We all know that the Marine Corps was officially established on November 10th, 1775. But was this the actual birth date of the USMC? And was this actually the first organization of marines for the fledgling Continental States of America? Maybe not.

In the eighteenth century, the concept of a sea-going fighting regiment spread to the British Colonies in the new world of America. In 1740, the British crown raised a regiment of 3000 American colonists to fight aboard British ships in her war against Spain. Colonel William Gooch took command of the regiment and the outfit became known as “Gooch’s Marines”.

In 1754 during the ‘Seven Years War’, American colonist marines serving aboard British ships trained the sailors to fight, enforced discipline aboard ships, and were the ‘first to fight’ when engagement with the enemy ensued. They served as the sharpshooters from the ship’s lookouts, and spearheaded the boarding parties for action on enemy ships.

As the American independence movement gained momentum in the 1770’s and the initial engagements occurred that led to the Revolutionary War in 1775, General George Washington organized marines in August, 1775 for sea-going operations off the New England coast. These were infantry men from his army that he drafted for the marines. By October 1775, three types of marines were fighting for independence: Washington’s marines, state’s marines, and privateer marines.

Then on November 10th, 1775 in an obscure watering hole in Philadelphia called Tun Tavern, the Continental Congress Maritime Committee drafted the “Rules and Regulations of the Navy of the United Colonies”. In the resolution, provisions were established for the Navy pay list and grades which included the establishment of two battalions of the Continental Marines. Thus the “Continental Marines” became an official fighting force of the Continental States of America even though the legacy had begun generations before, and we regard this as the birth of the United States Marine Corps. However, the “United States of America” was yet to be established, and therefore the establishment of the “United States Marine Corps” was more than two decades later, on July 11, 1798.

In 1789, the first session of the United States Congress convened to take on the task of governing the United States. One of the tasks was to create a Naval force to protect against the scourge of Barbary pirates on the eastern seaboard. However, it wasn’t until 1797 that Congress actually acted and authorized the building of three ships for a U.S. Navy, all of which would carry a Marine fighting force.

A year later a Massachusetts congressman, Samuel Sewall, proposed the official organization of a Marine Corps to support the Navy on amphibious operations. After months of debate, both bodies of the U.S. Congress passed the Marine Corps Act, and on July 11th, 1798, President John Adams signed “An Act For Establishing and Organizing a Marine Corps” of regiment strength.

Thus, after a 15 year hiatus, the ‘official’ birth of the United States Marine Corps occurred on this date, July 11th, 1798. The following day, the President appointed William Ward Burrows the Major Commandant of the new Corps, who established his Headquarters in Philadelphia, at that time still the capital of the new nation.

The Marine Corps was under the direct command of the Commander and Chief, therefore they were acknowledged as the “President’s Troops”. Samuel Sewall, having championed the cause for a Marine Corps in the U.S. Congress, is rightfully credited as the “Father of the U.S. Marine Corps”.

July 11th, 1798 was the official Marine Corps Birthday from 1799 until 1921 when, by an act of Congress, it was changed to November 10th, 1775.

Even though the U.S. Marine Corps was officially established by this act of congress in 1798, several near death experiences occurred throughout our history. In the 19th and 20th centuries, many of our Presidents tried to merge the Marine Corps with the Army or eliminate our Corps all together. This occurred for the first time in 1810, just 12 years after the USMC was established, under President Thomas Jefferson. More recently in the mid-20th century, Presidents Truman and Eisenhower were strong advocates for the Army and lobbied for the elimination of the Marine Corps as an independent military service.

Joe Rosenthal’s picture of the Iwo Jima flag raising may have done more to preserve the Marine Corps than any possible act of congress. When this photo proliferated the print media in 1945 it epitomized the fighting prowess of the U.S. servicemen on both battle fronts, and especially endeared the Marines as the “first to fight”. As a result, the Marines of the late 40’s and early 50’s were more popular than any president, and thus, acquiescing to public demand, efforts by U.S. Presidents of this era to eliminate the Marine Corps were abandoned.

Happy Birthday Devil Dogs!