gunga55 Military: May 2007

Confederate States Marine Corps

A Corps Such as Our Own: A Brief Look at the Confederate States Marine Corps by Lt Col Richard M. Schmitz
Marines who fought with a rebel yell.
Introduction:
Much has been written about the exploits of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) throughout its history, and many a book has been penned on a multitude of topics covering the American Civil War. Justifiably, the USMC can be proud of its accomplishments in the Civil War, from the awarding of its first Medal of Honor to Cpl John F. Mackie to the assaults on Fort Fisher, SC. Yet, also during the Civil War, not much is known, let alone written, about a Corps such as our own: the Confederate States Marine Corps (CSMC).

1 Even before shots were fired on 12 April 1861 at Fort Sumter, SC, the Congress of the Confederate States established a Corps of Marines. On 16 March 1861, the CSMC came into existence commanded by a major and comprised of a battalion of six companies.

2 An amendatory act was passed on 20 May 1861 that enlarged the CSMC to 10 companies commanded by a colonel.

3 The Confederate States Congress authorized an end strength of 989 Marines consisting of: 1 Colonel, 1 Lieutenant Colonel, 1 Major, 1 Quartermaster (Major), 1 Adjutant (Major), 1 Sergeant Major, 1 Quartermaster Sergeant, 10 Captains, 10 First Lieutenants, 20 Second Lieutenants, 40 Sergeants, 40 Corporals, 840 Privates, 10 Drummers, 10 Fifers and 2 musicians.

4 A paymaster (major) was also included in the supplemental act bringing the total strength to 990 Marines.

5 The CSMC was later enlarged on 24 September 1862 to 1,072 by adding 20 sergeants, 20 corporals, 20 drummers, 20 fifers, and two principal musicians.

6 Interestingly, the size of the USMC at the opening shot of the Civil War was 1,768, which included the President's Own (Marine Band).

7 The peak strength of the USMC would reach 3,881 in February 1865 whereas the Confederate Marines mustered less than 600 at its zenith.

8 A report by the Confederate Commandant on 30 October 1864 reflected a total of 539 Marines, of which 67 were prisoners of war and 32 were recruits, leaving an effective strength of 440 Marines.

9 Despite its relatively small size, the CSMC distinguished itself in many ways throughout the duration of the Civil War. The CSMC drew upon the collective experience of the other American Marine Corps to ensure it was established on a firm foundation. The CSMC was created with an eye on its brethren USMC whereby the Confederate Congress stated that: All laws of the United States heretofore enacted for the government of the officers, seamen, and Marines of the Navy of the United States, that are not inconsistent with the provisions of this act, are hereby adopted and applied to the officers, seamen, and Marines of the Navy of the Confederate States.

10 Therefore, the origins and the role of the CSMC in the Civil War would not be unlike that of its precursor with rebel Marines defending shore installations, embarking on ships, and engaging in numerous battles with enemy land forces when the need arose. Due to a lack of able-bodied seamen in the Confederate Navy, rebel Marines were called upon to maintain discipline and man the deck guns of the ship more so than their counterparts in the USMC. In addition, the CSMC was seen as a unique organization that could be relied upon to take on special assignments when the need arose and carried out these varied duties with a high degree of success despite its nascent beginnings and small numbers.

11 What was created on paper by the Confederate Congress had to be fleshed out with able bodies in a short period of time to contribute effectively in the war of northern aggression. To this end, the origins of the CSMC were grafted from the pre-Civil War USMC. Origins of the CSMC The bulk of the CSMC officer corps were seasoned veterans from the USMC who tendered their resignations in order to offer their services for the cause of the South. Fifty-six officers were appointed to the CSMC throughout the Civil War and 19 of these were former USMC officers.

12 An interesting note is that the Confederate Commandant was actually a former U.S. Army officer. MAJ Lloyd J. Beall, a West Point graduate, was a paymaster in the U.S. Army stationed at St. Louis, MO when he tendered his resignation and headed south. Although born at Fort Adams, RI, he was a Marylander who married the daughter of a South Carolina senator, and his loyalties were with the South. Beall was appointed a colonel and Commandant (the only one of the CSMC) on 23 May 1861 and served in this capacity throughout the war.

