The United States Marine Corps is a separate military unit within the U.S. Department of the Navy. The Tun Tavern is considered as the birthplace of the U.S Marine Corps with its main patrons being Benjamin Franklin (1706-90), John Adams (1735-1826), and the first known marines, Samuel Nicholas (1744-90) and Robert Mullan. The tavern which was located in Pennsylvania is referred to as the birthplace of the Marine Corps since it was used in the recruiting process of the first Continental Marines appointed by the American colonies. The Continental Congress had authorized the recruiting process on November 1775 and Samuel Nicholas was appointed as the captain of the newly formed Marine Corps Congress (Plante, 2001). Nicholas asked Robert Mullan a co-proprietor of Tun Tavern to assist him in recruiting more men to serve in the marines.
In 1775 the Second Continental Congress enacted a resolution that declared that "two Battalions of Marines be raised" for their services as landing forces (Neeser, 1940). The Continental Congress passed this resolution and marked the birth of the U.S Marine Corps. The Marine Corps distinguished themselves from other Navy units as they served both on land and at sea. In 1776 the Marines recruited at Tun Tavern were expected to support the naval expedition in Nova Scotia, but the operation was changed to raiding the Bahamas. The expedition consisted of eight armed ships, with approximately 250 Marines on board that included Nicholas and Mullan. For this operation, the Marines had to seize weapons and supplies from the British barracks. The corps conducted amphibious landings on New Providence Island, British Bahamas; Captain Nicholas led the Marines in capturing Forts Nassau and Montague. They stayed at New Providence Island for 2 weeks before leaving with weapons that George Washington desperately needed.
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The Marine Corps is a significant development of the Revolutionary War as it was part of the Continental Army. Captain Nicholas and his Marines took part in the Second Battle of Trenton, Battle of Princeton and the winter base camp at Morisstown alongside the Continental Army. According to Neeser (1940), during the Revolutionary War, the Marines participated in crucial operations. The Marines Corps were treated as the Navy; thus, once they had completed their mission, they would be disbanded. For instance, in 1783, once American independence was gained, the Continental Navy and its Marines were disbanded. However, President John Adams signed the legislation as part of the congressional act, which established the U.S Marine Corps as a force that would serve as part of the Army and Navy (US Marine Corps Association, 2009). As a result, the creation of the U.S Marine Corps would enable the marines that were already part of other military branches recruited.
The rising degree of conflict during the Revolutionary War motivated President John Adams to re-enact the U.S Marine Corps. Thus, in 1798, the U.S Marine Corps was established as a permanent military force and acted under the authority of the United States Department of Navy (Neeser, 1940). The marines fought in the Quasi-War with France which lasted 1798-1800.
References
Neeser, R. (1940). A History of the United States Marine Corps . By CLYDE H. METCALF, Lieutenant Colonel, U. S. Marine Corp. (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. 1939. Pp. xv, 584. $4.50.), The American Historical Review , Volume 45, Issue 2, Pages 411–412, https://doi.org/10.1086/ahr/45.2.411
Plante, T. K. (2001). “Researching Confederate Marines in the Civil War,” Prologue , Vol. 33, No. 4.
US Marine Corps Association. (2009). US Marines Guidebook of Essential Subjects.
