American Civil War 1861 1865

President: James Buchanan

Commandant of the USMC: Col. John Harris 1859-1864  BGen. Jacob Zeilin 1864-1876

Manning of the USMC: 48 Officers, 2,338 enlisted

USMC Causalities: Dead-148, Wounded-131

Weapons Used: .58 Cal. U.S. Rifle Musket Model 1855  .52 Cal. Sharps Percussion Rifle

1860 sees the election of Abraham Lincoln as President with 33 states in the Union. The Southern states seeing  this event as the expiration of their last hope for continued attachment to the Union began to declare succession.

On 20 Dec. 1860, South Carolina succeeds. By the inauguration of Lincoln, seven states had left the Union. Before long South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and North Carolina had left.

On Feb. 18th Jefferson Davis was elected President of the Confederate States. At 4:30 on 12 April the shelling of the Federal fort in Charleston Harbor, (Fort Sumter) begins.

This conflict was one of the most pivotal in American history. It changed America from a "we will" to "we are" status in the eyes of world, made America a country-not a grouping of states, abolished slavery, left 600 thousand Americans dead, introduced the world to modern warfare- with railroads supporting military operations, naval mines, submarines, trench warfare, introduced electronic warfare communications, land mines, machine guns, and total war.

While the U.S. Marine Corps was but a small part of the Federal forces arrayed against the Confederacy, as a result of the Northern strategy of blockade of the Southern sea ports,; it was destined play a minor but important role in the successful end to the Civil War.

Just as emotions associated with the Civil War tore the country apart, so did the Marine Corps fracture. While few enlisted men left the Corps; the officer ranks were decimated with more than 20 of 63 men resigning their commissions and "going south." Many of these were the best field officers of the Corps of the time. (Interestingly, even today, the majority of the Corps is composed of Marines from the south and south eastern United States.)

Leathernecks promptly garrisoned forts and batteries around Washington and Leathernecks assisted in holding Fort Pickens outside of Pensacola Fl., which prevented the Confederates from making full use of the captured Federal facilities and Naval Yard.

Marines sabotaged Federal ships, buildings and equipment at the Navy Yard at Norfolk Va. to prevent them from falling into Confederate hands.

However, the Marine's first combat action was not among it's most shining. A battalion of 12 officers and 353 enlisted men, commanded by Brevet Maj. John Reynolds marched south in Jul. of 1861. While some of the officers were well tried with experience in the Mexican War and other Marine Corps deployments, the majority of the enlisted men had less than 3 weeks in uniform and little training.

Along with the rest of the Federal troops, the Marines advanced to Bull Run (or Manassas). Original Federal advances went well, but reinforced by rail, the Confederate line held upon the crest of Henry House Hill. Faced with a cavalry charge led by Col. J.E.B. Stuart the Federal forces folded.

Marines saw service aboard naval ships, and as security at naval stations, plus boarding parties, landing forces and as crew at shore based artillery batteries.

The Corps' first Medal of Honor would be won in action, (as luck would have it against Confederate Marine Corps forces) at Drewry's Bluff on the James River in VA south of Richmond, by Cpl. John Mackie.

Marines assaulted positions along the coast and participated in the Mobile Bay, New Orleans and Mississippi River campaigns.

Marine boarding parties assisted, as noted earlier, in blockade interdiction and were part of an incident which almost drew Britain into the war on the side of the south. On 8 Nov. 1861, Marines boarded the Royal Mail Steam Packet ship Trent to capture Confederate envoys to England and France. Marines escorted Confederates Mason and Slidell to captivity. Britain demanded their release and to avoid an opening for the English to enter the war, Lincoln released the men to a British ship.

Leathernecks were also involved in two ill fated operations, the attempted recapture of Fort Sumter and the amphibious/land assault on Fort Fischer.

Campaigns and dates:

First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas VA) 21 Jul. 1861

Destruction of Confederate Privateer Judah (off Pensacola FL) 14 Sept. 1861

Destruction of Confederate schooner Royal Yacht (off Galveston TX) 7-8 Nov. 1861

Battle of Port Royal (SC) 8 Nov. 1861

Battle of Hatteras Inlet (NC) 7-8 Feb.1862

Battle of Fort Cobb (near Elizabeth City, NC) 10 Feb. 1862

Battle of Winston (NC) 19 Feb. 1862

Cumberland vs. Confederate ironclad Merrimac 8 Mar. 1862

Minnesota vs. Merrimac 9 Mar. 1862

Battle of Slocum Creek (NC) 13 Mar. 1862

New London vs. 2 Confederate steamers (near pass Christian, VA) 25 Mar. 1862

Battle of New Orleans 24-28 Apr. 1862

Battle of Fort Macon (NC) 25 Apr. 1862

Battle of Drewry's Bluff (near Richmond VA) 15 May 1862

Expedition up the Santee River 24 June 1862

Admiral Farragut's fleet vs. Confederate batteries 28 June 1862

Admiral Farragut's fleet vs. Confederate ram Arkansas (near Vicksburg) 15 Jul. 1862

Keystone State vs. two Confederate ironclads (near Charleston) 31 Jan. 1863

Expedition up Red River (Louisiana) 10 Mar- 14 Apr. 1863

Battle of Port Hudson (MS) 14 Mar. 1863

Attack on Fort Sumter 8 Sept. 1863

capture of Stono (SC) 28 Dec. 1863

Wabash vs. Confederate torpedo boat (off Charleston) 18 Apr. 1864

4 Federal vessels vs. Confederate ram Albermarle (near New Bern NC) 5 May 1864

Kearsarge vs. Confederate Alabama (off Cherbourg, France) 10 June 1864

Battle of Mobile Bay 5-23 May 1864

Battle of Boyd's Neck & Honey Hill (SC) 28-30 Nov. 1864

Battle of Derang's Neck or Tullifinney Cross Road (SC) 6-9 Dec. 1864

Battle of Fort Fischer (NC) 23-25 Dec. 1864

Capture of Fort Fischer 13-15 Jan 1865.