Anthony Gale

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Anthony Gale
Died December 12, 1843
Place of birth Ireland
Place of death Stanford, Kentucky
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Marine Corps
Years of service 1798-1820
Rank US-O5 insignia.svg Lieutenant Colonel
Commands held Commandant of the Marine Corps
Battles/wars Quasi-War of 1798-1800
First Barbary War of 1801-1805
War of 1812

Anthony Gale was the fourth Commandant of the United States Marine Corps and the only one ever fired. Fewer records survive concerning him than any other Commandant.[1] He is the only Commandant for whom the Marines neither know his burial location nor have a portrait or likeness.

Contents

[edit] Biography

His date of birth is in dispute. It is variously reported to be in 1761 [2][3] or on September 17, 1782 in Dublin, Ireland.[4][5] Since he was commissioned as a second lieutenant on July 26, 1798,[6][7] the 1761 birth date appears too early [8] and the 1782 date too late. According to a transcript of a 23 October 1838 letter to President Martin Van Buren, Anthony Gale writes (in part): “as a military man that I embraced in my nineteenth year”, which places his birth in 1779-1780.[9]

Born in Ireland to Anthony Gale and Ann Delany,[10] Gale declared his intent to become a United States citizen on June 15, 1798, and completed the naturalization process on November 27, 1801.[11] Ireland land records [12][13][14] involving his mother Ann Delany suggest Gale was born in Queen’s County, Ireland, subsequently renamed County Laois.

Gale married Catherine Swope on January 4, 1800, in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.[15] The couple settled in Philadelphia and had three children – Amelia, who died after four weeks, a son, Washington Anthony, and another daughter, Emily, both of whom survived into adulthood.[16]

Early in his Marine career, he fought, in fairly quick succession, the French, the Barbary pirates, the British – and a U.S. naval officer. Angered by the mistreatment of a Marine sentry, Gale killed Navy Lieutenant Allen MacKenzie in a duel.[17] This incident, perceived to be an affront to the Corps, subsequently brought Commandant William W. Burrows' approval for Gale's defense of his Corps' honor. Later in his military career, Gale took “an active and gallant part” during the siege of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812.[18]

Unfortunately for Gale, increasing rank brought other difficulties not resolved so directly. In 1815, while commanding at Philadelphia, he fell out with Commandant Franklin Wharton over construction of barracks. A court of inquiry cleared him, but he was banished to a less desirable post in New Orleans, where he nursed a feeling of persecution and began to drink heavily.[19]

As a consequence of these and other alleged shortcomings, Brevet Major Gale, although next senior at the time of Wharton's death on September 1, 1818, had to battle for the job. At the time, the Corps was authorized only one lieutenant colonel and two majors. One could only rise in rank by virtue of the death of a superior officer or the removal of a higher officer by methods fair or foul, an accepted practice of the era.[20]

Major Samuel Miller, the adjutant and inspector at the Marine Corps Headquarters, two days after notifying Navy Secretary Benjamin Williams Crowninshield of Wharton’s death, considering himself well suited for the job, suggested that he conduct the affairs of the commandancy until a successor was appointed. Brevet Major Archibald Henderson, who would succeed Gale as Commandant, also rushed to fill the power vacuum, asserting as the senior line officer present, he should be Acting Commandant.[21] Henderson was also characteristically blunt in assessing Gale's qualifications, or lack of them, to the new Secretary of the Navy, Smith Thompson. In a feeble attempt to further discredit Gale, in February, 1819, Henderson and Miller participated in another court of inquiry resurrecting the old charges concerning Gale’s tenure in Philadelphia. Henderson was no novice in employing legal maneuvering against senior officers, having previously brought (unsuccessful) charges against Commandant Franklin Wharton for his conduct during the British assault on Washington.[22] However, during his testimony, Henderson was forced to admit that his knowledge of Gale’s misconduct was based on hearsay. Miller could similarly not provide any firsthand evidence of wrongdoing by Gale.[23] After the court of inquiry exonerated Gale of these charges for the second time, Brevet Major Anthony Gale, with 21 years of service, became Lieutenant Colonel Commandant on March 3, 1819.[24] By then, the Corps had been without a leader for six months.

