--- title: "The Marine Corps’ first amphibious landing came during the American Revolution" description: "The Bahamas had a large supply of enemy weapons and gunpowder, so Congress sent in the Marine Corps for its first amphibious assault." date: "2022-06-04" modified: "2023-05-31" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/marines-first-amphibious-landing/" categories: - "History" - "Revolutionary War" - "War History" tags: - "America250" - "Marine Corps" - "Military History" - "Revolutionary War" --- # The Marine Corps’ first amphibious landing came during the American Revolution ![marine corps first amphibious landing]() *The New Providence Raid on March 3, 1776 wasn't a shot heard 'round the world because the Marines didn't have to fire a shot. (U.S. National Historical Center)* In 1775, Captains Samuel Nicholas and Robert Mullan [recruited men in a popular Philadelphia bar](), promising them beer and adventure on the high seas. Just a few months after that November gathering at Tun Tavern, some five companies of the finest Marines landed on the island of Nassau and handed the stunned British a glorious defeat. **Related: [The friendly rivalry between ‘Hollywood Marines’ and Parris Island Marines]()** [Marines across the Corps maintain that the two newly-commissioned officers]() were in Philadelphia's Tun Tavern that chilly November day to create a cadre of warriors who would serve aboard ships of the Continental Navy. Nicholas, the former Quaker and onetime pacifist, managed to raise two battalions of Marines out of Philadelphia alone. They would need all the help they could get because while the Army was fighting the British off at home, the Marines were going to take the fight to the enemy. ![map for first amphibious landing]() *This 1803 map of Nassau is very similar to its defenses in 1776.* In the early days of the American Revolution, the colonial government of Virginia moved its stores of gunpowder to a "safer" location, in an effort to keep it out of the hands of rebel forces— rebels who were desperately low on this very necessary component of warfare. That location was in the Bahamas, supposedly safe from marauding rebel ships and fighters. When word reached Congress about the large stores of gunpowder in the Crown Colony of the Bahamas, the body sent secret instructions to Commodore Esek Hopkins to lead a flotilla of eight ships and 220 Marines (led by Capt. Samuel Nicholas) to Nassau and capture the large gunpowder supply in March 1776. Consisting of two forts, Nassau and Montagu, the island's defenses were a wreck. Fort Nassau could not support firing its 46 cannons. Fort Montagu controlled the entrance to the harbor, but most of the gunpowder and ammunition on the island was held at Nassau. After a brief council, Hopkins decided the landing party would land near Fort Nassau aboard three ships at first light. The invaders would then capture the town of New Providence before the alarm was raised among the island's defenders. Upon landing, however, they were spotted by the British, who then fired guns from Fort Nassau to arouse the island's defenses. The landing team was forced to withdraw back to the ships, and the ships left to rejoin the rest of the flotilla to determine their next move. The aborted raid was a failure, but it did have a positive effect for the nascent Americans: The Governor of the Bahamas would have had the extra gunpowder moved aboard a single ship for safekeeping, but that idea was abandoned. The gunpowder stayed put, and Fort Montagu was reinforced with only 30 mostly unarmed militiamen. Back aboard the rebel flotilla, a new plan was hatched. The Marines, bolstered by 50 Continental Sailors, would land on Nassau aboard three ships and backed by the [USS Wasp]() for firepower. In two hours, the Americans landed their entire force east of Montagu unopposed. This was the first amphibious landing of the United States Marine Corps. ![marine corps first amphibious landing nassau dma]() *From the bar to the beach in less than a year. (U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command)* After the landing, the Marines encountered a British reconnaissance force as Fort Montagu was being reinforced with another 80 British militiamen. Word soon got out that the invading force was sizably larger than the island's defenses, Montagu fired only three shots before giving up, and the militiamen simply returned to their homes. The Marines occupied the fort that night. The next morning, they occupied Fort Nassau without a shot. Unfortunately for the invaders, the governor managed to sneak 150 barrels of the gunpowder out of the island that night because none of the American ships were guarding the harbor. They did take the remaining gunpowder stores and all the weapons and guns the flotilla could carry. These weapons were later used by the Army [under Gen. George Washington](). ### Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty ##### • [A US Marine went to Somalia and became a warlord]() ##### • [A junior enlisted Marine once eloped with Bahrain’s Princess]() ##### • [Why the ‘peanut butter’ shot is the most dreaded injection]() ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()