The record-union., 1898-06-01
OUR MARINE CORPS.
THEY AREALL FIGHTERS FROM
WAY BACK. -
Ono Of the Oldest Fighting Organi-
Nations in This Country-Some
Of Their Gallant Deeds.

4Sil IL 10 the marines. Dol OS sure
you tell it politely. For the United
states Marines are a fighting corps,
and you might fare as badly as some
OF those Spaniards are sure to II the
marines once take aim and fire upon
them. There's the marine squad of the
cruiser Philadelphia. They have rec
ord of making 317 hits out Of 800 shots
at long range and of hitting the target
every time at short range.
People generally think of the marines
as parading around the Marine Bar
racks at Washington to the strains of
the famous Marine Band or doing po-
lice and sentinel duty aboard Ship But
the marines are fighters from way back
They help man the military tops in a
sea fight and help fight the guns, sew
eral of which are often entirely in
charge of the marines. When it comes
to repelling boarders they rally at a
certain point so that they can sweep
the deck with their rifles. The COM
mander OF a warship who is to send out
q landing party feels doubly secure Of
success If he has a detachment of ma
Tines to steady the sailors with
In all our wars the United States
Marine Corps has made a record for
itself to be proud of. 1t has often
earned the thanks Of Congress; many
OF its officers have been promoted or
brevetted for gallantry, and Sergeants,
Corporals and privates have received
medals Of honor. 1t is one of the old
est fighting organizations in this coun-
try. for one of the first acts of the Con-
tinental Congress, before a single ves-
Sci of the navy was sent to sea, was to
organize two battalions of American
marines, and in one of the first naval
scraps" of the revolution, Captain
Nichols, in the descent on New Provi-
dence in the Bahamas, led a detach
ment of marines, which captured the
forts by assault. Thus, in the very first
event in which the regular American
navy was engaged the marines parti-
cipated with honor.
During the bombardment of Tripoli
and in the desperate hand-to-hand
fighting which occurred between the
vessels on both sides Decatur boarded
one Of the Tripolitan gunboats and en-
gagged the Captain in hand hand
sword duel. One of the enemy coming
up from behind was about to cleave
Decatur's skull with his sword when a
marine interposed his arm. The arm
saved Decatur, but it was severed to
the skin. In the same battle Lieutenant
Trippe Of the Vixen boarded a Tripoli
tan gunboat and singled out the COM
mander for personal conflict. A Turk
aimed a blow at the Lieutenant, but
before he could strike Sergeant Mere
dith of the marines ran him through
the body with his bayonet.
1t was an officer of the marines, Lieu
tenant OBannon, who with Midship-
man Mann hauled down the Tripolitan
ensign after having stormed the prin-
cipal defenses of Derne and hoisted the
flag of the Republic on that fortress Of
the. Old World.
Major Richard S. Collum Of the Unit
ed States Marine Corps relates in his
. history of the corps that in the fight
between the Hornet and the Penguin
during the last year of the war Of 1912
a marine named Smith was shot
through the upper part Of the thigh.
and almost at the some moment had
his leg broken by the Hornets spanker
BOOM Yet, while lying bleeding upon
the deck and unable to rise, he was
seen to aim and discharge his musket
at the enemy in the Penguin's top.
In the famous expedition against
Quallah Batto, under Commodore
Downes, the marines formed the van of
the landing party, and were in the
thickest of the fight with the Malays.
The Marine Corps also participated
with brilliant results in the Florida
Indian war. During the Mexican war
they rendered distinguished service. In
fact, General Scott himself is authority
for the statement that they were placed
where the hardest work was to be
done At the storming of the fortress
of Chapultepec Major Levi Twiggs of
the marines led the assaulting party.
and was killed This fortress having
been captured, the marines in General
Quitman's division moved directly on
the City Of Mexico and entered the city
with their division. To this division
was accorded the honor Of first entering
the palace and hosting the American
flag, a fact which explains the motto
upon the corps Of the colors: From
Tripoli to the Halls OF the Montezu-
mas"
The marines also distinguished them
selves in the civil war. In the fight be-
tween the Merrimac and the Cumber-
land the marine division was under
Lieutenant Haywood, now Brigadier-
General and commander of the Marine
Corps. Lieutenant Morris in his re-
port of the action speaks OF Lieutenant
Heywood's gallant conduct during the
fight The first shot from the Merrimac
killed nine marines, yet the division
was so little demoraliZed by this loss