13 With the transfer of the Confederate capital from Montgomery, AL to Richmond, VA, Col Beall established the CSMC Headquarters in Richmond as well. The training of officers and enlisted Marines took place a short distance to the south of Richmond at Drewry's Bluff overlooking the James River. The CSMC benefited from the experience and training of many former Marine officers who also tendered their resignations (or attempted to prior to being unceremoniously dismissed from the USMC). Of note were Maj Tyler, Adjutant and Inspector of the Marine Corps, and Maj Terrett, hero of the Battle for Mexico City in the Mexican-American War, who both joined the CSMC. Tyler was appointed to the sole lieutenant colonel billet and Terrett was appointed a major in charge of the battalion stationed at Drewry's Bluff in the defense of Richmond.

14 In all, 21 USMC officers chose to foreswear their allegiance to the Grand Old Flag and take up arms with the South. 2nd Lt Sayre was the first to resign and was appointed a first lieutenant in the Confederate Marines. 1st Lt Read resigned, and although he never served with the CSMC, he was appointed a captain in the 1st Georgia Regulars. 1st Lt's Holmes, Hays, Baker, Tyler (son of Maj Tyler), Turner, Meiere, Greene, Tattnall, and Wilson tendered their resignations from the USMC and were appointed either first lieutenants or captains in the CSMC commensurate with their time in service and experience in the USMC.

15 Capt's Taylor, Simms, and Rich also tendered their USMC resignations and were appointed as captains, or in Taylor's case a major, in the CSMC based on their stature in the USMC. Capt Rich originally entered the Virginia Marines, but after consolidation with the CSMC, retained his rank until declared incompetent and released from active service. Capt Tansill resigned as well and accepted an appointment as a CSMC captain, but later resigned and became a colonel in the 2nd Virginia Artillery Battalion.

16 2nd Lt’s Howell (brother-in-law of President Jefferson Davis), Ingraham, and Dawson also resigned their USMC commissions and were appointed first lieutenants in the CSMC. 1st Lt Stark also resigned but was not commissioned in the CSMC. Interestingly, former USMC Commandant Gen Archibald Henderson's son, Richard (who had no prior USMC service), served in the CSMC as a first lieutenant and his other son, 1st Lt Charles Henderson, was stricken from the rolls as disloyal despite the fact that he was medically retired and did not serve with the CSMC. LCDR Allison, USN resigned his Navy commission as a paymaster and was appointed a major in the CSMC and became its paymaster.

17 Three other CSMC officers had served with the U.S. Navy or Coast Survey, and three others were directly appointed from the civilian sector (most notable of the civilian captain appointees were Thom and Van Benthuysen who distinguished themselves during the war), and the remainder came from the Provisional Army of the Confederate States.

18 The organization of the CSMC into companies under the nominal control of a regimental headquarters was different from the organization of the USMC at that time. The USMC was organized under Marine barracks, and ship detachments were sent out accordingly from those barracks near the ship's home port. The intent of the CSMC was to train officers and enlisted Marines at Drewry's Bluff (similar to the USMC training at Marine Barracks, Washington DC) and then send them out to man ship detachments or "barracks" at designated ports or installations. The captains were responsible for recruiting their own companies and not until later in the war were recruiting offices established throughout the South. Initial enlistments were for 4 years, but later changed to 3 when recruiting goals were not met (a problem the CSMC experienced throughout the war).

19 A good example of the problem of enlisting and retaining Marines can be seen in the case of the sergeant major's billet. The Sergeant Major of the CSMC position was vacant until 1 February 1864, when a suitable application from Edwin Wallace was received and approved. Wallace, the son of a sergeant major of the Royal Marines, had served in the Royal Marines as well, and was educated at the Duke of York Military School in London. Recruited by Capt Meiere out of Mobile, AL, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant major and transferred to the battalion at Drewry's Bluff. Yet, he was later reduced in the ranks on 25 July 1864 and deserted 5 days later over a deep-seated disagreement with the Commandant over supposed promises made to him about his enlistment by his recruiter Capt Meiere. In a letter to the Commandant, Capt Meiere stated he promised nothing.

