Royal Marines Battalions ( Napoleonic Wars ) Three battalions were raised from among the Royal Marines during the Napoleonic Wars ; seeing combat in Portugal , Northern Spain , the Netherlands and North America . The First Battalion . The 1st battalion formed at Plymouth on 29 November 1810 under the command of Major Richard Williams . It consisted of six companies , plus an attached company of Royal Marine Artillery . It embarked , arriving in Lisbon on 8 December 1810 . The battalion grew to eight companies , plus the attached artillery company . It left Portugal in February 1812 , and disembarked at Portsmouth . There it remained until 6 June 1812 , when it embarked aboard . The battalion arrived off the coast near Santona on 15 June , and was involved in the attack on the fort at Castro - Urdiales . The fort ' s garrison of two companies of infantry capitulated on 8 July , the French having evacuated the town the day before . On 10 July , the battalion re - embarked , intending to go to Portugalete , but returned to Castro shortly afterwards . The French , unawares that the marines had returned , launched an unsuccessful counter - attack against the fort ' s Bilbao gate . Major Williams was appointed commander of the fort on 30 July . The Royal Navy attacked Santander from 30 July onwards , with the French evacuating the town on 3 August . The first six companies of the 1st battalion embarked for Santander to support the attack and arrived on 4 August . This force re - embarked on 10 August for an intended attack on Gitaya , its destination changing to Portugalete , where it arrived on 12 August . After the marines had destroyed a fort that the French had abandoned , the marines re - embarked and returned to Santander . The force disembarked at Zumaia on 18 August , along with the 2nd battalion . The artillery companies of both battalions deployed opposite the rock of Gitaya . Both battalions held the area until ordered to re - embark on 20 September . During October , the 1st battalion was deployed before Santona , at Castello . The news that a French division was approaching to reinforce the 1 , 500 men garrison at Santona led to the recall of the battalion on 1 November . However , the recall was countermanded and the battalion resumed its positions ; it returned to Santander on 14 December . On 21 December the 1st battalion , which numbered 536 rank and file , and its artillery company sailed from Santander in , , and , arriving at St Helens , Isle of Wight on 31 December . < ref name = " ADM 1 / 3318 " > Letters from Marine Field Officers ( Lieutenant Colonels and Majors ) 1807 - 1814 ADM 1 / 3318 folio 623 < / ref > The right wing ( aboard " Fox " and " Venerable " ) received orders to proceed to Plymouth on 6 January 1813 , where the battalion was to perform garrison duty at Plymouth and to prepare for imminent deployment to North America . The 1st Battalion embarked ( on the ships " Diadem " < ref name = " ADM 37 / 3976 " > HMS Diadem Ship Muster 1813 Mar - 1814 Feb ADM 37 / 3976 < / ref > ( 1st to 5th companies ) and " Diomede " < ref name = " ADM 37 / 4262 " > HMS Diomede Ship Muster 1813 Jan - Oct ADM 37 / 4262 < / ref > ( 6th to 8th companies and artillery ) on 30 March , set sail on 7 April , and arrived in Bermuda on 29 May 1813 . There it and the infantry already present were formed into two brigades . The embarked artillery brigade , supporting both battalions , comprised 131 officers and men , four 6 - pounder guns , two 8 " howitzers , two 5 . 5 " howitzers , two 10 " mortars , and a quantity of Congreve rocket launching frames , with associated munitions , all under the command of Captain Thomas Parke . On 25 June , the 1st Battalion participated in the attack on Hampton , Virginia . On 13 July , the Marine Battalions were involved in the occupation of Ocracoake and Portsmouth , and engaged in the occupation of Kent Island on 7 August . Later in the year , the 1st Battalion went to Ile aux Noix , south of Montreal in Canada , while the 2nd Battalion went to Prescott , on the Saint Lawrence River . A detachment of the 1st Battalion , under Lieutenants Caldwell and Barton , was present at the Battle of Lacolle Mills ( 1814 ) . On 16 August 1814 , the battalion received orders to be ' disposed for Naval service ' , with the greater part of the battalion to