Anthony Gale was the fourth Commandant of the United States Marine Corps and the only one ever fired. Fewer records survive concerning him than any other commandant.[1] He is the only commandant for whom the Marines neither know his burial location nor have a portrait or likeness.
His date of birth is in dispute. It is variously reported to be in 1761[2][3] or on September 17, 1782, in Dublin, Ireland.[1][4] He was commissioned as a second lieutenant on July 26, 1798.[2][5] According to a transcript of a October 23, 1838 letter to President Martin Van Buren, Anthony Gale writes (in part): "as a military man that I embraced in my nineteenth year", which would place his birth in 1779–1780.[6]
Born in Ireland to Anthony Gale and Ann Delany,[2] Gale declared his intent to become a United States citizen on June 15, 1798, and completed the naturalization process on November 27, 1801.[7] Ireland land records [8][9][10] involving his mother Ann Delany suggest Gale was born in Queen's County, Ireland, subsequently renamed County Laois.[11]
Gale married Catherine Swope on January 4, 1800, in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.[12] The couple settled in Philadelphia and had three children – Amelia, who died after four weeks; a son, Washington Anthony; and another daughter, Emily, both of whom survived into adulthood.[13]
Early career
Early in his Marine career, he fought, in fairly quick succession, the French, the Barbary pirates, the British, and a U.S. naval officer.[14] Angered by the mistreatment of a Marine sentry, Gale killed Navy Lieutenant Allen MacKenzie in a duel.[1] This incident, perceived to be an affront to the Corps,[15] subsequently brought CommandantWilliam W. Burrows' approval for Gale's defense of his Corps' honor.[15] Later in his military career, Gale took "an active and gallant part" during the siege of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812.[16]
Increasing rank brought other difficulties.[14] In 1815, while commanding at Philadelphia, he fell out with CommandantFranklin Wharton over construction of barracks. Wharton had been accused of overspending on the project, and he in turn charged Gale with building extravagant officers' quarters. Gale asserted that he had been given no specific plans and that Wharton had known what was being done. A court of inquiry cleared Gale, but he was banished to a less desirable post in New Orleans, where he allegedly nursed a feeling of persecution and began to drink heavily.[17]
Rise to Commandant
BrevetMajor Gale, although next senior at the time of Wharton's death on September 1, 1818, had to battle for the job. At the time, the Corps was authorized only one lieutenant colonel and two majors. One could only rise in rank by virtue of the death or removal of a superior officer.[18] When Wharton died, a scramble for the Commandant's job ensued.[19]
Major Samuel Miller, the adjutant and inspector at the Marine Corps Headquarters, two days after notifying Navy SecretaryBenjamin Williams Crowninshield of Wharton's death, considering himself well suited for the job, suggested that he conduct the affairs of the commandancy until a successor was appointed.[3]BrevetMajorArchibald Henderson asserted that as the senior line officer present, he should be ActingCommandant.[20] Henderson was also characteristically blunt in giving his assessment of Gale's qualifications to the new Secretary of the Navy, Smith Thompson.[15] In an attempt to discredit Gale, in February 1819, Henderson and Miller participated in a court of inquiry resurrecting the old charges concerning Gale's tenure in Philadelphia. However, during his testimony, Henderson was forced to admit that his knowledge of Gale's misconduct was based on hearsay. Miller could similarly not provide firsthand evidence of wrongdoing by Gale.[21] After the court of inquiry exonerated him of these charges for the second time, Gale, with 21 years of service and therefore senior, became Lieutenant ColonelCommandant on March 3, 1819,[22] ending a six-month period during which the Corps had been leaderless.[17]
Trouble as Commandant
Shortly after Gale assumed his post, Archibald Henderson circumvented Gale and wrote directly to Navy SecretarySmith Thompson requesting to join GeneralAndrew Jackson who was serving as military governor in Florida.[23] Soon came more direct troubles with Smith Thompson, who frequently countermanded Gale's orders.[15] Finally, on August 8, 1820, Gale submitted a letter analyzing the proper division of function between himself and the Secretary, pointing out the impossibility of his position. It was also alleged that he began to drink heavily at this time.[14] Eight days after his letter, Gale was notified that the Secretary had unilaterally granted a four-week leave to one Marine captain and had suspended Gale's order sending another captain to the Mediterranean. Two weeks after that, on August 29, Gale was arrested and ordered to face court-martial.[24]
Court-martial
