The fighting prowess of United States Marines is second to none, but few know of the Corps’ humble beginnings and what it achieved during the early years of the American Revolution. Jason Bohm rectifies this oversight with his eye-opening Washington’s Marines: The Origins of the Corps and the American Revolution, 1775–1777. It was reviewed in the Spring issue of the SAR Magazine.

As General Washington struggled to preserve his command after defeats in New York and New Jersey in 1776, the nascent U.S. Navy and Marines deployed the first American fleet, conducted their first amphibious operation, and waged a war on the rivers and seas to block British reinforcements and capture critically needed supplies. Desperate times forced Congress to detach the Continental Marines from the Navy to join the embattled army as Washington sought an “important stroke” to defeat his adversary.

Washington’s Marines joined their fellow soldiers in a protracted land campaign that culminated in turning-point victories at Trenton, Assunpink Creek, and Princeton. This chapter of the Continental Marines ends in Morristown, New Jersey, when Washington granted Henry Knox’s request to leverage the Marines’ expertise with naval guns to fill the depleted ranks of the army’s artillery during the “Forage War.” 

Major General Bohm currently serves as the Inspector General of the Marine Corps. He is skilled in Government, Communication, Training, Education, Operational Planning, Congressional Affairs, Recruiting, and Organizational Leadership. Strong military and protective services professional with two Master’s Degrees focused on Operational Art and National Security Policy Studies. Certified Inspector General and member of the Association of Inspector Generals. Executive Education on Human Resources Executive Suite Connection Program at the Harvard Business School, Strategic Thinking at Johns Hopkins, School of Advanced International Studies, and Strategic Strategy Planning at the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia.

THIS IS A JOINT CHAPTER EVENT BY THE GEORGE MASON CHAPTER AND THE GEORGE WASHINGTON CHAPTER OF VASSAR.