Confederate States Marine Corps
| Confederate States Marine Corps | |
|---|---|
Flag of the Confederate States Marine Corps | |
| Active | 1861–1865 |
| Disbanded | May 9, 1865 |
| Country | Confederate States |
| Branch | Confederate States Navy |
| Type | Maritime land force |
| Role | |
| Size | 900–1,000 |
| Part of | Department of the Navy |
| Headquarters | 115 Main Street, Richmond, Virginia, C.S. |
| Engagements | American Civil War |
| Commanders | |
| Commander in Chief | Jefferson Davis |
| Secretary of the Navy | Stephen R. Mallory |
| Colonel-Commandant | Col. Lloyd J. Beall |
| Sergeant Major of the Confederate Marine Corps | SMCMC Edwin Wallace (former British Royal Marine; Promoted to SMCMC on 1 February, 1864; demoted to private 1 July, 1864; deserted 30 July, 1864) |
The Confederate States Marine Corps (CSMC), also referred to as the Confederate States Marines, was a branch of the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War. It was established by an act of the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States on March 16, 1861. The CSMC's manpower was initially authorized at 46 officers and 944 enlisted men, and was increased on September 24, 1862, to 1,026 enlisted men. The organization of the CSMC began at Montgomery, Alabama, and was completed at Richmond, Virginia, when the capital of the Confederate States was moved to that location. The headquarters and main training facilities remained in Richmond throughout the war, located at Camp Beall on Drewry's Bluff and at the Gosport Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia. The last CSMC unit surrendered to the Union army on April 9, 1865, with the Confederacy itself capitulating a month later.