20 Initially, the Confederate Marines were recruited from Montgomery, AL (the capital of the Confederacy at that time) and New Orleans, LA. The men were organized into companies and served primarily at the Navy Yard in Pensacola, FL for the first year of the war under the commands of Capt's Van Benthuysen, Thom, and Holmes. On 26 July 1861, Lt Col Tyler took command of the 300 Marines when the Marine battalion, made up of the 3 companies, was attached to the 3rd Brigade of the Army of Pensacola. Also in the spring of 1861, 1st Lt Howell took a company of 150 rebel Marines to New Orleans in defense of the harbor.

21 Upon the Federal bombardment of Pensacola, the battalion transferred its companies piecemeal to Virginia and completed the movement, with a small detachment remaining at Mobile, AL around 24 February 1862.

22 The bulk of the CSMC remained in the Richmond area at Camp Beall on Drewry's Bluff and at the Navy Shipyard, Norfolk, VA with smaller units deploying to Wilmington, NC; Charleston, SC; and Savannah, GA. From these locations, rebel Marines formed ship detachments and embarked on numerous vessels to include ironclads and cruisers that preyed upon Northern shipping. The largest Marine contingent that served on board a ship was the detachment of 55 officers and men who served on the ironclad CSS Virginia (formerly the USS Merrimac).

23 Marines served aboard the CSS Sumter, CSS Shenandoah (recruited from Australian stowaways while visiting Melbourne, Australia), CSS Alabama, CSS Atlanta (rechristened the Tallahassee and also known as the Olustee),CSS Tennessee, CSS Chickamauga, and the gunboat Gaines,to name a few.

24 The rebel Marines would prove their mettle both ashore and afloat in the ensuing exploits. Exploits of the CSMC One of the most notable events of the Civil War involved a duel off Hampton Roads,VA. between the Union ironclad Monitor and the Confederate ironclad Merrimac (known in the South as the CSS Virginia) on 8-9 March 1862. Capt Thom and his Marines manned several guns during the standoff and performed well enough to be mentioned in ADM Buchanan's report, "the Marine Corps was well represented by Capt Thom, whose tranquil mien gave evidence that the hottest fire was no novelty to him."

25 Although the Marines were not able to perform their traditional role of sniping and boarding the enemy ship or repelling boarders, their skill and daring behind the deck guns was exemplary and showed that the Marines were an integral part of the ship's complement. This type of action would be repeated throughout the Confederate States Navy wherever Marines were present. The Marines redeployed to Drewry's Bluff when the Virginia was trapped in the James River by Union forces and she was scuttled to prevent her capture.

26 With the Marines firmly entrenched on the heights at Drewry's Bluff along the James River; preparations were completed for the anticipated Union flotilla that would attempt to reach the Confederate capital at Richmond. On 15 May 1862, a Federal squadron comprised of the ironclad USS Monitor, the armor-plated gunboat USS Galena, and the wooden gunboats Aroostook and Port Royal tried unsuccessfully to run the gauntlet at Drewry's Bluff. Along with the accurate cannon fire, the Marine sharpshooters were effective as evidenced by wounding the commanding officer of the USS Port Royal and trading heavy volume of fire with the U.S. Marines embarked on the ships.

27 Cpl Mackie earned his Medal of Honor in this engagement embarked on board the USS Galena. The Marine battalion at Drewry's Bluff would remain until fighting late in the war caused them to retreat with GEN Robert E. Lee's army. The Confederate Marines were called upon many times for special missions such as the plan to capture Federal ironclads anchored off of Charleston Harbor. The plan called for the Marines, under the command of Capt Wilson, to board the ships at night and disable the engine by dropping sulfur, gunpowder, and wet blankets down the smokestack. Once this was completed, the Marines would wait for the gassed victims to emerge and surrender or die from suffocation. Training was conducted and the Marines were ready, yet the Union armada of nine ironclads sailed into Charleston Harbor on 6 April 1863 and received such a terrible shelling that the fleet withdrew and the mission was scrubbed when the threat vanished. The Marines returned to Drewry's Bluff to await other special operations.

