Editing Samuel Nicholas (section)

==Battle of Nassau==
{{Main|Battle of Nassau}}
[[John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore|Lord Dunmore]], the royal governor of [[Virginia]], had collected a store of arms and provisions at [[New Providence]], in the [[Bahamas]]. Dunmore's forces had done a great deal of injury along the Colonial coast, especially the shore of [[Virginia]]. Commodore Hopkins had been ordered to proceed to [[Abaco Islands|Abaco]] in the Bahamas, and from there to operate against the forces of Lord Dunmore. Commodore Hopkins decided to make an [[Battle of Nassau|attack on New Providence]], capture the enemy's stores, and destroy his supplies. Capt Nicholas was placed in command of the landing party of 234 Marines.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.marines.com/history-heritage/timeline|title=History of the Marines &#124; Marines}}</ref> This attack, the first successful landing engaged in by Continental Marines, saw the capture of [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]] on March 3, 1776, without a fight.

On April 6, 1776, the Marines participated in the first naval battle between an American squadron and a British warship, when [[HMS Glasgow (1757)|HMS ''Glasgow'']] came upon the squadron.