Samuel Nicholas
The 2nd Continental Congress needed someone to lead the newly established Continental Marine Corps, and Samuel Nicholas was on the top of their list. The Naval Committee agreed with their recommendation on November 5, 1775, and Samiel Nicholas was commissioned as the first Captain of the Marine Corps on November 28, 1775. His mission was to raise two battalions of Marines for the American Revolution.
Tun Tavern is regarded as the birthplace of the Marine Corps, but there isn't evidence that confirms the first recruitment drive took place at Tun. Samuel Nicholas owned the Conestoga Wagon – a successful tavern during the 18th century. Although Robert Mullan is regarded as the first recruiter of the Marine Corps (and he did have ties to Tun), he wouldn't join the Corps until later in the war. Nicholas and Mullan knew each other, but it seems unlikely that Nicolas would have recruited out of a tavern other than his own.
The Marine Corps would never reach the goal of "two battalions," but Samuel Nicholas was able to raise five companies of men and sail them under Commodore Esek Hopkins, the first and only commander in chief of the Continental Navy. Nicholas' first battle was in Nassau, and he led 284 men on the raid. He surprised the British, and Nicholas captured two forts, 88 cannons, 15 mortars, and multiple military stores. Nicholas also led three companies of men in the Trenton-Princeton campaign. He and his men were transferred to the army and served with artillery on February 1, 1777. They remained with George Washington until the following spring when their enlistment terms expired. Although he was the senior officer, he didn't have field command, and he continued to supervise recruiting and logistics in support of Marines on naval ships. In 1783, Nicholas gave up military life and returned to his business in Philadelphia.
He died on August 27, 1790, during a yellow fever epidemic. Samuel Nicholas, unofficially the first Commandant of the Marine Corps, was buried at the old Quaker cemetery at the Historic Arch Street Meeting House, Philadelphia, PA, but his grave was left unmarked according to his Quaker tradition. On June 1, 2013, with the approval of the Quaker proprietors, the Marine Corps League officially installed a simple Colonial-style marker with Nicholas's name on it.
We have an entire episode dedicated to Samuel Nicholas, appropriately titled "Samuel Nicholas." If you're interested in the origins of the Marine Corps and the American Revolution, the first 29 episodes go into great detail.
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