William Ward Burrows I
| William W. Burrows | |
|---|---|
2nd Commandant of the Marine Corps (1798-1804)
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| Born |
January 16, 1758 Charleston, South Carolina |
| Died | March 6, 1805 (aged 47) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Place of burial | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Marine Corps
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| Years of service | 1798 - 1804 |
| Rank |
 Lieutenant Colonel
|
| Commands held | Commandant of the Marine Corps |
Lieutenant Colonel William Ward Burrows I (January 16, 1758 – March 6, 1805) was the second Commandant of the Marine Corps. His son, William Ward Burrows II, was a decorated officer in the United States Navy.
Burrows was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He served in the American Revolutionary War with the state troops of South Carolina, but after the war moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to practice law. On July 12, 1798, the day following the approval of an act of Congress establishing a permanent United States Marine Corps, President John Adams appointed him as Major Commandant of the newly created organization which consisted of 881 officers, noncommissioned officers, privates and musicians. (Samuel Nicholas was in charge of the Continental Marines and by tradition is considered the first Marine Commandant.)
The Marine Corps, as well as the Navy, had had its humble beginning a short time prior to its actual authorization as a Corps and both were formed to meet an impending national crisis involving a possible war with France. Marines had been enlisted by the War Department starting about six months before July 1798 as crews for the frigates authorized by Congress. These first Marine units to be organized were ship detachments for newly acquired vessels of the American Navy, which were being hurriedly placed in commission at Philadelphia and hurried off to sea to fight cruisers and destroy commerce in the Quasi-War with France. During the first several months that he was Commandant, his principal concern was the supplying and keeping up to strength the Marine detachments for the vessels of the Navy.
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Wikipedia