The charges against Gale were dated September 11, 1820. The first was that Gale was publicly intoxicated in the city of Washington on six specified dates during August, including August 31, two days after his arrest.[25] The second charge was of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. There were three specifications: first, that Gale had visited a house of prostitution near the Marine Barracks "in open and disgraceful manner" on that same August 31; second, that he had on September 1 - a date on which he was in custody - called Lieutenant Richard M. Desha, the Corps' Paymaster and son of Congressman Joseph Desha of Kentucky [19] - who had earlier charged Gale with misappropriation [25] - "a damned rascal, liar and coward" and threatening him with personal chastisement unless he would immediately challenge and fight him;[26] and, finally, that he had declared in front of the Marine Barracks "that he did not care a damn for the President, Jesus Christ or God Almighty!" The third charge was that Gale had signed a false certificate that said he had not used a Marine for personal services when in fact he had had a man assigned as waiter and coachman from October 17, 1819, until June 3, 1820. The fourth and final charge was that Gale had broken arrest "at sundry times" between September 1 and 8 while he was confined to quarters.[26]
Gale's court-martial was marked by further irregularities. Major Miller, one of Gale's rivals for the post of Commandant, despite having written the charges against Gale, was nonetheless appointed the prosecutor.[27] Furthermore, Lieutenant Desha, a witness against Gale on the second charge, was appointed a supernumerary (or extra member) of the court, and was called to sit on the court in judgment of Gale when regular court members failed to appear. Desha objected to serving on the court under the circumstances, but the court overruled his objection on the grounds that Desha, not Gale, had objected.[28] The court found Gale guilty, President James Monroe approved the verdict, and Gale was removed from office and dismissed from the Marine Corps on October 18, 1820.[29]
Later life
From Washington, Gale went first to Philadelphia where he spent several months in a hospital,[30] then took up residence in Stanford, Kentucky.[31][32] Armed with proof that he had been under the strain of temporary mental derangement while Commandant,[15] he spent fifteen years attempting to have his court-martial decision reversed. Eventually, in 1835, the government partially cleared him and awarded him a stipend of $15 a month, which was later increased to $25 and continued until his death.[33]
Although some sources identify he died on December 12, 1842,[34] most sources,[3][4][35] including the April 1844 pension petition filed by his widow,[36] report his death to be on December 12, 1843. Over the years, several efforts have been undertaken by the Marines in an attempt to locate Commandant Gale's final resting place. All have proven unsuccessful.[1] In lieu of a monument at his gravesite, on March 6, 2010, various detachments of the Marine Corps League of Kentucky dedicated a monument to Commandant Anthony Gale at the Lincoln County Courthouse in Stanford, Kentucky, near where he died and is likely buried. The Marine Corps League, Department of Kentucky, has taken, as an annual project, the traditional laying of the Commandant's wreath at this memorial on each November 10, the birthday of the Marines,[37] in accordance with Chapter 6 of Marine Corps Order 3040.4.[38]
The commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) is normally the highest-ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps. It is a four-star general position and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The CMC reports directly to the secretary of the Navy and is responsible for ensuring the organization, policy, plans, and programs for the Marine Corps as well as advising the president, the secretary of defense, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and the secretary of the Navy on matters involving the Marine Corps. Under the authority of the secretary of the Navy, the CMC designates Marine personnel and resources to the commanders of unified combatant commands. The commandant performs all other functions prescribed in Section 8043 in Title 10 of the United States Code or delegates those duties and responsibilities to other officers in his administration in his name. As with the other joint chiefs, the commandant is an administrative position and has no operational command authority over United States Marine Corps forces.
Alexander Archer Vandegrift, was a U.S. Marine Corps four-star general. During World War II, he commanded the 1st Marine Division to victory in its first ground offensive of the war, the Battle of Guadalcanal. For his actions from August 7 to December 9, 1942, during the Solomon Islands campaign, he received the Medal of Honor. Vandegrift later served as the 18th Commandant of the Marine Corps. He was the first four-star general on active duty in the Marine Corps.
Archibald Henderson was the longest-serving Commandant of the Marine Corps, serving from 1820 to 1859. His name is learned by all recruits at Marine recruit training as the "Grand old man of the Marine Corps," serving in the United States Marine Corps for over 52 years.
Lemuel Cornick Shepherd Jr. was a General in the United States Marine Corps, 20th Commandant of the Marine Corps, Navy Cross recipient, veteran of World War I, World War II, and the Korean War.
William Ward Burrows I was a United States Marine Corps officer the second Commandant of the Marine Corps. His son, William Ward Burrows II, was a decorated officer in the United States Navy.
George Barnett was the 12th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. He was a pioneer of amphibious warfare and the U.S. Marine Commandant during American involvement in World War I.
Charles Grymes McCawley was the eighth commandant of the Marine Corps and served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War.
Franklin Wharton was the third Commandant of the United States Marine Corps.
John Harris was the sixth Commandant of the Marine Corps. He served in the Marine Corps for over 50 years, attaining the rank of colonel.
