America’s First Marine

Samuel Nicholas benefited from a well-connected upbringing in Philadelphia, where he was born to an established Quaker family in 1744. After his father’s death in 1751, Nicholas attended the prestigious Philadelphia Academy with support from his uncle, Attwood Shute, who later served as mayor of Philadelphia. The school placed him among the city’s prominent families and future leaders of the American Revolution.1 After graduating, Nicholas was admitted to the Schuylkill Fishing Company, an exclusive sporting club, and helped organize the Gloucester Fox Hunting Club, the first fox hunt club in North America. Both social clubs also made him a peer to many central figures of the Revolution.

On 10 November 1775, Congress resolved to establish the Continental Marines. More specifically, Congress decided “that two Battalions of marines be raised, consisting of one Colonel, two Lieutenant Colonels, two Majors, and other officers as usual in other regiments.” Before commissioning the enumerated field-grade ranks, Congress approached Nicholas, who had no prior military service, about a commission as Captain of Marines. He accepted—and became the first officer of the Continental Marines on 28 November 1775.

Nicholas and the other Marine officers began recruiting at Tun Tavern and other public houses of Philadelphia in early December 1775. By the end of the month, Nicholas had recruited five companies of Marines.

This year is the 250th anniversary of the birth of the Navy and Marine Corps and today belongs to the Marines. The US Naval Institute does a good job of articles on subjects like this in their history magazine, so I thought I would post them. The one about the Navy does a better job about the founding. The founding of the Corps naturally followed that of the Navy. These are excerpts of the full articles at the links.

Pershing and the Devil Dogs

https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history/2025/december/pershing-and-devil-dogs

War correspondent Floyd Gibbons was with the Marines during the initial assault on Belleau Wood and sent a dispatch back to the United States. His article appeared on 6 June in the Chicago Daily Tribune, the headline blaring: “U.S. Marines Smash Huns, Gain Glory in Brisk Fight on the Marne.” Other newspapers picked up the story.

The news infuriated the commander of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), General John J. Pershing, who had given strict orders banning the identification of any military unit by news reporters. The purpose of the order was to prevent the enemy from gaining information, but it also kept the focus on Pershing. The general had assembled a group of Army censors in Paris through which every news dispatch was to pass to ensure compliance. Gibbons’ story somehow slipped through.

In 1946 during testimony before Congress Vandegrift pointed out several instances within the past few years in which the Army was not prepared to move soon enough to address critical situations, such as amphibious landings on Iceland in 1941 and Guadalcanal in 1942. “This is not offered in criticism of our Army,” he said, “but as a factual statement.” However, the Commandant did not pass up offering some comparative criticism when he subsequently reminded members of the Senate committee that, even as he spoke, highly motivated and well-trained Marines were prepared to carry out their functions at a moment’s notice at a time when the responsible heads of other services are complaining of disintegration of fighting power accompanied by problems of low morale and deterioration of discipline.

After his testimony, Vandegrift immediately was summoned to the White House and chastised by the President for this impertinence. Truman ordered him to no longer speak on the subject publicly or with members of Congress or lobbyists. The President would soon replace him.

‘The Grand Old Man of the Marine Corps’

https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history/2025/december/grand-old-man-marine-corps

Henderson hit the ground running, making training and spirit his priorities. To personally supervise their indoctrination and training, he ordered all newly commissioned officers to duty at Marine Corps Headquarters. Since the Army was unable to absorb all of the West Point graduates at that time, many were offered commissions in the Marine Corps. Determined to revamp the force, Henderson personally inspected every shore station and vessel detachment, ensuring officers and enlisted members alike received proper recognition and efficient support. His rigorous oversight instilled discipline and boosted esprit de corps. Known for his assertiveness, even when dealing with superiors, Henderson once went directly to the President to overrule the Secretary of the Navy when the latter had countermanded Henderson’s order to send one of his officers to sea.

Birth of a Navy

https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history/2025/october/birth-navy

John Adams had been a strong advocate of a navy for the rebellious colonies since the Congress had convened. But the same Congress that had endorsed an army under the command of George Washington that spring was reluctant to do the same for a navy. Adams was aware that, in these early days of the rebellion, a sizable faction still hoped for a reconciliation with the Crown, and they feared that creating a navy was too provocative. An army could be seen as defensive in nature, a necessary response to provocations, but a navy implied sovereignty—and that begat independence, something many of the delegates would not be ready to endorse for nearly a year.

Adams, Silas Dean of Connecticut, and John Langdon of New Hampshire were appointed as the committee of three. Not wanting to lose the tenuous momentum he sensed, Adams heeded the part of the resolution that called for them to proceed immediately and steered the other two to an adjacent meeting room, where they got down to work.

It did not take long for the committee to return to the main assembly room with a proposed resolution in hand that read in part:

Resolved, That a letter be sent by Express to Genl Washington, to inform him, that they having received certain intelligence of the sailing of two north country Brigs, of no force, from England, on the 11 of August last, loaded with arms, powder, and other stores, for Quebec, without a convoy, which it being of importance to intercept, that he apply to the council of Massachusetts bay, for two armed vessels in their service, and dispatch the same . . . in order, if possible to intercept said two brigs and their cargoes, and secure them in the most convenient places for the purpose abovementioned.

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