go to Lake Ontario and the remainder to go to Lake Champlain . In November 1814 the First Battalion was reconstituted in Quebec , and shipped south in support of operations off the coast of Georgia . The Second Battalion . July 1812 to May 1814 . The Second Battalion was formed at Chatham , and deployed to Portsmouth in July 1812 . It consisted of six companies under the command of Major James Malcolm . On 15 August , the battalion embarked aboard ( 3rd to 6th companies ) and ( 1st and 2nd ) companies ) , < ref name = " ADM 37 / 3563 " > HMS Fox Ship Muster 1812 May - 1812 Oct ADM 37 / 3563 < / ref > < ref name = " ADM 37 / 3602 " > HMS Latona Ship Muster 1812 Feb - 1813 Feb ADM 37 / 3602 < / ref > to deploy in Northern Spain under the command of the squadron of Home Riggs Popham . The battalion disembarked at Zumaia on 18 August , and joined up with Spanish forces under the command of Francisco de Longa . The battalion re - embarked on 20 September , and were landed at Santander on 28 September . Further reinforcements for the battalion disembarked soon after " Diadem " arrived on 29 November at Santander , resulting in two companies being added and another company of artillery being formed . < ref name = " ADM 1 / 3278 " > Letters from Commandants at Plymouth 1813 - 1814 ADM 1 / 3278 folio 672 < / ref > Some of the reinforcements had returned from garrison duty on the island of Anholt , Denmark . On 21 December the 2nd battalion sailed from Santander , along with the left wing of the 1st battalion , aboard " Latona " , arriving in Cawsand Bay on 4 January . < ref name = " ADM 51 / 2284 " > HMS Diadem Captain ' s Log 1810 June 20 – 7 February 1815 ADM 51 / 2284 < / ref > " Diadem " carried the 1st , 2nd , 7th , 8th & 10th companies , < ref name = " ADM 37 / 3345 " > HMS Diadem Ship Muster 1812 July - 1813 Mar ADM 37 / 3345 < / ref > carried the 2nd Battalion ' s artillery company ( Captain Parke ) and supplemental company ( Captain Wilkinson ) , with the remainder of the battalion ( 5 companies ) embarked upon the transports " Whitton " and " Mariner " , leaving the town to Spanish forces commanded by General Mendizabal . The surviving muster lists show the Marines disembarked at Plymouth on 7 January 1813 . The deployment of both battalions in Northern Spain forced the French to redeploy 30 , 000 men , away from the Salamanca campaign . The Duke of Wellington was so impressed that he requested they would be placed under his command , but was rebuffed by the Admiralty . Given the heterogeneous nature of the battalion , and its deployment in Spain immediately after inception , Major Malcolm felt that the 2nd Battalion was lacking in discipline . < ref name = " ADM 1 / 3278 " > Letters from Commandants at Plymouth 1813 - 1814 ADM 1 / 3278 folio 672 < / ref > He requested that the 2nd Battalion be deployed to the barracks at Berry Head Fort in Torbay , so that drilling of the unit would result in better discipline and cohesion . The 2nd Battalion was dispatched to Berry Head on 14 January aboard HMS " Diadem " < ref name = " ADM 37 / 3345 " > HMS " Diadem " Ship Muster 1812 July - 1813 Mar ADM 37 / 3345 < / ref > and HMS " Latona " , having boarded on 12 January . Within a month of the battalion ' s arrival in Berry Head Fort , the intensive drill bore fruit . < ref name = " ADM 1 / 3249 " > Letters from Commandants in Town 1813 - 1814 ADM 1 / 3249 folio 143 < / ref > The 2nd Battalion embarked on the ships , < ref name = " ADM 37 / 3650 " > HMS " Romulus " Ship Muster 1812 July - 1813 Mar ADM 37 / 3650 refers to 1st , 7th and 8th companies and 35 artillerymen < / ref > , < ref name = " ADM 37 / 4262 " > HMS " Diomede " Ship Muster shows 5th and 6th Companies boarded on 30 March , having been on HMS " Fox " < / ref > , < ref name = " ADM 37 / 4364 " > HMS " Nemesis " Ship Muster shows entries 688 to 780 were for embarked Marines . There is no mention of their unit but 1st Lt Ch Pratt and 1st Lt Harrison are the two Marine officers present . < / ref > and HMS " Fox " < ref name = " ADM 51 / 4450 " > HMS " Fox " Captain ' s Log 23 May 1812 - 17 February 1814 ADM 51 / 4450 < / ref > on 30 March , set sail on 7 April with the ships carrying the 1st Battalion , the transport vessel " Mariner " ( containing two rocket detachments with an establishment of 25 men , each commanded by a