SEMPER FIDELIS:
250 years of spirit,
discipline, and lethality

November 10, 1775 would forever become the most legendary birthday in military heritage. On this historic day, the Continental Congress authorized the formation of two battalions of Marines. From their first raid on New Providence in the Bahamas, in March of 1776—aboard several of the nascent Navy's earliest vessels—America's first Marines laid siege to Fort Montagu (which can still be visited today) and Fort Nassau. Seeking badly needed gun powder and ordnance for the recently formed Continental Army, they quickly made their way ashore, and immediately captured their first objective. Fighting disease, storms, and the threat of the British Royal Navy, the raid was largely successful—waged essentially without casualties, until the return trip home.

Although the Continental Navy's first Commodore (Commander-in-Chief) faced scrutiny from the Second Continental Congress upon his return (both for ordering the operation and for a tactical error in theater), Captain Samuel Nichols (who later rose to the rank of Major) received praise for his decisive, courageous, and effective leadership. Captain Nichols, who led the Continental Marines for the duration of the American Revolutionary War, is widely viewed as the first Commandant of the Marine Corps.

In similar fashion to the fate of the Continental Navy, the Continental Marines were disbanded shortly after the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War. Yet just like their sea-faring comrades of the Navy, the U.S. Marines were eventually reconstituted by Congress before the end of the 18th century. Many view this date—July 11, 1798—as the Marine Corps' second birthday.

For more on the historic origins of the U.S. Marine Corps, see:

• "History of the Marine Corps"—The United States Marines

• "Marine Corps 250th Commemoration Series"—National Museum of the United States Marine Corps

For historical research on the U.S. Marine Corps, see:

• USMC History Division

• FORTITUDINE: Complete Archive—Marine Corps University Press