28 Capt Wilson's Confederate Marines were instrumental in the special operation to "cut out" the USS Underwriter from the flotilla anchored at New Bern,NC. on 2 February 1864. After a brief but violent hand-to-hand fight, the Marines and sailors under CMDR Wood, USN was successful in capturing and destroying the ship. CMDR Wood commented afterward on the bravery displayed by the Marines that, "as a body they would be a credit to any organization, and that I will be glad to be associated with them on duty at any time."

29 The rebel Marines were also successful on 2 June 1864 in cutting out the USS Water Witch near Savannah, GA in a 10-minute bloody battle on her decks and adding her to the Confederate Navy complement.

30 The fortunes of war favored the North, and the pressure of land and sea invasion forced the rebel Marines to abandon many of its shore installations and ships or fight until captured or defeated. The tide had turned and the Union forces were bearing down on Richmond. Along with the Southern cause, the CSMC's days were numbered. The Eclipse of the CSMC With the evacuation of Wilmington, NC and Charleston, SC, the Marine units made their way to Richmond. Many of the ship detachments prior to capture also struck out for the capital once their ships were trapped by the Federal blockade and no hope of breaking out was possible. The mass of Confederate Marines now assembled at Drewry's Bluff also took part in the final defense of Richmond. Along with displaced and shipless seamen, the Marines were organized into a naval brigade under the overall command of CAPT (flag officer) Tucker, USN. On 2 April 1865, the brigade retreated toward Appomattox, VA and 2 days later fought a pitched battle with the pursuing Federals at Sayler's Creek.

31 The Marine battalion fought courageously in savage hand-to-hand combat with the 37th Massachusetts and 121st New York Regiments in rain-swollen marshland and repulsed the attack of the Federals. The 37th Massachusetts regimental commander credited his unit's use of Spencer repeating rifles as the only reason they were able to avoid disaster at the hands of the Marines.

32 The remnants of the naval brigade were surrounded at day's end, and with the outcome hopeless, Capt Tucker surrendered his forces, which included at least 57 Marines.

33 The remains of the Confederate Marines withdrew to Appomattox and surrendered with GEN Lee on 9 April 1865. Twenty-nine Marines were present when the Stars and Bars were furled for the last time at Appomattox Court House. 1st Lt Richard Henderson (former USMC Commandant Gen Archibald Henderson's son) was the senior Marine present on that day when the Confederate Corps capitulated alongside the Army of Northern Virginia.

34 The last rebel Marines to surrender in the war were north of Mobile on 10 May 1865.

35 Conclusion: The CSMC had come full circle with the surrender of the Marine detachment in Alabama. The first Confederate Marines were raised from the state of Alabama 4 years prior to stand up a Corps such as our own. Based on the principle laid down by USMC Commandant Gen Archibald Henderson prior to the Civil War, the USMC was to be ready to respond instantly to any emergency. To the credit of Col Beall and his experienced officers, the CSMC abided by the same principle. With a battalion-sized unit close to the CSMC Headquarters, the Marines were ready and capable of responding in short notice to emerging threats and special operations. The CSMC did not become a casualty of the war by becoming an odd organization of seagoing infantry split up into ineffective units and scattered to the far winds. Despite its small size, the CSMC distinguished itself numerous times and was constantly called upon and in demand not only by the Confederate Navy, but also by the Army as well. On four separate occasions throughout the war, the CSMC received official thanks from the Confederate Congress.

36 Even in the Confederacy's waning days, the rebel Marines did not give up without a fight. One Union soldier after the Battle of Sayler's Creek stated, "Those Marines fought like tigers and against odds of at least ten to one."

37 Whether on land or sea, the rebel Marines fought with valor and a tenacity only expected of an elite fighting force. The CSMC, although short lived, carried itself notably and could be seen as an implicit extension of the principle of a force in readiness as espoused long before the Civil War by Gen Archibald Henderson. One should accept nothing less from today's Marine Corps and as exhibited from a Corps such as our own-the CSMC.

Note: Most of the official records of the CSMC were maintained by the CSMC Commandant Col Beall and his staff and subsequently destroyed by fire upon the orders of Mr. Mallory, the Secretary of the Confederate States Navy, presumably to prevent them from falling into the hands of the enemy according to a letter written by Col Beall, CSMC to Capt Cochrane, USMC on 21 September 1880.