Maybe I'll finish these ten facts sometime in the future. Continued from February 17.
7. MARINES FOUGHT ALONGSIDE WASHINGTON AT THE BATTLE OF PRINCETON
Washington sent out a desperate plea for reinforcement. One of the first groups to respond to this request were roughly 600 Marines from the Philadelphia area. This force had been recruited to serve aboard Continental warships now anchored in Philadelphia and were generally considered to be excellent fighters.
Their officers had had duty against British ships and they had been occupied in daily drill and frequent skirmishes with the British forces operating in the area.
Three companies of Marines accompanied Washington on his nighttime march to Princeton. Moving with Cadwalader's Brigade into the fight, a few Marines under the command of Major Samuel Nicholas, engaged Manhood's British troops on the Clarke Farm.
(Major Samuel Nicholas was the first Marine Corps officer and, by tradition, considered the first commandant of the corps.)
During the fierce fighting, several Marines were killed, including Captain William Shippin.
These casualties were some of the first to be suffered by the Marine Corps on any battlefield.
--Cooter
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