VIRGINIANS IN THE MARINE CORPS.
The following Virginia officers resigned from the U. S. marine corps
at the beginning of the war: Major Henry B. Tyler; Brevet-Major
George H. Terrett; Captains, Robert Tansill, Algernon S. Taylor, John
D. Simms; First Lieutenants, George P. Turner, Israel Greene. About
one hundred men left the same service, and constituted the nucleus of
the C. S. marine corps, organization of which was begun at Montgomery,
and continued at Richmond in May, 1861. Lloyd J. Beall, of
Richmond, a former officer U. S. A., was appointed commander, with
rank of colonel; Henry B. Tyler, lieutenant colonel; George H. Terrett,
major; Algernon S. Taylor in charge of quartermaster's and commissary's
departments, with rank of major; Israel Greene, adjutant,
rank of major; John D. Simms, captain. The other officers at organization
were from other States. Richard Taylor Allison, who was
appointed paymaster with rank of major, the office and rank he had
resigned in the U. S. navy, was a Kentuckian, and nephew of President
Taylor.
The corps served in and around Richmond in the summer of 1862.
Its service in the battle of Drewry's Bluff has been already noted.
Soon after, the corps was broken up into detachments, some of which
guarded land defenses, others served on board ship. Their discipline as
veteran marines rendered their service of great value when they were
thus scattered among troops and seamen of less training, but for the
reason they were thus kept in service through the war no records of the
corps were or could have been separately made. A detachment was
engaged in the land and water battles at Mobile; another served in
the defense of Fort Fisher; others on the cruisers Sumter and Alabama;
others on the Atlanta, Tennessee, Gaines and other steamers. The
final stand of that part of the corps left in Virginia was under Captain
Tucker at Sailors Creek.