Lieutenant ) and ( which was carrying troops of the 8th Royal Veteran Battalion ) and arrived in Bermuda on 29 May , where the Marines and the Royal Veterans , with the two Independent Companies of Foreigners already present upon the island , were formed into two brigades . The 2nd Battalion was employed alongside the 1st Battalion until late in 1813 , when the 2nd Battalion was deployed to Prescott , on the Saint Lawrence River . On 6 May 1814 , it participated in the Battle of Fort Oswego ( 1814 ) , suffering fatalities of one Captain , two Sergeants and four Other Ranks . Its final engagement was the Battle of Big Sandy Creek , where an element of the battalion made up part of the 180 - man force . Thereafter , the battalion ' s companies were broken up and its men were dispersed among the squadron and flotilla on Lake Ontario , as per orders from Commodore James Lucas Yeo . From May 1814 . Following the order , the 2nd Battalion ceased to exist as a fighting force . All that remained were the staff elements . When the 3rd Battalion arrived in Chesapeake , they were renumbered as the 2nd Battalion and came under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James Malcolm ( Royal Marines officer ) . Upon the orders of Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane , three of the ten companies were detached from this unit , to become the regenerated 3rd Battalion , under the command of Major Lewis . ( These three companies were commanded by Captain Clements , Lt Connolly and Lt Stevens . < ref name = " ADM 96 / 341 " > Muster sheets 3rd Battalion 1814 ADM 96 / 341 < / ref > ) The recreated 2nd Battalion was present in the Chesapeake campaign , participating in the Battle of Bladensburg , the attack on Washington , and the Battle of Baltimore . Also present during the campaign were the three companies of the Corps of Colonial Marines under the command of an army officer , Captain Reed ( of the 6th West India Regiment ) , and a composite battalion of Marines , formed from ships ' Marine detachments , frequently led by Captain John Robyns . A composite " battalion " of 100 men also took part in the Battle of New Orleans , under the command of Brevet Major Thomas Adair . Following the failure of the British attack against Fort McHenry on 13 September , the 2nd and 3rd Marine battalions proceeded to Tangier Island , where a barracks for 600 men was created on the understanding they would be spending the winter on the island . Orders were received on 11 December to embark , the Marines later disembarking on Cumberland Island on 10 January 1815 , along with the 1st Battalion and two companies of the 2nd West India Regiment . Thereafter , this force attacked Fort Peter on the 13th January , subsequently marching on the town of St . Marys , and occupying it for about a week , before retiring to Cumberland Island . It is understood that an element of the 2nd Battalion could have participated in the Battle of New Orleans . The musters show three dead men ( from the First and Third companies commanded by Captain Coles & Lieutenant Fynmore respectively ) and several men wounded . < ref name = " ADM 96 / 363 " > Muster sheets 2nd Battalion 1815 ADM 96 / 363 shows casualties , with their pay ceasing up to and including 7 January 1815 < / ref > Ironically , the battalion ' s final action was a purely artillery engagement . The battalion ' s rocket detachment , commanded by Lieutenant John Lawrence , were on , and were put ashore on 7 February 1815 , to participate in the attack on Fort Bowyer . ( Their penultimate engagement was the Battle of New Orleans . < ref name = " ADM 1 / 3340 " > Letter from Lieutenant Harrison to the Admiralty dated 3 June 1815 reference ADM 1 / 3340 < / ref > ) Thereafter they returned to Portsmouth and were disembarked on 11 May 1815 . The infantry companies were embarked aboard for the return to England in 1815 . The artillery company was disembarked at Chatham on 20 May 1815 . The Third Battalion . December 1813 to August 1814 . After Napoleon ' s defeat at Leipzig in October 1813 , the French troops retreated to France . A provisional government was formed , the Driemanschap , which invited the exiled Prince William VI of Orange to The Hague . A token British force accompanied the Prince of Orange to the Netherlands in November 1813 . Most of the