The Mystery of Lieutenant Colonel Commandant
Anthony Gale
Story by Robert T. Jordan
Photos and illustrations courtesy of the author
Limited records of
Gale’s brief service
as Commandant are
available, and there
is no known image
or portrait.
Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Gale,
fourth Commandant of the Marine Corps
and the only one ever fired, was born in
Dublin, Ireland, on 17 Sept. 1782. Fewer
records survive concerning him than
those concerning any other Commandant.
Even his final resting place is unknown.
Among the portraits of Commandants of the Marine Corps, one is
notable by its absence—that of
Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Gale, fourth
Commandant of the Marine Corps from
3 March 1819 until 16 Oct. 1820. The
scrappy Irishman’s antics were such an
embarrassment to the Marine Corps
that for years his name was seldom
mentioned.
The 23rd Commandant of the
Marine Corps, General Wallace M.
Greene Jr., hoped to change that. In
1966, he appointed a pair of Marines
to conduct an investigation into what
happened to Gale after the Corps
dismissed him in 1820. He suspected the “knobs” (small hills) of
south-central Kentucky where Gale
lived out his final years might have
answers. Greene hoped the team might
locate Gale’s burial site and a male
descendant whose likeness might provide an artist an idea of how Gale might
have looked.
Marine Corps photographer Gunnery
Sergeant Bob Mosier teamed with curator Richard Long from the Marine Corps
Museum to locate Gale’s final resting
place, but without success. Suggesting
that I continue the search, Long offered
me a photo of Gale’s daughter and much
of the material from Mosier and his
investigation.
Looking for clues about Anthony Gale’s
final resting place required numerous
visits to historical archives and the town
of Stanford, Ky.
Swashbuckler and Duelist
Gale migrated to the United States in
1793. To save money, the government
temporarily abolished the Marine Corps
after the Revolution. When President John
46 LEATHERNECK MARCH 2007
Adams authorized the formation of the
Marine Corps on 11 July 1798, Gale was
among the first to apply for a commission
as a second lieutenant, which he received
on 2 Sept. 1798. He was first assigned
recruiting duty in Philadelphia where he
also was responsible for guarding prisoners of the quasi-war with France.
Gale’s first sea-duty assignment was
on the 24-gun frigate Ganges. He thrived
as a seagoing officer. In quick succession, he directed his Marine Detachment
in forays against the Barbary pirates and
the British. But when Navy Lieutenant
Allan MacKensie relieved one of Gale’s
Marine sentries and placed him in irons,
Gale’s Irish temper exploded. Gale reportedly called MacKensie a “rascal” and
struck him across the face. The hapless
Navy officer accepted a duel, thus sealing his fate.
Gale killed MacKensie in the duel and
forwarded a report to Commandant William Ward Burrows. In a letter to another
Marine officer, Lieutenant Colonel Bur-
rows suggested Gale’s action would cause
Navy officers to treat Marines and their
officers “with some respect.”
In 1801, Gale received a promotion to
first lieutenant and an assignment to Marine Barracks, Philadelphia. He became a
U.S. citizen, met and married Catherine
Swope, the daughter of the Rev. Benedict Swope, and was numbered ninth of
18 first lieutenants.
In addition to the 18 first lieutenants,
the Corps included a lieutenant colonel
Commandant, four captains and 18 second lieutenants. Throughout his career,
Gale would alternate service ashore with
sea duty aboard other ships, including
USS President and Constitution. His detachment or guard (depending on the
size of the ship) might be comprised of
three sergeants, three corporals, one armorer, one drummer, one fifer and 50
privates. Typically, a first and second lieutenant, or a captain and a first lieutenant
of Marines would command such a large
guard.
