- Joined
- Jun 21, 2012
- Location
- Louisville, KY
Awhile back I was on looking for information on the C.S.M.C. as there isnt much written about them or the United States Marine Corps for that matter during the ACW. After having various books and websites recommended I thought I would share some of the general information I came across.
On March 16, 1861 the provisional Confederate gov't authorized a Confederate States Marine Corps. It's leadership for a great majority of the war consisted of the following:
Commandant - Colonel Lloyd J. Beall
Asst Commandant - Lt. Col Henry B. Tyler
Quartermaster - Maj Algernon S. Taylor
Paymaster - Maj. Richard T. Allison
Adjutant - Maj. Israel Greene
SgtMaj of C.S.M.C. - SgtMaj Edwin Wallace
There were 6 companies of Marines (A,B,C,D,E, & F) and the HQ staff. None of the companies ever reached full strength and the entire C.S.M.C. never numbered more than size of a standard regiment however they did serve the length of the war and in a number of engagements from 1861 through 1865.
The C.S.M.C. was headquartered at Camp Beall, Drewy's Bluff, VA
Marine Barracks were located at various naval stations around the CSA including:
Norfolk, Richmond, Savannah, Wilmington, Mobile, Charleston, and Pensacola.
This is a incomplete list of some of the Confederate vessels Marines served aboard during the war
CSS Atlanta CSS Morgan CSS Sumter
CSS Baltic CSS Nashville CSS Virginia
CSS Charleston CSS North Carolina CSS Virgina II
CSS Chicora CSS Palmetto State CSS Shenandoah
CSS Drewy CSS Patrick Henry CSS Chickamauga
CSS Fredricksburg CSS Raleigh CSS Tallahassee
CSS Gaines CSS Resolute CSS Georgia
CSS Huntress CSS Richmond CSS Stonewall
CSS Jamestown CSS Sampson CSS McRae
CSS Macon CSS Savannah CSS Tennessee
Multiple times Confederate Marines were involved in land engagements or land to ship engagements including:
Bombardment of Ship Island, Mississippi - July 9, 1861
Battle of Port Royal, SC - November 7, 1861
Bombardment of Pensacola, FL - November 22-23, 1861
1st and 2nd Battles of Drewy's Bluff - May 15, 1862/May 9-16, 1864
Defense of Charleston - 1863 to 1865 and the fall of the city
Defense of Mobile Bay - 1864
Siege of Savannah - 1864
Battle of Fort Fisher - Dec 64-Jan 65
Battle of Sayler's Creek - April 6, 1865
Battle of Fort Blakely - April 2-9, 1865
This is not to mention the various naval actions of the war involving Marines aboard Confederate vessels however I'll just list some of the more significant of these actions:
Battle of Hampton Roads - March 8-9, 1862
Battle of New Orleans - April 24, 1862
Battle of Wassaw Sound - June 17, 1863
Capture of the USS Underwriter - February 2, 1864
Capture of the USS Water Witch - June 3, 184
Battle of Mobile Bay - August 5, 1864
One battle CS Marines were inconspicuously absent from on the high seas was the battle between the USS Kearsarge and CSS Alabama. Only one CS Marine was aboard the Alabama and that was Semmes' personal friend 1LT Becket K. Howell who had been the Marine guard detachment commander aboard the CSS Sumter.
Towards the end of the war as Confederate forces disintegrated so did the C.S.M.C. various Marines surrendered as ships fell, battles were lost, and forts surrendered. It appears the last Marines were those aboard the CSS Shenandoah when it finally returned to port on Nov 6, 1865 and its crew paroled by British authorities.
Sources:
The Confederate States Marine Corps: The Rebel Leathernecks
By Ralph W. Donnelly, White Mane Publishing Co. 1989
American Civil War Marines 1861-1865
By Ron Field, Osprey Publishing 2004
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_States_Marine_Corps
http://csmc-photos.org/
http://www.wargame.ch/wc/acw/Newsletters/March04/confederate_states_marine_corps.htm
http://www.civilwarhome.com/marines.htm
I'll also include the link to my book review on Donnelly's work and the original thread when I first inquired about the Confederate States Marine Corps.
