Samuel Carpenter may not be a man widely known, but for Marines, his establishment, the Tun Tavern, is legendary. With beer flowing, and promises of adventure, in Carpenter’s tavern the first five companies of Marine Corps would be formed. For 246 years, their fight and sacrifice continue to live.

Created a year before the United States adopted the Declaration of Independence, the story of the Marines begins in November of 1775. As the American Revolution waged on, the Continental Congress passed a resolution calling for “two Battalions of Marines to be raised.” But the history is a bit more complicated, and much more grand.

Samuel Carpenter

Carpenter would never be a Marine. He wouldn’t fight for the United States, and as a Quaker, opposed warfare in general. But he grew up in a house where his father was the Sheriff of Horsham, a small town in Sussex, England.

Carpenter wouldn’t grow up in the Quaker faith, but would adopt it in early adulthood. The embrace of a new faith was most probably fueled when he was 21 years old, and his father was murdered in the line of duty. Shortly after, Carpenter would take on the new faith, while also leaving England for Barbados, in 1673.

In Barbados, Carpenter would cause a good deal of trouble. In the decade he lived there, he would be fined twice for “not appearing or not sending men in arms to render military service.” He would also face severe persecution for preaching Christianity to slaves. Being a Quaker, and on an island that centered around slavery in regard to their economy, he was not very welcomed.

But Carpenter was also complicated. While he was a Quaker, and seemingly seen the introduction of African slaves as distasteful, he was also known to have enslaved Alice of Dunk’s Ferry. And later on, his own tavern would become a center for military recruitment, even though he opposed war.

In 1683, Carpenter would leave Barbados, and then settle in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By that time, he had amassed a good deal of wealth, having sold his property in Barbados, while also having much of his inheritance from his father still intact. With that wealth, he would start investing in local property, while also constructing his own businesses.

Carpenter would construct the first wharf in Philadelphia, which became known as the Carpenter’s Wharf. It would be able to handle ships of 500 tons or more, and would quickly become busy. He would also build the first Coffee House in the city, which would become a place where politics would be discussed, and plans for developing the country laid out. Later on, such establishments would become house of revolution.

Quite possibly his most important construction though was the Tun Tavern, a brewhouse that was located at Carpenter’s Wharf. The name came from the Old English word “tun,” which referred to a barrel of beer. Besides beer, coffee would also be served, which would become very important later on.

Tun Tavern

Carpenter would pass away on April 10, 1714. But his legacy would live on. The Tun Tavern would continue to move forward, and in the 1740s, a restaurant, “Peggy Mullan’s Red Hot Beef Steak Club” was added.

Tun Tavern would quickly become a major meeting place. In 1732, it would become the birthplace of Masonic teachings in America. It would also host the first meetings of both the St. George’s Society and St. Andrew Societies, which sought to help newly arrived Englishmen and Scottish, respectively.

Quite possibly it’s most important legacy, for the United States at least, started in 1756. There, Benjamin Franklin would use the tavern as a recruitment area for the Pennsylvania militia, as they prepared to fight Native American uprisings.

The Tavern was becoming increasingly a go to stop when it came to revolution. And then in 1773, the first significant act of defiance by Americans took place; the Boston Tea Party. Coffee would take a new place of honor, as the drink of revolution; the drink of the Americans.

Places like Tun Tavern, places that served coffee, took on a new importance. They had long been meeting places, places to discuss politics. But now they were increasingly becoming places where the revolution was being planned.

Tun Tavern would hold a special place. Sitting within its hall, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and the Continental Congress would host a meeting. Shortly after, in October of 1775, a Naval Committee, including John Adams, would craft articles of war in order to build America’s first naval fleet.

Then, on November 10, 1775, a date that is honored by Marines to this day, the Second Continental Congress commissioned Samuel Nicholas, a former Quaker himself, to raise two battalions of Marines. The Continental Marines were born.

The Fight Begins

Nicholas was quite familiar with the Tun Tavern. Being a Freemason, he belonged to the Masonic Lodge that met at the Tavern. And when it came time to raise the two battalions of Marines, he knew exactly where to go.

The men Nicholas was looking for was a new breed of fighters. They sought adventure, and had to be fearless. Being the owner of the Conestoga Wagon Tavern, and having seen his own share of bar room brawls, he had the perfect candidates in mind.

But he needed help. So Nicholas met with Robert Mullen, the manager of Tun Tavern, and appointed him the chief Marine Recruiter. With beers in hand, they would begin the work of recruiting members of the newly founded Continental Marines

For the first few months, these Marines would serve aboard Navy vessels. It wouldn’t be until March 3, 1776, that they would engage in their first action.

They would journey to the Caribbean on a search for military supplies. Captain Samuel Nicholas would lead the 220 Marines in the storming of the beaches of the British-held island of New Providences, in the Bahamas. Having landed near Nassau, they would largely be unopposed. They would only meet a small resistance, before they took over the town, as well as two forts.

