Confederate States Marine Corps facts for kids
The Confederate States Marine Corps (CSMC) was a military group during the American Civil War. It was part of the Confederate States armed forces. This group was created on March 16, 1861.
At first, the CSMC was planned to have about 600 men. These men were split into six companies. Later, on May 20, 1861, they were allowed to have more officers and men. The CSMC started forming in Montgomery, Alabama. It finished organizing in Richmond, Virginia, when Richmond became the capital of the Confederacy. The main offices and training places for the CSMC stayed in Richmond during the war. They were at Camp Beall and the Gosport Shipyard. The last CSMC group gave up on April 9, 1865. The whole Confederacy surrendered about a month later.
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History of the Confederate Marines
The Confederate Marine Corps was officially started by a law on March 16, 1861. It was designed to be much like the United States Marine Corps. Many officers from the U.S. Marines joined the Confederacy when the war began.
The CSMC was allowed to have 46 officers and 944 enlisted men. However, they usually had fewer marines than they were supposed to. One reason was that Confederate Marines were paid less than other soldiers. Later in the war, they got men from the Confederate Army draft. They also offered money rewards to new recruits. These changes helped them get more people to join. Lloyd J. Beall was the leader of the Corps, called the Commandant. He was a former U.S. Army paymaster and had no experience as a marine.
The Confederate Marines were similar to the U.S. Marines but had some differences. For example, they used a bugle instead of a fife for signals. Their uniforms looked a bit like the British Royal Marines. Unlike the U.S. Marines, the Confederate Marines were organized into permanent companies.
Their jobs were much the same as other marines. They sent groups of marines to serve on warships. They also served on ships that attacked enemy trade, called commerce raiders. Marines helped guard shore batteries and shipyards. They also acted as landing forces and sharpshooters. Later, they even helped operate the main guns on warships. A group from Company A served on the ironclad ship CSS Virginia. This was during the famous Battle of Hampton Roads.
During the Civil War, some Confederate Marines lost their lives in battle. Others died from different causes.
Uniforms of the CSMC
Officer Uniforms
Officers wore a French-style hat called a Kepi. These hats came in different colors, but most were grey and blue. They wore long coats called frock coats, which were a shade of gray. These coats had two rows of seven brass buttons, making 14 buttons in total. These buttons were made in England. Officers also wore dark trousers, usually blue.
The Marines used the same rank symbols as the Confederate Army. A second lieutenant had one stripe on his collar. A first lieutenant had two stripes, and a captain had three. A major wore a star on his collar. A lieutenant colonel wore two stars, and a colonel wore three stars. Officers also had special braids on their sleeves, called Austrian knots. A lieutenant had one braid, a captain had two, and higher-ranking officers had three.
Enlisted Men's Uniforms
Enlisted men also wore kepis. They wore a grey coat with black trim around the collar and cuffs. The sleeves of non-commissioned officers (like sergeants) had trim made of flax-colored linen. All enlisted men's coats had one row of brass buttons. These buttons had a Roman numeral "M" on them.
Enlisted ranks were shown by black chevrons. These were like the army's chevrons, but marines wore them with the points facing up. The rank symbols were the same as the army. A corporal had two stripes. A sergeant had three stripes. A first sergeant wore three stripes with a diamond in the middle. A sergeant major wore three stripes up with three curved lines below.
Both officers and enlisted men also wore simpler clothes called fatigues when they were not in their dress uniforms.
See also
In Spanish: Infantería de Marina de los Estados Confederados para niños