Book review - http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads...es-marine-corps-the-rebel-leathernecks.74423/
Original Thread - http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/confederate-states-marine-corps.73973/
On March 16, 1861 the provisional Confederate gov't authorized a Confederate States Marine Corps. It's leadership for a great majority of the war consisted of the following:
Commandant - Colonel Lloyd J. Beall
Asst Commandant - Lt. Col Henry B. Tyler
Quartermaster - Maj Algernon S. Taylor
Paymaster - Maj. Richard T. Allison
Adjutant - Maj. Israel Greene
SgtMaj of C.S.M.C. - SgtMaj Edwin Wallace
There were 6 companies of Marines (A,B,C,D,E, & F) and the HQ staff. None of the companies ever reached full strength and the entire C.S.M.C. never numbered more than size of a standard regiment however they did serve the length of the war and in a number of engagements from 1861 through 1865.
The C.S.M.C. was headquartered at Camp Beall, Drewy's Bluff, VA
Marine Barracks were located at various naval stations around the CSA including:
Norfolk, Richmond, Savannah, Wilmington, Mobile, Charleston, and Pensacola.
This is a incomplete list of some of the Confederate vessels Marines served aboard during the war
CSS Atlanta CSS Morgan CSS Sumter
CSS Baltic CSS Nashville CSS Virginia
CSS Charleston CSS North Carolina CSS Virgina II
CSS Chicora CSS Palmetto State CSS Shenandoah
CSS Drewy CSS Patrick Henry CSS Chickamauga
CSS Fredricksburg CSS Raleigh CSS Tallahassee
CSS Gaines CSS Resolute CSS Georgia
CSS Huntress CSS Richmond CSS Stonewall
CSS Jamestown CSS Sampson CSS McRae
CSS Macon CSS Savannah CSS Tennessee
Multiple times Confederate Marines were involved in land engagements or land to ship engagements including:
Bombardment of Ship Island, Mississippi - July 9, 1861
Battle of Port Royal, SC - November 7, 1861
Bombardment of Pensacola, FL - November 22-23, 1861
1st and 2nd Battles of Drewy's Bluff - May 15, 1862/May 9-16, 1864
Defense of Charleston - 1863 to 1865 and the fall of the city
Defense of Mobile Bay - 1864
Siege of Savannah - 1864
Battle of Fort Fisher - Dec 64-Jan 65
Battle of Sayler's Creek - April 6, 1865
Battle of Fort Blakely - April 2-9, 1865
This is not to mention the various naval actions of the war involving Marines aboard Confederate vessels however I'll just list some of the more significant of these actions:
Battle of Hampton Roads - March 8-9, 1862
Battle of New Orleans - April 24, 1862
Battle of Wassaw Sound - June 17, 1863
Capture of the USS Underwriter - February 2, 1864
Capture of the USS Water Witch - June 3, 184
Battle of Mobile Bay - August 5, 1864
One battle CS Marines were inconspicuously absent from on the high seas was the battle between the USS Kearsarge and CSS Alabama. Only one CS Marine was aboard the Alabama and that was Semmes' personal friend 1LT Becket K. Howell who had been the Marine guard detachment commander aboard the CSS Sumter.
Towards the end of the war as Confederate forces disintegrated so did the C.S.M.C. various Marines surrendered as ships fell, battles were lost, and forts surrendered. It appears the last Marines were those aboard the CSS Shenandoah when it finally returned to port on Nov 6, 1865 and its crew paroled by British authorities.
Sources:
The Confederate States Marine Corps: The Rebel Leathernecks
By Ralph W. Donnelly, White Mane Publishing Co. 1989
American Civil War Marines 1861-1865
By Ron Field, Osprey Publishing 2004
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_States_Marine_Corps
http://csmc-photos.org/
http://www.wargame.ch/wc/acw/Newsletters/March04/confederate_states_marine_corps.htm
http://www.civilwarhome.com/marines.htm
I'll also include the link to my book review on Donnelly's work and the original thread when I first inquired about the Confederate States Marine Corps.
Book review - http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads...es-marine-corps-the-rebel-leathernecks.74423/
Original Thread - http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/confederate-states-marine-corps.73973/