The US Marine Corps 1775–1859

Continental and United States Marines

Ron Field, Adam Hook

• Publisher: Osprey Publishing
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9781472851543
• eBook ISBN: 9781472851550
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: American Civil War History
• Index: History

Featuring specially commissioned artwork and archive illustrations, this engrossing study describes the US Marine Corps' early operations and illustrates its evolving uniforms and personal equipment. The US Marine Corps' uniforms, personal equipment, insignia, and weaponry are all described and illustrated in this book, complemented by a succinct history of the Marines' military record from their beginnings to the eve of the American Civil War, by which time the US Marine Corps had established itself as a small but vitally important part of the United States' armed forces. Organized in 1775, the first American Marines distinguished themselves throughout the American Revolutionary War, and even raided mainland Britain before being disbanded in 1783. Reestablished in 1798, the US Marine Corps fought in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812, both at sea and on land. The years after 1815 saw the Corps involved in a wide variety of conflicts, from the Seminole Wars to the Mexican–American War; Marines even reached China and Japan. As the prospect of civil war began to threaten the United States, a small battalion of Marines was responsible for the capture of abolitionist John Brown at Harper's Ferry on October 18, 1859. The diverse operations and evolving appearance of the Marines are captured in this absorbing study from an acknowledged authority on US military costume.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• The American Revolutionary War
• The Birth of the US Marine Corps
• The First Barbary War
• The War of 1812
• New Challenges 1815–35
• The Second Seminole War
• The Mexican–American War
• Expanding Empire
• Harpers Ferry
• Select Bibliography
• eCopyright