State and Privateer Marines: The Forgotten Naval Warriors

As we approach the final chapters of our series on Marines in the American Revolution, we'll look beyond the Continental Marines and recognize the contributions of State and Privateer Marines. These groups operated outside the formal structure of the Continental Navy, yet they were instrumental in protecting colonial waters and attacking British commerce. The Alliance remained one of the few ships still carrying out missions and we'll take a look at Marines seeking prize money, officers demanding long-overdue pay, and an uncertain future for those still in service. With the sale of the Alliance in 1785, the last vestige of the Continental Navy was gone, marking the end of the Marine presence in the Revolutionary War.