Aldrich provides an interesting backdrop to the historical purpose of Marines.
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Part 1 of 2
NATURE AND VALUE OF THE SERVICES OF THE MARINES.— BRIEF SKETCH OF THE MARINE FORCES CONNECTED WITH SOME OF THE EUROPEAN NAVIES, ETC.
THE value of a well-organized, efficient Marine Corps is recognized by all the leading governments of the present day. When united Germany, at the close of the Franco-Prussian war, set about availing herself of all the naval and military strength of the empire, for any future emergencies, one of the first steps taken was to organize a Marine Corps; it was made up of picked men from the Army, and is now one of the most efficient forces in Europe. The Royal Marines of Great Britain, which number 27,000 men in time of war and 15,000 in time of peace, are not excelled in discipline or efficiency by any equal numbers of men in the English Regular Army. The formation of the British Marine Corps dates back to the latter part of the seventeenth century. Lieutenant Nicolas, in his "Historical Record of the Royal Marine Forces," says: "Until the year 1664, the British Navy was manned by means of the system of impress, or by enlisting landsmen; but the commerce of England at that period was so limited that those measures were found inadequate to procure sufficient seamen for the public service, and this difficulty suggested the formation of an establishment of Marines. The men were raised with the object of forming a nursery to man the fleet, and being quartered in or near the principal sea-ports, their great utility in the equipment of squadrons soon made it desirable to augment their strength." In 1664, the order was issued for raising a regiment of Royal Marines. Although the force has witnessed many changes in its system of organization, and was at one time, in 1748, in consequence of the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, temporarily disbanded, it has ever, by bravery and efficiency, proved the wisdom of the original plan for its formation. It was a favorite remark with the immortal Nelson, who fully appreciated the services of the Marines, that when he should become First Lord of the Admiralty, "every fleet should have a perfect battalion of Marines, and, commanded by experienced officers, they would be prepared to make a serious impression on the enemy's coast." Nelson maintained his belief in the efficiency of the Marines till death, and it was a strange yet fitting sequel that when struck by the fatal missile at the bloody fight at Trafalgar, he was borne from the deck by a sergeant and two privates of the Marine Corps into whose arms he fell. In all the principal contests in which Great Britain has engaged during the last century, on land or sea, the Marines have borne a brave, an honorable part. This is especially true of those conflicts carried on in distant countries. In the Ashantee war, no laurels were more honorably or bravely won than those which crowned the record of the Royal Marines.
What has been said of the appreciation of the value of the Marine Corps by the German government is equally true in the case of Italy. When Victor Emanuel established his government at Rome and took the necessary steps to strengthen himself in the enlarged sphere over which his power was extended, one of the first means adopted was to bring the Marine Corps to a high degree of efficiency. The result is, that the Italian Marines are as finely disciplined and organized a body of men as can be found in the service of any nation. Spain, with all the changes in her government, and with all her national weakness, keeps up the high standard of her Marines, and that body of men alone would prove a powerful force for offence or defence in case of a foreign war. France, too, has for many years, in spite of the comparative weakness of her Navy, maintained an excellent Corps of Marines. Sir John Jervis, Earl of St. Vincent, the famous English admiral, who died in 1823, when urging, as necessary to add efficiency to the British Navy, an increase in the number of Marines, pointed to the French Navy and said: "The French, from the era of Louis XIV., have always equipped their fleet sooner than we have, and their bureau de dassc continues in full vigor. Without a large body of Marines, we shall be long, very long, before an efficient fleet can be sent to sea."
Trained, as they are, for duty both on shipboard and on land, the Marines combine the discipline of soldiers and sailors in such a manner as to render their services indispensable in connection with the properly organized Navy of any country. Accustomed by the very nature of their training to the dangers of sea and land, the value of their services cannot be easily estimated. The United States Marine Corps, although composed, comparatively, of a small force of men, has played a most important part in all the struggles through which the nation has passed. Acting as an integral part of the Navy, the Marines have won the highest praise from the naval officers themselves. It is not necessary, in proving the value of the services of the Marines, to bring forward credentials or testimonials to their valor. Yet it is a pleasure, in this connection, to note the opinions of some of the officers whose names have added lustre to our naval records. The men of our Navy have ever justly been a source of pride to the nation, and no small part of the honors which they have won should be shared with the Marines. This fact is willingly acknowledged, by the officers of the Navy. The brave Admiral Farragut thus bore his testimony: "I have always deemed the Marine Guard one of the great essentials of a man-of-war, for the preservation of order and maintenance of discipline. They work and fight their guns well. It is next to impossible to maintain the efficiency of the ship and proper discipline without the restraints of the soldiers over the sailors." And Farragut's successor, Admiral Porter, says : "The Marines are as necessary to the well-being of a ship as the officers. I hope for the good of the service that no attempt will be made to interfere with the Corps in any way, unless to increase it. The Navy would truly feel the blow. I am sure you will not find any advocate for touching the Marine Corps amongst any officers of experience in the Navy." Commodore Rodgers says: "I do not think that soldiers temporarily detailed from the Army to serve in the Navy could do the work of Marines themselves, since the latter have chosen their service and are accustomed to its confinement, as well as habituated to the sea." Commander Roe says: "It is impossible to substitute soldiers of the Army for Marines. The Marines are sea soldiers; they are half-sailors, and have a special training which the land soldiers cannot have."
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