U.S. Marine Corps Hymn

It opens with the famous line:

“From the Halls of Montezuma
To the shores of Tripoli…”

“Montezuma” refers to the Marines’ role in the Mexican-American War (Battle of Chapultepec, 1847).
“Tripoli” refers to the First Barbary War (1801–1805), when U.S. Marines fought in North Africa, particularly the Battle of Derna (near Tripoli, Libya) in 1805.

It is the official hymn of the U.S. Marine Corps and the oldest official song of the U.S. Armed Forces.

The Marines’ Hymn

From the Halls of Montezuma
To the Shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country’s battles
In the air, on land, and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
Of United States Marine.

Our flag’s unfurled to every breeze
From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in every clime and place
Where we could take a gun;
In the snow of far-off northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes,
You will find us always on the job—
The United States Marines.

Here’s health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve;
In many a strife we’ve fought for life
And never lost our nerve.
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven’s scenes,
They will find the streets are guarded
By United States Marines.

???? The reference to Tripoli is a direct nod to the Battle of Derna (1805), during the First Barbary War, where U.S. Marines raised the American flag in victory on foreign soil for the first time.

Background: The Barbary States & Piracy

• In the late 18th and early 19th century, the Barbary States (Tripoli, Algiers, Tunis, and Morocco) on the North African coast demanded tribute (payments) from nations to allow their ships safe passage through the Mediterranean.
• Pirates from these states captured ships and enslaved sailors if tribute wasn’t paid.
• The young United States, having just gained independence, refused to keep paying increasingly high demands.

The First Barbary War (1801–1805)

• In 1801, the Pasha of Tripoli (Yusuf Qaramanli) declared war on the U.S. by cutting down the flagstaff of the U.S. consulate.
• The U.S. Navy sent warships to blockade Tripoli, marking one of the first overseas military campaigns in American history.

The Battle of Derna (1805)

• U.S. Marine Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon, along with U.S. Navy officer William Eaton, led a daring land campaign across the desert from Egypt.
• With a small force of 8 Marines, 500 mercenaries, and Arab allies, they marched 500 miles to Derna, a port city near Tripoli.
• On April 27, 1805, they stormed Derna and raised the U.S. flag — the first time the American flag was raised in victory on foreign soil.

Legacy and the Hymn

• This victory was immortalized in the opening line of the Marines’ Hymn:
• “From the Halls of Montezuma (Mexico, 1847) to the Shores of Tripoli (1805).”
•  It symbolizes the Marines’ readiness to fight anywhere in the world, whether in the Americas or across the seas.
• The Pasha of Tripoli, shaken by the defeat at Derna, soon signed a peace treaty with the U.S.

✅ So, Tripoli in the hymn is not random poetry — it’s a reminder of the Marines’ first legendary overseas victory, setting the tradition that the Corps would serve as America’s “force in readiness” around the globe.