In the annals of the American Revolution, no group played a more consequential role than the soldier-mariners of Marblehead, Massachusetts. And until now, their story hadn't been fully told.
In his new book, The Indispensables: The Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware, best-selling author and military historian Patrick J. O’Donnell argues that the Marblehead Regiment, led by John Glover, became truly indispensable in gaining the American victory in the Revolution.
“This is one of the most incredible fighting regiments in American history,” he said.
O’Donnell recounts the history of the Marbleheaders beginning nearly a decade before the war and in the midst of a raging virus that divided the town politically. Marbleheaders such as Elbridge Gerry and Azor Orne spearheaded the break with Britain and shaped the nascent United States by playing a crucial role governing, building alliances, seizing British ships, forging critical supply lines, and establishing the origins of the U.S. Navy.
The Marblehead Regiment was comprised of the most experienced mariners in the Continental Army. Marblehead itself is about 16 miles from Boston.
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“At the time of the Revolutionary War, it was the second largest and most productive ort in Massachusetts,” he said.
The regiment was also racially diverse, O’Donnell noted. Made up of White, Black, Hispanic, and Native Americans, this group of soldiers set an inclusive standard of unity the U.S. Army would not reach again for more than 170 years.
Marbleheaders battled at Lexington and on Bunker Hill and formed the elite Life Guard that protected Washington — an early precursor to the Secret Service. Then, at the most crucial time in the war, the special operations-like regiment, against all odds, conveyed 2,400 of Washington’s men across the ice-filled Delaware River on Christmas night 1776, delivering a momentum-shifting surprise attack on Trenton.
“This is our American Dunkirk,” stressed O’Donnell. “It literally saves our country. This is a point in our history where everything could have been lost. The entire army could have been lost, Washington could have been captured. The Revolution would probably have been over.”
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O’Donnell spent over five years unearthing the Marblehead Regiment’s story by using original muster rolls, diaries, pension files, and letters.
“I think people will really get a different perspective of our history from this book, he said. “These men and women were way ahead of their time.”
You can find the book on Amazon here.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.