Early Years

The Continental Congress authorized the formation of two battalions of United States Marines on November 10, 1775, to fight in the American Revolution (1775-1783). The first Marine landing on a hostile shore occurred when a force of Marines captured New Province Island in the Bahamas from the British on March 3, 1776. Marines served on both land and sea during the remainder of the Revolutionary War, but were deactivated after the war ended (as was the Continental Navy) in 1783.

Reactivated by Congress in 1798, Marines served in an undeclared war with France from 1798 to 1799, after French vessels seized American cargo ships. Marines also fought against the Barbary pirates of North Africa from 1801 to 1805 in an effort to stop the pirates from seizing American ships. In one famous episode of the Barbary campaign, Naval Agent William Eaton led a force comprised of Marines and other troops across about 1000 kilometers (about 600 miles) of desert in a successful attack on Darnah, Tripoli (now Libya), in 1805. The march inspired the line in the "Marines' Hymn" that refers to "the shores of Tripoli." During the War of 1812 (1812-1815), in which the United States fought the United Kingdom over maritime rights, Marines served on the Great Lakes and on warships in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. During this war the Marines also helped in the unsuccessful defense of Washington, D.C., and in the successful defense of New Orleans.

The section above was taken from a selection at Encarta.com.

Marine Hymn History

This is the official hymn of the Marine Corps. It is also the oldest official song in the U.S. Armed Forces. It has an obscure origin. The words are dated from the 19th century, but no one knows the author. The music is from the opera, "Genevieve de Brabant" by Jacques Offenbach. That opera opened in Paris in 1859. The Marine Corps secured a copyright on the song on 19 August 1919. It is often mistakenly referred to as "The Marine Corps' Hymn".

From the Halls of Montezuma
To the Shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country's battles
On the land as on the sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
of United States Marine.

Our flag's unfurled to every breeze
From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in ev'ry clime and place
Where we could take a gun;
In the snow of far-off Northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes;
You will find us always on the job--
The United States Marines.

Here's health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve
In many a strife we've fought for life
And never lost our nerve;
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven's scenes;
They will find the streets are guarded
By United States Marines.

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