The Birth of a Corps

Born in a Philadelphia tavern at the height of the Revolution, the Marine Corps began as America's first seaborne fighting force. This episode traces that origin. Out of the smoke and uncertainty of rebellion, Samuel Nicholas gathered the first Marines from the city's streets. They were craftsmen, sailors, and laborers who became the sharp edge of a new nation. They launched their first assault in the Bahamas, fought beside Washington on the Delaware, and held fast through both triumph and disaster. From frozen rivers at Trenton to burning ships at Penobscot, Chapter 1 follows the Continental Marines. They were poorly equipped and often outnumbered, but they fought across every front of the Revolution and forged the traits that would define the Corps.