The supplies that the Marines would capture from Nassau would end up being put to good use by George Washington and his Continental Army.

In 1783, the Revolutionary War was over, and the United States had achieved American Independence. With that though, there was seemingly no more use for the Continental Navy, and with that, the Marines. The Navy fleet would be sold off, and the Marines fell out of existence.

For 15 years, the Marines would cease to exist, as it wasn’t economically feasible to keep them going. But it wasn’t their death. On July 11, 1798, Congress ordered the establishment of the U.S. Marine Corps. They would become a permanent military force that would be under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Navy. President John Adams would sign the bill into law; a suiting fit.

The Marines would be pushed instantly into the Quasi-War with France, which had begun on July 7. It was during that action that the Marines would rise to fame, and many of their traditions formed. It was then that they would forever become known as Leathernecks, because new recruits would be issued “one stock of black leather and clasp,” worn to protect their necks during sword fights.

Onward

Since their inception, the Marines have participated in every war the United States have fought, and more often than not, they were the first soldiers to fight. They would also be sent in to fight when other issues would arise.

One such issue began in 1801, while the United States found themselves having to deal with piracy in the Mediterranean. Pirates had begun to raid American merchant ships, and often held the crews and cargo at very costly ransoms.

President Jefferson would first send in the U.S. Navy to fight back. But in 1805, it was the Marines who were sent forth to finish the job. Led by Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon, a small contingent of Marines arrived in Egypt.

They would set off on a 50-day march across the desert to Derma, in modern day Libya. Finally reaching their destination, on April 27, they assaulted the city, and successfully seized it, under cover of a bombardment by the U.S. Navy.

It would mark the first battle the United States waged on foreign soil, and eventually led to a peace deal in the First Barbary War. The battle would also be memorialized in the line, “Shores of Tripoli,” which is the now famous line in the Marines’ Hymn.

World War I would truly distinguish the Marines on the battlefields, and the 4^th Marine Brigade would become known as “Devil Dogs.” It also would begin a new chapter in the history books of the Marines.

After establishing their reputation as being fierce fighters during World War I, especially during the Battle of the Argonne Forest in France, which was critical in the Allied push to end the war, the Marines would come home and work to forever deserve that reputation.

Starting in 1920, an intensive program of professional education would be established, making their soldiers more disciplined, better trained, and better equipped. The doctrines and practices needed for amphibious warfare were also being developed in earnest, creating an even more fearsome Marine Corps.

In this new Marine culture, a new importance was placed on their birthday. While the Marine Corps birthday had been observed on July 11 from 1799 to 1920, at least officially, that date would be changed to November 10th, the date the Continental Marines were formed, on November 1, 1921.

November 10^th was seen as the original birthday, and it helped reinforce the idea that the Marines were part of something greater than just themselves. It served as a reminder of the sacrifice that previous generations had made, and the sacrifices that were expected of them.

The order that established the birthday, Marine Corps Order No. 47, Series 1921, by Commandant of the Marine Corps, General John A. Lejeune, would create something new. While previously, the birthday of the Marine Corp was celebrated on July 11^th, it was done to no big fanfare.

But November 10th would take on a new importance. It became a day of camaraderie, a day to really celebrate. It became a day to honor those who had fallen, as well as to remember the bonds of brotherhood. It became a day to reflect on their history as Marines, and the history of the United States. It became a day of celebration, that Marines were expected to participate in, and enjoyed participating in.

Normandy?

After WWI, and the establishment of an official birthdate, the Marines had largely been recreated. They had a reputation to maintain, and were well prepared to do just that. When World War II kicked off, that the Marines would play a large part was of little question.

Having put a new focus on amphibious warfare, including increased training in the field, it would appear as if they would have been the perfect soldiers to participate in the Normandy Invasion, which is quite possibly the most famous amphibious assault. Yet, they were largely absent.

Instead, their primary objective harkened back to their earliest days; they were used as sharpshooters. Being responsible for helping to clear a way for Navy Ships, they were entrusted to shoot the floating mines that had been placed, in order to detonate them. But as the invasion began, the Marines were held back.

As the invasion continued, and the battle began to look grim, the Marines were forced to continue to watch the carnage from the U.S.S. Texas. Why they were held back was possibly because of an ongoing rivalry between the Army and the Marines. With the leaders of the Allied Forces being Army generals, there was little want to share the spotlight. As Journalist W. Thomas Smith wrote, leaders didn’t want headlines to read, “Marines save Rangers at Normandy.”

However, the Marines would see their fair share of action during WWII. In the Pacific, they played a crucial role as they hopped from one island to another. They would see battles on Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Tarawa, Guadalcanal, as well as elsewhere.

In the end though, whether they are at the forefront, or they stay behind, what has established the Marines as a great force is their deep loyalty to the country. While they are the smallest member of the U.S. Armed Forces, they have distinguished themselves nonetheless.