Gale’s political enemies wasted little time in seeking to undermine his authority as Commandant. Shortly after Gale assumed his post, Archibald Henderson circumvented Gale and wrote directly to Navy Secretary Smith Thompson requesting to join General Andrew Jackson who was serving as military governor in Florida.[25] Soon came more direct troubles with Smith Thompson, who frequently countermanded LtCol Gale's orders in a humiliating manner. Finally, Gale courageously submitted a letter analyzing the proper division of function between himself and the Secretary, and respectfully pointed out the impossibility of his position. He paralleled this official reaction to infringements of his authority by unofficial retreats to alcohol. Three weeks later on September 18, 1820, he was under arrest, charged with habitual drunkenness and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.[26] While Gale was hardly the most competent of Commandants and not without serious personal faults, clearly vicious headquarters politics were involved in his court-martial.[27]

Gale’s court-martial was marked by certain irregularities. The ambitious Major Samuel Miller, one of Gale’s rivals for the post of Commandant, despite having written the charges against Gale, was nonetheless appointed the prosecutor.[28] Somewhat more irregular, Lt. Richard M. Desha, a witness against Gale, was appointed a supernumerary (or extra member) of the court, and was called to sit on the court in judgment of Gale when regular court members failed to appear. One of the charges against Gale was that he had called Desha, the Paymaster of the Corps, “a damned rascal, liar and coward”.[29] To his credit, Desha objected to serving on the court under the circumstances, but the court curiously overruled his objection since he, not Gale, had objected.[30] Predictably, the court found Gale guilty, President James Monroe approved the verdict, and Gale was removed from office and the Marine Corps on October 18, 1820.[31]

From Washington, Gale went first to Philadelphia where he spent several months in a hospital,[32] then took up residence in Stanford, Kentucky.[33][34] Armed with proof that he had been under the strain of temporary mental derangement while Commandant, he spent fifteen years attempting to have his court-martial decision reversed. Eventually, in 1835, the government partially cleared him and awarded him a stipend of $15 a month which was later increased to $25 and continued until his death.[35]

Anthony Gale’s death is reported to be on December 12, 1843 [36] or December 12, 1842,[37] although most sources place his death in 1843.[38][39] Since the Marines have a tradition of laying a wreath on the graves of its Commandants on the birthday of the Marines,[40] several efforts have been undertaken by the Marines in an attempt to locate Commandant Gale’s final resting place. All have proven unsuccessful.[41]

[edit] Ancestry

[edit] See also

United States Marine Corps portal

[edit] References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.


