‘Leathernecks’ vs. Pirates: Marines Storm Shores of Tripoli: The Battle of Chapultepec: From the Halls of Montezuma

1805: BATTLE OF DERNA

To the Shores of Tripoli

When pirates had been raiding American merchant ships off the Barbary Coast, President Thomas Jefferson sent in an expeditionary force of Marines to fight back. 

During this time, Marines received the nickname ‘Leathernecks’, after the high collar they wore as protection against pirates’ saber cuts. 

Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon and his Marines marched across 600 miles of the Libyan Desert to storm the Tripolitan city of Derna and rescue the kidnapped crew of the USS Philadelphia. 

The Marines’ victory helped protect U.S. ships and secure our trading in the area. As a gesture of respect and praise for the Marines’ action at the Battle of Derna, First Lieutenant O’Bannon was presented a Mameluke sword by the Ottoman Empire vicery, Prince Hamet, which is now the oldest ceremonial weapon still in use by United States armed forces today. 

The Battle of Derna was the Marines’ first ground battle on foreign soil and is notably recalled in the Marines’ Hymn: “From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli, we fight our country’s battles in the air, on land and sea.” 

1847: THE BATTLE OF CHAPULTEPEC

From the Halls of Montezuma

The Mexican-American War played a critical role in defining the border between the two Nations that remains in place today. 

In 1847, knowing the capture of the Palacio Nacional would disrupt the Mexican army, the USMC stormed the enemy fortress during the Battle of Chapultepec. After two days of battle, Marines gained control of the castle, better known as the “Halls of Montezuma,” and were given the honor of raising the Stars and Stripes over the palace to mark their victory. 

Upon returning home, the same U.S. Marines presented their flag to the commandant. Their victory at the “Halls of Montezuma” remains a part of Marine Corps tradition, immortalized in the opening line of the Marines’ Hymn.