In modern warfare, marines are used for amphibious combat—attacks on coastal installations, raiding ships, and so forth. At the time of the Civil War, however, marines were generally used for more mundane purposes: guarding ships, maintaining discipline among sailors, and occasionally manning naval guns. They rarely participated in combat, and when they did it was in a supporting role, which is why the Union and Confederate marine corps played a minimal role in the Civil War.
At its height, the Union’s marine corps numbered about 4,000 enlisted men and officers. Throughout the war, the corps was handicapped by poor leadership, because most of the best young officers in the marines had resigned and joined the Confederacy. The officers who remained were older and found it hard to adapt to the new realities of the Civil War. U. S. Marines did see some combat action, notably at New Orleans, Fort Wagner, and Drewry’s Bluff. However, the majority of U. S. Marines spent the war serving aboard ships as guards and artillerists. Over the course of the Civil War, the U. S. Marine Corps’ battle casualties numbered 175 wounded and 78 killed.
The Confederate marine corps was very small, never numbering more than 500 men. For the entire Civil War, the commandant of the Confederate corps was Lloyd
J. Beall, who proved to be an able leader. He also benefited greatly from the services of the 19 officers that had resigned from the Union marine corps. Despite their limited numbers, Confederate marines tended to see combat action much more frequently than Union marines. In addition to performing shipboard duty, Confederate marines fought at Hampton Roads, Drewry’s Bluff, Mobile Bay, Fort Gaines, Savannah, and Charleston. A large segment of the Confederate marine corps was killed in action at the Battle of Sayler’s Creek on April 6, 1865; most of the rest surrendered at Appomattox Court House, Virginia a few days later.
World History