Major General Charles Heywood was the ninth Commandant of the Marine Corps. He served as an officer for over 45 years and was the first Marine to reach the rank of major general. During Heywood's term as Commandant, the size of the Corps more than tripled, from 2,175 Marines to 7,810 total.
Major General William Phillips Biddle was the 11th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps.
John Henry Russell Jr. was a major general and 16th Commandant of the Marine Corps.
General Thomas Holcomb was a United States Marine Corps officer who served as the seventeenth Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1936 to 1943. He was the first Marine to achieve the rank of general, and was a strong supporter of racial segregation in the Marine Corps. After retiring from the Marine Corps, Holcomb served as the U.S. Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to South Africa from 1944 to 1948. One of his ancestors was Joshua Barney, a naval hero of the War of 1812.
Randolph McCall Pate was a United States Marine Corps general who served as the 21st Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1956 to 1959.
David Monroe Shoup was a general of the United States Marine Corps who was awarded the Medal of Honor in World War II, served as the 22nd Commandant of the Marine Corps, and, after retiring, became one of the most prominent critics of the Vietnam War.
The assistant commandant of the Marine Corps (ACMC) is the second highest-ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps, and serves as a deputy for the commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC). Before 1946, the title was known as the assistant to the commandant.
The I Marine Amphibious Corps, or I MAC, was a formation of the United States Marine Corps. It was created on 1 October 1942, with most of the staff transferred from Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet (ACPF). It was then deployed to the South Pacific Area – a U.S.-led multinational military command active during World War II that was a part of the U.S. Pacific Ocean Areas – first to Hawaii, then to New Caledonia.
Sharp Delany, was a colonel in the American Revolutionary War a legislator and the first Collector of Customs in Philadelphia, appointed by George Washington.
The Military Secretary to the Commandant of the Marine Corps is the senior advisor and task manager for the Commandant of the Marine Corps. Personally selected by the Commandant, the Military Secretary is an active duty colonel who reports directly to the Commandant. The exact duties of the Military Secretary have varied based on the needs and preferences of each Commandant. There are no existing manuals or orders that dictate the exact role of the Military Secretary. They run the day-to-day operations of the Office of the Commandant, supervises the schedule of the Commandant, and performs other duties as the Commandant may direct. In order to perform the multi-faceted duties of the Military Secretary, the Marine must be well versed in all aspects of the United States Marine Corps, the United States Department of Defense, and the United States Government.
References
1 2 3 4 Jordan, The Mystery of Lieutenant Colonel Commandant Anthony Gale, p. 46
1 2 3 Bartlett, Merrill LtCol. USMC (Ret.) (June 1985). Court-Martial of a Commandant, The Story of Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Gale, Fourth Commandant of the Marine Corps, Proceedings Magazine
1 2 Schuon, Karl (1963). U. S. Marine Corps Biographical Dictionary. New York: Franklin Watts, Inc., p. 83
↑ Ancestry.com. U.S. Marine Corps Muster Rolls, 1798-1940. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc. (2007). Master Roll of a Detachment of Marines under the Command of Lieutenant Anthony Gale. Original data: Muster Rolls of the U.S. Marine Corps, 1798-1892; (National Archives Microfilm Publication T1118, 123 rolls); Records of the U.S. Marine Corps, Record Group 127; National Archives, Washington, D.C
↑ United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania (November 27, 1801). Petition of Anthony Gale to Become a Citizen of the United States
↑ Gale, Thomas (1780). Marriage Settlement for Anne Delany. Register of the Registry of Deeds, Ireland, Book 336, page 131, Document 224169, reproduced from LDS FHL British Film #531707, Volume 336, 1780-1781
↑ Delany, Malachy (1773). Indentured Deed to Anne Delany. Register of the Registry of Deeds, Ireland, Book 362, page 165, Document 243456, reproduced from LDS FHL British Film #531955, Volumes 361-362, 1784-1785
↑ Delany, Malachy (1782). Indenture of Lease to Anne Delany. Register of the Registry of Deeds, Ireland, Book 362, page 164, Document 243455, reproduced from LDS FHL British Film #531955, Volumes 361-362, 1784-1785
↑ McCarthy, John Patrick (2006). Ireland: A Reference Guide from the Renaissance to the Present. New York: Infobase Publishing, pp. 324-325.
↑ Ancestry.com. Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Church Records [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc. (2000). Original data: Transcribed from LDS Family History Library copies of church records for this locality
↑ Millett and Shulimson, Commandants of the Marine Corps, p. 46
1 2 3 Kettle Moraine Marine, A Colorful Commandant, p. 4
Bartlett, Merrill LtCol. USMC (Ret.) (June 1985). "Court-Martial of a Commandant, The Story of Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Gale, Fourth Commandant of the Marine Corps". Proceedings Magazine.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
United States 
United States Marine Corps 
