industrial Society and Its Future Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Unit 731: Testimony Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933–45 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shogun: The Life of Tokugawa Ieyasu Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Rise of the Fourth Reich: The Secret Societies That Threaten to Take Over America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Forgotten Highlander: An Incredible WWII Story of Survival in the Pacific Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for United States Marine Corps
4 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An easy to read quick survey of United States Marine Corps history.
Book preview
United States Marine Corps - John Selby
United States Marine Corps
1775–1846
On 10 November 1775 during the War of Independence the United States Marine Corps officially came into being when Congress passed a resolution resolving that ‘two battalions of marines be raised to serve during the present war’. The first commander of the new corps was Samuel Nicolas the owner of Conestoga Wagon Inn; and in March 1776 he took 300 of his men in two sloops to raid the forts guarding Nassau on New Providence Island in the British Bahamas. Nicolas landed on the eastern end of the island without opposition, and sent a message to the Governor saying that if he wished to avoid bloodshed he could surrender, and Nicolas would then spare the town. The Governor ordered the garrison of Fort Montagu to fire a few rounds in token resistance and to spike their guns and retire on Fort Nassau. Nicolas occupied the evacuated fort, but as it was getting late decided to postpone the attack on Nassau until next day. The decision proved unwise, for the Governor took the opportunity of sending away to Florida during the night 154 casks of powder, the commodity which the Americans most needed. Next day the Marines occupied Fort Nassau as easily as they had its sister fort; but as reward for their efforts they had to be content with a few small brass mortars.
In 1776 Marines served on board the Cabot and the Alfred in action against the British frigate Glasgow, and during the engagement the first Marine officer was killed. In 1777 a detachment served with the artillery in George Washington’s army, and in 1778 Marines served on board the Rattletrap when it cruised up the Mississippi and raided British traders’ posts. In 1779 they served under John Paul Jones in the Ranger off Flamborough Head, and took part in raids on British soil.
As with other armies, uniform regulations described in detail the clothing necessary; but it is doubtful if many received the official dress of green cutaway coats with white facings, light-coloured breeches, woollen stockings and round black leather hats with brims turned up on the left-hand side. Certainly the redoubtable Paul Jones, when operating in the English Channel and Irish Sea, fitted his men out in red coats, having obtained a good supply from a captured British vessel carrying a stock of uniforms.
After the War of Independence the Navy and the Marines went out of existence until interference to American shipping by vessels of the French revolutionary government and by the Barbary pirates caused both to be reconstituted. The Marine Corps was re-formed on 11 July 1798 and was fortunate in its first commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Burrows. In 1800 he moved Marine Headquarters from Philadelphia to Washington where the Marine Barracks have remained ever since, thus becoming the oldest continuously occupied military post in the country with the sole exception of West Point. He also started the Marine Corps Band. The Marines were already responsible for the capital’s security, and Burrows conceived the idea that they might as well contribute to the city’s entertainment. As there were no funds to buy instruments, he asked for a contribution from every officer of the Marine Corps. Requested by their commanding officer, they had perforce to agree, so that to the accompaniment of groans the money came in, and by the time Burrows had recruited the musicians their instruments were available. On New Year’s Day 1800 Burrows staged a concert for President John Adams, who was so delighted with the performance that he asked for it to be repeated, with the result that concerts by the Marine Corps Band became a regular feature of Washington life. By the time other units arrived offering competition, the Marine Band had become so firmly established that it was able to retain its status as the ‘President’s Own’. That it subsequently came under the direction of such a leader as John Philip Sousa indicates the standard it reached.
This painting by Colonel Donald L. Dickson shows Continental Marines under Captain Samuel Nicolas storming Fort Montagu, New Providence Island of the Bahama Group on 3 March 1776, during the American Revolution.
The officer’s uniform of 1820 was clearly influenced by the Napoleonic wars, and consisted of a three-cornered hat with huge cockade, blue coat with white facings, white sash, tight white trousers, and half-boots.
By March 1801 the extortions of the Barbary pirates had become so exacting that a squadron was sent to the Mediterranean to restrain them. When the Pasha of Tripoli’s demand for yet a further increase in his dues was refused him, war broke out and there followed a series of indecisive encounters between the warships of either side. To break the deadlock, William Eaton, the United States Consul in Tunis, suggested that an attempt should be made to replace the Pasha. The Pasha was a usurper who had murdered one brother and exiled another to seize power, and the plan was to find the surviving brother Hamid and assist him to gain the throne. Hamid was discovered along with ninety followers in Egypt, and after some difficulty was persuaded to make the attempt. An expeditionary force was constituted consisting of Greek and Turkish mercenaries and Arab cavalry, the whole numbering with Hamid’s followers some 300 men; 10 Marines under Lieutenant O’Bannon were detailed to assist. The force left Egypt in February 1805 and took seven weeks to cross the Libyan desert and reach Derna, Tripoli’s second largest city. The battle began with a bombardment by American naval vessels lying off the coast. This succeeded in silencing the firing from the harbour fort, but not from the Governor’s castle or from the town. Eaton therefore ordered the entire force, less Hamid’s men, to attack the town, in order to drive in the skirmishers operating outside the walls and contain the fire from inside. Meanwhile, O’Bannon and his Marines were instructed to storm the fort. This they accomplished in splendid style, raising the Stars and Stripes for the first time in that part of the world, and turning the un-spiked guns against the castle. At this stage there was a general evacuation, and in their turn Hamid’s men were able to storm the castle. Thus within two hours Derna was