British army was fighting the Peninsular war , so the 2nd Battalion 2nd Foot Guards and several companies of Marines < ref name = " ADM 1 / 3261 " > Letters from Commandants at Chatham 1813 - 1814 ADM 1 / 3261 folios 1343 & 1345 refer to 162 RMA and 555 Marines , all from the Chatham Division < / ref > were hastily embarked at Deal . These companies were to form the nucleus of the 3rd Battalion . A further two companies of Marines arrived on 19 December , accompanied by Major George Lewis , who assumed command of the Marines . This force was involved in fighting around Krabbendijke , until Russian troops relieved them on 18 January . When the marines arrived in Portsmouth on 21 January , they were formed into the Third Battalion . The battalion had an establishment of ten companies of 100 men , and one company of Royal Marine Artillery . The battalion was commanded by Major George Lewis , who since 19 December 1813 had been the officer commanding the Marine companies deployed in the Netherlands . The battalion embarked on 29 March , set sail on 7 April , and disembarked at Bermuda on 9 April . The infantry companies were aboard , and HMS " Brune " , with the artillery aboard HMS " Tonnant " . After a sojourn , the battalion sailed for the Chesapeake on 30 June , and joined Admiral Cockburn ' s squadron on 16 July . Just prior to the liaison , a detachment of 12 Royal Marine gunners ( with two howitzers and a field piece ) and 100 Royal Marine infantry were transferred to and , to accompany Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Edward Nicolls to Florida , where they would remain for the duration of the war . On the morning of 19 July , the battalion landed near Leonardtown and advanced in concert with ships of the squadron , causing the US forces to withdraw . The battalion was deployed to the south of the Potomac , moving down to Nomini . The battalion was subsequently landed at St Clements Bay on 23 July , Machodoc creek on 26th , and Chaptico , Maryland on 30 July . The first week of August was spent raiding the entrance to the Yeocomico River , which concluded with the capture of four schooners at the town of Kinsale , Virginia . On 7 August , the battalion stormed a gun battery of three artillery pieces , situated on the Coan River ( a few miles below the Yaocomico river ) . During the Chesapeake campaign the 3rd Battalion participated in the Battle of Bladensburg , the attack on Washington , and the Battle of Baltimore . The attack on Washington cost the Navy one man killed and six wounded . After Lieutenant Colonel James Malcolm arrived , the battalion was split into the reconstituted second battalion , and the third battalion ( composed of Royal and Colonial Marines ) , as outlined below . From September 1814 to 1815 . Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane ordered that three of the ten companies from this unit become the nucleus of a regenerated 3rd Battalion , under the command of Major Lewis . These three companies joined the three companies of the Corps of Colonial Marines , formed in May of that year , to make a new 3rd Battalion Royal and Colonial Marines . The Colonial Marines had made their combat debut on the raid on Pungoteague Creek ( 30 May 1814 ) ; , with one fatal casualty , and had then carried out incursions at Chesconessex Creek in June and Onancock in August and were involved in the Washington campaign with one man killed and three wounded . Prior to the establishment of the Corps , some of its men had been employed to good effect as scouts and guides with raiding parties . The 3rd Battalion subsequently deployed to Cumberland Island along with the 1st and 2nd Battalions . When news reached the troops that peace had been made , the 3rd Battalion embarked on 10 March , disembarking on Ireland Island , Bermuda , on 21 March . The battalion ' s several Colonial companies were renamed the 3rd Battalion Colonial Marines and , after sixteen months of garrison duty in the new Royal Naval Dockyard , were settled on new lands in Trinidad on 20 August 1816 , forming the community of ' The Merikens ' in the areas known since then as the ' Company Villages ' . The three remaining Royal Marine companies of the original 3rd Battalion departed Bermuda in May 1815 to return to England . These books are accessible online via Google Books