The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-08-15
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS.


UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
Some Interesting Facts About a Branch
of the Naval Service.
Officers who have charge of recruiting
stations say that the average recruit
wants to get far away from the point of
enlistment. During the years Of peace
between the civil and the Spanish
American wars the men who presented
themselves as candidates for Uncle
Sans blues at eastern recruiting Of
fees usually wanted to be sent to. the
Indian country, and after the war with
SPAIN when men were wanted for Por-
to Rica, Cuba and the Philippines, the
men who applied FOR places In the
ranks usually asked before taking the
final step IL there was any chance for
service in the Philippines and when
they were told that possibly they might
be sent there they seemed to be happy.
What was true OF the recruit in the
days of Cuba and Porto Rico is also
characteristic of the recruit Of to-day,
with the difference that he asks for SER
vice in China, and considers Manila too
near home to be interesting r..
The desire 20 go to China has pos
sibly been the cause of the increase in
recruiting in the marine service.
Whenever there has been an advance
into a far-away country the marines
have been the first, and the reports
| from the Chinese points of interest
where troops have been landed bristle
with marines notes and accounts Of
the work done by marines, and still
that arm of the service Is a sealed book
to thousands of persons of more than
average intellieerce, who confound
them with the sailor or lo9k upon them
as soldiers with no especial duties.
| The fact is that the marine corps Is
older than the United States navy. 1t
was established in 1775, and consisted
then of two battalions and when the
constitution was adopted and the navy
department was organized the marine
corps was again made a part of the
service The objects of the corps, as
designated in the bill by which it was
created, are "to do duty in the forts
and garrisons of the United States, on
the SeacoaSt, OF any other uuty on
shore, as tie president may direct
They served on board the United States
vessels, performing the same duties as
the marines of other lands, after whose
organization they We're constituted.
The Greeks called their marines
| "Eribatac." They were 1ghting men
on board ships of war. Rome also had
its fighting men aboard ship, and they
We're called classic rii-milites. In
England they were called men-at-arms.
In the Scandinavian navy they were
termed sea soldiers. The name of
marines was applied to English men
alarms in 1887, when Sir Henry Percy
was mede commander of the whole
force. But the duties Of the men-at-
arms became different with the intro
duction of naval ordnance. and soon
after that period the small arms men
We're taken aboard ship, and they have
been considered necessity since 1854,
when they distinguished themselves un-
der Admiral Blake.
THE marine has been on hand" said
an officer of the corps, whenever great
military or naval events took place.
English marines Were in the thick of
the fight at Concord and at Bunker
Hill in the Revolutionary war, and
Nelson received his death wound ct the
hand o. a French marine. Marines
under the command of Col. Robert e.
Lee captured John Brown at Harper's
Ferry in 1859, and when the Seminole
war broke out all the marines We're sent
to Florida. Marines went with Scott to
Mexico, and they were the first to en-
ter the capital after its surrender.
American marines marched 600 miles
across the African desert and captured
the fortress Of Derne, in the Tripoli
campaign, and even at the battle of
Bull Run there were marines with Cen
eral MacDowells forces, l mention
these few instances lust to show that
the marine is not exempt from land
service, although he is an important
factor on board ship Captain Myers, |
who was reported killed and later
wounded at Pekin. is the grandnephev
of Cantain J,avi Tyviers who was also