First 50 Years
The unspoken rule when assigning Marines to ships was, "One Marine, one gun." This graph shows where Continental, State (1775-1782) and U.S. Marines (1798-1825) exchanged fire with belligerents. The aforementioned list of Marines weren't the only types of Marines to serve during this time. "Irregular" Marines served on Lake Champlain, French citizens fighting for the United States as Marines served onboard the Bon Homme Richard, and a boatload of Marines served as privateers – pun intended.
For the first 50 years, Marines predominately served on naval vessels. Out of the 600+ engagements Marines participated in, ≈90% were fought at sea. They manned the ship's guns, led boarding parties, and sniped enemy combatants from the fighting tops of ships. Even with the challenge of inaccurate muskets and the unpredictable movements of both vessels, Marine's accuracy was second to none and often credited in reports by naval officers.
Although there was rivalry between sailors and Marines, in combat, the two forces were unstoppable. During the American Revolution and the War of 1812, their victory at sea was sometimes the only glimmer of hope while British troops were destroying land forces. During the Quasi-War, Marines, and sailors solely fought against France. This small, relatively inexperienced force was victorious against the most powerful navies the world has ever seen. Marine Historian, Major Richard Collum, sums it up the best:
"At no period of the naval history of the world is it probable that Marines were more important than during the War of the Revolution. In many instances they preserved the vessels to the country by suppressing the turbulence of ill-assorted crews, and the effect of their fire has been singularly creditable to their steadiness and discipline."
We cover the first 50 years extensively during the first 50ish episodes.
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