Some American History - FYI

Well, Well, Well, somebody out there actually reads this blog. I always thought the audience that brought up this blog did it for the pictures (some of my fellow contributors believe that some of our readers may be illiterate and/or ignorant) but I think now is a great time for some very brief American History as it regards the most phenomenal Combined Arms Force in the History of Humankind, the UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS.

The Second Continental Congress was formed on May 10, 1775 to deal with the tyranny of the British Government in the American Colonies. Communication with the British was going nowhere fast. In fact the war with the British had begun, the American Revolution had already started with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. It was this Congress that oversaw the war and became the foundation of the Government of the United States.

That Congress appointed one of its members, George Washington of Virginia, General of the Continental Army. The revolution up until the autumn of 1775 was run in an ad-hoc half assed manner. The Congress (after Washington brought it up) had no powder, rifles, munition or other basics an Army would need to fight a war.

So Congress on 10 November 1775 appointed Robert Mullan, the proprietor of Tun Tavern and son of Peggy Mullan, to raise the first two battalions of Marines, under the leadership of Samuel Nicholas, the first appointed Commandant of the Continental Marines. Recruiting for the Marines took place at Tun Tavern, the best men with weapons, sea experience and aggresiveness were accepted.

(Rumors have it men were made drunk, rolled and beaten then put in a boat. When they woke from their head throbbing drunken stupors they were informed they were now 'Marines'....not much different than today) The Marine raid on Nassau in the Bahamas was the first amphibious raid by the Marines and it was a success that has gone down in the history of Naval Warfare.




Major Nicholas took his 234 Marines under sail from our Navy (formed after the Marines) capturing the Fort at Nassau within minutes and securing tons of gunpowder, cannon and other munitions for General George Washington's war effort in the Colonies. The rest is history. Wish they taught it to you in school.

This country as we know it may not have existed if a few bargoing men, good men, hard fighting men, did not go to sea to conquer a strategic and tactical post of the British Empire. All of us who are Marines take our service and responsibility as the First Sons and Daughters of Americas Warrior class seriously and with honor. We take our Citizenship as Americans just as seriously.

We are and forever will be "Semper Fidelis" (that is "Always Faithful)

RJ

References: Encyclopaedia Brittanica, www.marines.com, USMC - A Complete History, Colonel Jon T. Hoffman, USMCR, Editor

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Enjoy the history lesson and tell someone where you saw this if you can't e-mail the URL (the thing that starts "http://")

Semper Fidelis