John Harris (USMC)
| John Harris | |
|---|---|
6th Commandant of the Marine Corps (1856–1864)
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| Born |
May 20, 1793 East Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania |
| Died | May 12, 1864 (aged 70) Washington, D.C. |
| Place of burial | Oak Hill Cemetery Washington, D.C. |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1814–1864 |
| Rank |
 Colonel
|
| Commands held | Commandant of the Marine Corps |
| Battles/wars | |
John Harris (May 20, 1793 – May 12, 1864) was the sixth Commandant of the Marine Corps. He served in the Marine Corps for over 50 years, attaining the rank of colonel.
Harris was born in East Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, to an established local family that produced a number of military officers. His father, William Harris, was an officer in the American Revolutionary War. His older brother, Thomas, was a naval surgeon and became head of the navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. His youngest brother, Stephen, married a granddaughter of Persifor Frazer; Stephen's sons Stephen and Joseph both served in the Coast Survey before and during the American Civil War.
John Harris was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps on 23 April 1814. Two months later he was promoted to first lieutenant and, during the summer of that year, served with the forces that opposed the advance of the British on the city of Washington during the concluding days of the War of 1812.
The following year he was placed in command of the Marine Guard aboard USS Macedonian, which was one of the ships of the squadron of Commodore Stephen Decatur that sailed from New York in May 1815 on an expedition to punish the Barbary pirates for their numerous depredations.
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Wikipedia