Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-03-01
UNCLE SANS MARINES.
Branch of the Service That First Planted
Old Glory In Cuba.

Branch of the servics That First Planted
Old Glory In Cuba.
Communicated.
"The ship has been blown up and
is sinking.'' These are the words as
officially reported by Capt. Sigsbee,
which the late "Bill'' Anthony, cabin
orderly on the Maine, uttered on the
memorable evening on which the ILL
fated battleship went down in Havana
harbor. Capt. Sigsbee Gays in his
report that Anthony saluted as he con-
veyed this startling information, with
the dignity, calmness and military
precision of the perfectly trained soldier
delivering routine message. The oc-
casion was serious, solemn, awful. 1t
meant the loss of q proud American
vessel Of war, whose colors had been
flying short time before. 1t led to
war between the United Statss and
Spain; Cuba's freedom from the Span
ish yoke, Porto Rico's acquisition to
the United States, ard the transfer of
the far off Philippines to Uncle Sans
jurisdiction, geographical and political
changes of great moment.
Anthony represented type Of the
American marine. On the Maine he
was the symbol of steadinss and fidelity
in sorely trying hour. Loyal to duty,
fixed in purpose, calm, fittingly repre-
sented the United States Marine Corps,
the motto Of which is Semper Fidelis T"
A multiplicity Of articles. commendn-
tory of the army have Il II consid-
erable portion of cur.o.s literature,
while tho deeds of the gallant marines
are only mentioned casually, or when
their extraordinary fighting qualities
compel their recognition. This element
of the military branch of the govern
ment is not we'll known and little un-
derstood. Nevertheless their acts under
Faragut, Porter and other naval heroes
of the Civil War, at Bull Run, Sumter
Fisher, New Orleans, during those try
ing times; their record in Korea, in
the great whisky riots, in the strike
of 1877, at Alexandria, Egypt, the
Panama Isthmus, and only lately in
Samoa, have been unfailingly brilliant
and uniformly successful.
Guantanamo brought the marines
conspIcuously to the front and gave
practical, cieditable evidence of their
distinetipeness and military value.
There they showed the material OF
which the best disciplined, most faith
full soldiers are made. For ~ hours,
with no sleep, little food and harassed
by Mauser Eullets to the right, left
and front, night and day, the little
battalion under command of Hunting
ton, occupied the first landing place
thu American forces took in Cuba, and
held it against enormous odds and in-
Vulnerable difficulties. Only handful
of these sturdy, determined, faithful
fellows, thrown ashore.to take and keep
landing place for the army, Hunting
toms force disembarked in good order,
hastily entrenched themselves, and
when assailed ON all sides with CALLING
fire, CALAMITY held their place in the
face of the greatest danger, finally
driving the enemy from its position.
No more creditable chapter of courage,
doggedness and physical endurance has
been chronicled than that of our
marines at Guantanamo. Huntingdon s
"noble six hundred" was the first
American force to plant Old Glory in
Cuba and keep it flying.
The marine is trained in severe
school, where strict discipline is the
wacthword. He starts with the setting