There were four "grades" of American Marines during the Revolutionary War, some of which were actually foreign troops under our command. First and foremost were the two original battalions of Continental Marines raised by the 2nd Congress in '75. Second were the "State" Marines raised by their local state government for maritime defense and protection of shipping. Unlike the Continentals, these were outfitted in a whole array of uniforms and colors. Third were troops that we could call "marines" simply due to the fact that they were assigned to a fighting vessel (as in the case of Benedict Arnold's flotilla). Lastly there were the Irish serving in the French Navy. These red-coated Marines found themselves in the United States Navy largely because they "came with the ship" (as in the case of the Bonhomme Richarde - John Paul Jones' most famous command). It is these Marines that the current USMC traces its lineage back to.

American victories over the British 1775-1783
April 19, 1775 Lexington and Concord
March 17, 1776 Siege of Boston
May 27–28, 1775 Chelsea Creek
June 11–12, 1775 Battle of Machias
August 9, 1775 Battle of Gloucester
March 4 1776 Dorchester Heights
May 10 1775 Capture of Ft. Ticonderoga
November 3 1775 Siege of Ft. Jean
March 25 1776 Battle of St Pierre
September 16 1776 Battle of Harlem Heights
December 23 1776 Battle of Iron works Hill
December 26 1776 Battle of Trenton
January 2 1777 Battle of Assuninpink Creek
Januard 3 1777 Battle of Princeton
Jan-March 1777 Forage War - NJ
January 20 1777 Battle of Millstone
August 22 1777 Battle of Ft. Stanwix
August 6 1777 Battle of Oriskany
August 16 1777 Battle of Bennington
October 1777 Saratoga campaign
June 26 1777 Battle of Short Hills
October 22 1777 Battle of Red Bank
December 8 1777 Battle of White Marsh
November 25 1777 Battle of Gloucester
5 August 1778 - burning of the HMS Cereberus
June 28 1778 Battle of Monmouth
September 7–18, 1778 Siege of Boonesborough
July 1778 – February 1779 Kaskasia Vincennes
August 8, 1780 Battle of Piqua
April 1781 Choscoton
August 29 1779 Battle of Newtown
October 19 1780 Battle of Klock's Field
October 25 1781 Battle of Johnstown
November-December 1775 - Southern patriot "Snow Campaign"
December 9 1775 Battle of the Great Bridge
February 27 1776 Battle of the Creek Bridge
March 2-3 1776 Battle of the Rice Boats
June 28 1776 Battle of Sullivan's Island
July 15 1776 Battle of Lindley's Fort
April 18 1776 Frederica
February 3 1779 Battle of Beaufort
February 14 1779 Battle of Kettle Creek
June 8 1780 Battle of Mobley's Meeting House
June 20 1780 Battle of Ramsour's Mill
July 12 1780 Battle of Williamson's Plantation
July 21 1780 Battle of Colson's Mill
August 6 1780 Battle of Hanging Rock
August 18 1780 Battle of Musgrove Hill
September 21 1780 Battle of Wahab's Plantation
September 14 1780 Battle of the Black Mingo
September 26 1780 Battle of Charlotte
October 7 1780 Battle of Kingsmountain
October 14 1780 Battle of Shallow Ford
November 9 1780 Battle of Fishdam Ford
November 20 1780 Battle of Blackstock Farm
January 17 1781 Battle of the Cowpens
February 25 1781 Battle of Haw River
April 23 1781 Battle of Ft Watson
April 25 1781 Battle of Hobkirk's Hill
May 12 1781 Siege of Ft Motte
June 6 1781 Augusta
September 8 1781 Eutaw springs
25 February 1779 Vincennes
September 13 1782 2nd Siege of Ft Henry
September 10 1779 Battle of Lake Pontchartrain
March 3 1776 Capture of Nassau
March 24 1778 Capture of the HMS Drake
September 23 1779 Capture of the HMS Serapis
June 29 1776 Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet
September 8 1781 Captureof the HMS Savage
May 29 1781 Capture of the HMS Atalanta
May 29 1781 Capture of the HMS Trepassey
March 6 1783 USS Alliance defeats HMS Sybil
April 8 1782 Battle of Delaware Bay
July 1 1782 Raid on Nova Scotia
March 8 1781 Skirmish at Water's Creek
July 9 1781 Franciso beats Tarleton
July 24 1781 Francisco beats Tarleton
October 19, 1781 Yorktown