Ancient Marines

In this section, Aldrich provides ancient references to the importance of Marines.

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Part 1 of 3

THE ANTIQUITY OF THE MARINE SERVICE. — PHOENICIAN AND GREEK MARINES.—THE FORCE UNDER XERXES.—THE ROYAL MARINES OF GREAT BRITAIN.—A WELL-MERITED TRIBUTE TO THE AMERICAN MARINES, BY A PROMINENT OFFICER OF THE NAVY.
CAPTAIN S. B. LUCE, of the United States Navy, has kindly furnished the following chapter in relation to the antiquity of the Marine Service, etc., with a tribute to the value of the United States Corps, which will be appreciated alike by the student of history and by the officers and men of the Corps:
The employment of infantry as part of the regular complement of vessels of war was common to the Phoenicians and to all the maritime States of Greece at least five centuries before the commencement of the Christian era. In the earlier period of history it was not so. When vessels were no larger than pentekonters, — open boats pulling fifty oars, — perhaps up to the time of biremes, the warriors were the oarsmen. But as naval science progressed, and the size of vessels increased, there gradually sprang up distinct classes, which together made up the personnel of the Navies about 500 B. C.: the rowers, the seamen proper, who had the general management of the vessel and sails, and the Marines, or fighting men. Marines are specially mentioned in the account of the battle of Lade", in the time of Darius, king of Persia, about 497 B. C. The Ionian Greeks, being in a state of revolt, had their fleet drawn up at Lide*, a small island lying off Miletus, where it was discovered by the Persians. In the battle which ensued, the Samian and Lesbian squadrons deserted the cause, the people of those isles having been won over by Persian emissaries, and were followed by others. "Of those who remained and fought," says Herodotus, "none were so rudely handled as the Chians. They had furnished to the common fleet over one hundred ships, having each of them forty armed citizens on board, and those picked men. Scorning to follow the base examples of the traitors, they fought desperately, till, overcome by numbers, they were obliged to seek safety in flight." The same author, in estimating the strength of the Persian naval force which accompanied the army of Xerxes to Greece, observes that each vessel had on board, besides native soldiers, thirty fighting men, who were either Persians, Medes, or Sacans.
At the dawning of the day of the battle of Salamis, the men-atarms of the Greek fleet were assembled on shore, and speeches were made to them. "The best of all was that of Themistocles, who, throughout, contrasted what was noble with what was base, and bade them in all that came within the range of man's nature always to make choice of the nobler part." These men-at-arms or soldiers, which formed part of the complement of the Greek trireme, were called Epibata, a word all authorities agree in rendering into English by the word Marines. The largest number of Marines found aboard each of the " swift ships" — that is, the regular men of war, as distinguished from transports — at this period was forty. Plutarch gives the number on board each Greek trireme at the battle of Salamis as eighteen, four of whom were archers and the rest heavy-armed. During the Peloponnesian War, the average number on board the Athenian trireme was ten. It may not be out of place to give here one of the many incidents of the battle of Salamis, as an illustration of the valor and mode of fighting of the Epibatce: " A Samothracian vessel bore down on an Athenian and sunk it, but was attacked and crippled immediately after by one of the Eginetan squadron. Now the Samothracians were expert with the javelin, and aimed their weapons so well that they cleared the deck of the vessel which had disabled their own, after which they sprang on board and took it." (Herodotus viii. 90.)

In the account of the battle of Platea, where Mardonius, the great military leader of the Persians, was slain, and the choice of the Persian troops routed, there is an instance related where the military and naval training are curiously blended in the person of the Athenian Sophanes. "He wore," says Herodotus, "an iron anchor, fastened to the belt which secured his breastplate by a brazen chain; and this, when he came near the enemy, he threw out, to the intent that when they made their charge it might be impossible for him to be driven from his post. As soon, however, as the enemy fled, his wont was to take up his anchor and join the pursuit."" Another account states that the anchor was simply a device upon his shield. But in either event the anchor would indicate that he had served afloat. Thucydides makes frequent mention of Epibata. When the Athenian strategus Demosthenes was operating near Leucas with thirty ships, he landed his forces, and had, besides the army, "the three hundred Epibata from his own ships," making ten for each trireme. Ra'wlinson, in translating the word Epibata, explains that it means "the armed portion of the crew, corresponding to our (English) Marines." So also Dr. Dale, in his translation of " Thucydides," renders the word Epibata as " the heavy-armed soldiers who served on board ship, answering to our Marines." The eminent Greek scholar. Dr. Arnold, takes the same view. The learned historian of Greece, Mr. Grote, speaks of Epibatce as Marines, and observes that "though not forming a corps permanently distinct, they correspond in function to the English Marines." In the statement that they did not form a distinct corps, Mr. Grote seems to differ from other authorities.

Boeckh, probably one of the very best authorities on the antiquities of Athens, who is so freely quoted by Mr. Grote in his history of Greece and referred to by Dr. William Smith and Rich in their dictionaries of Roman and Greek antiquities, in speaking of matters concerning the Athenian Navy, remarks that "The crews of the swift triremes consisted of two descriptions of men: of the soldiers or Marines appointed to defend the vessels, who were also called Epibata; and of the sailors. These Epibata were entirely distinct from the land soldiers, such as the hoplita,pcltasta and cavalry, and belonged to the vessel.'' (" Boeckh's Economy of Athens," Vol. I, page 373.) They had, moreover, their own officers, called trierarchoi.

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