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A Corps of Marines, specifically two battalions, about 400 men, were being commissioned specifically for operations in Nova Scotia. There was a formal hierarchy, manpower requirements/limitations, and the preferred qualifications of all involved. One specific requirement was that the enlistment of Marines was open-ended. There would be no exact timetable as to when one would be discharged. The resolution passed by the Continental Congress dictated that the enlistment would be in effect for the duration of the war with England, or when Congress dismissed them. These resolutions came at a time when General Washington was in his winter encampment with 17,000 troops at Cambridge, and Colonel Benedict Arnold with 1,000 troops waited for the weather to clear so that they could cross the St. Lawrence River and take Quebec before British reinforcements could arrive. Obviously, with the onset of winter, these resolutions came at a most inopportune time. The Continental Army was in the process of transforming and assimilating multiple state militias into an organized, effective fighting force. As previously mentioned, Washington was in Cambridge for the winter, and Arnold was on the verge of assaulting Quebec. To add to the already monumental task of reorganizing his forces, Washington was faced with the stark realization that in less than two months, the enlistments of many of his troops would expire. With that being said, why would the Second Continental Congress pass a resolution for the establishment of an infantry-style fighting force when an army was being raised and each colony had its own militia? If they were to be an infantry-style force, why the emphasis on acquaintance with maritime affairs? What was the debate among our earliest congressional leaders regarding this Corps of Marines? The answers lies in the conventional wisdom of the day, a common doctrine of war fighting among the combatants; specifically naval doctrine, the nature of the mission to Nova Scotia, and the desire and hope that a small amphibious force could make a significant impact on the army and navy of Great Britain.