[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Jordan, Robert T. (2007, March). The Mystery of Lieutenant Colonel Commandant Anthony Gale. Leatherneck Magazine, p 46
  2. ^ Millett, Allan Reed and Shulimson, Jack (2004). Commandants of the Marine Corps. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, p. 45
  3. ^ Bartlett, Merrill LtCol. USMC (Ret.) (1985, June). Court-Martial of a Commandant, The Story of Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Gale, Fourth Commandant of the Marine Corps, Proceedings Magazine
  4. ^ Jordan, The Mystery of Lieutenant Colonel Commandant Anthony Gale, p. 46
  5. ^ Schuon, Karl (1963). U. S. Marine Corps Biographical Dictionary. New York: Franklin Watts, Inc., p. 83
  6. ^ Millett and Shulimson, Commandants of the Marine Corps, p. 45
  7. ^ Ancestry.com. U.S. Marine Corps Muster Rolls, 1798-1940. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc. (2007). Master Roll of a Detachment of Marines under the Command of Lieutenant Anthony Gale. Original data: Muster Rolls of the U.S. Marine Corps, 1798-1892; (National Archives Microfilm Publication T1118, 123 rolls); Records of the U.S. Marine Corps, Record Group 127; National Archives, Washington, D.C
  8. ^ Long, Richard A. (Undated). Anthony Gale. Incomplete manuscript, Richard A. Long Collection, USMC Archives, Richard A Long Collection, Gale Series, Box 1, Folder 3
  9. ^ USMC Archives, Anthony Gale Collection.
  10. ^ Millett and Shulimson, Commandants of the Marine Corps, p. 45
  11. ^ United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania (1801, 27 November). Petition of Anthony Gale to Become a Citizen of the United States
  12. ^ Gale, Thomas (1780). Marriage Settlement for Anne Delany. Register of the Registry of Deeds, Ireland, Book 336, page 131, Document 224169, reproduced from LDS FHL British Film #531707, Volume 336, 1780-1781
  13. ^ Delany, Malachy (1773). Indentured Deed to Anne Delany. Register of the Registry of Deeds, Ireland, Book 362, page 165, Document 243456, reproduced from LDS FHL British Film #531955, Volumes 361-362, 1784-1785
  14. ^ Delany, Malachy (1782). Indenture of Lease to Anne Delany. Register of the Registry of Deeds, Ireland, Book 362, page 164, Document 243455, reproduced from LDS FHL British Film #531955, Volumes 361-362, 1784-1785
  15. ^ Ancestry.com. Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Church Records [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc. (2000). Original data: Transcribed from LDS Family History Library copies of church records for this locality
  16. ^ Millett and Shulimson, Commandants of the Marine Corps, p. 46
  17. ^ Jordan, The Mystery of Lieutenant Colonel Commandant Anthony Gale, p. 46
  18. ^ Abbot, Willis John (1918). Soldiers of the Sea. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, p. 79
  19. ^ Moskin, J. Robert (1992). The U.S. Marine Corps Story New York: Little, Brown and Company, p. 52
  20. ^ Long, Anthony Gale, p 8
  21. ^ Millett and Shulimson, Commandants of the Marine Corps , p. 49
  22. ^ Moskin, J. Robert. The U.S. Marine Corps Story , p. 52
  23. ^ Millett and Shulimson, Commandants of the Marine Corps , p. 48
  24. ^ Thompson, Smith (1819, March 5). Letter to Anthony Gale, subject: Appointment as Lieutenant Colonel Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps
  25. ^ Millett and Shulimson, Commandants of the Marine Corps , p. 50
  26. ^ Niles, N. (1821). Niles Weekly Register, Volume XIX. Baltimore: Franklin Press, p. 132
  27. ^ Moskin, J. Robert. The U.S. Marine Corps Story , p. 53
  28. ^ Long, Anthony Gale, p 9
  29. ^ Niles, N. Niles Weekly Register, Volume XIX, p. 132
  30. ^ Millett and Shulimson, Commandants of the Marine Corps , p. 52
  31. ^ Moskin, J. Robert. The U.S. Marine Corps Story , p. 53
  32. ^ Pennsylvania Hospital Archives (1821). Alphabetical Listing/Index to Admissions, ca. 1816-1826
  33. ^ United States Census (1830). Subject: Anthony Gale. County of Lincoln, State of Kentucky, p. 360
  34. ^ United States Census (1840). Subject: Anthony Gale. County of Lincoln, State of Kentucky, p. 121
  35. ^ Long, Anthony Gale, p 10
  36. ^ Bartlett, Court-Martial of a Commandant, The Story of Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Gale, Fourth Commandant of the Marine Corps, Proceedings Magazine
  37. ^ Millett and Shulimson, Commandants of the Marine Corps, p. 52
  38. ^ Schuon, U. S. Marine Corps Biographical Dictionary, p. 83
  39. ^ Nofi, Albert A. (1997). The Marine Corps Book of Lists. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, p. 141
  40. ^ Bartlett, Court-Martial of a Commandant, The Story of Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Gale, Fourth Commandant of the Marine Corps, Proceedings Magazine
  41. ^ Jordan, The Mystery of Lieutenant Colonel Commandant Anthony Gale, p. 46

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Preceded by
BvtMaj Archibald Henderson
(acting)		 Commandant of the United States Marine Corps
1819–1820		 Succeeded by
Col Archibald Henderson
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