1840–1860 

The Marine Corps once again proved its fighting reputation on land during the Mexican-American War—adding “From the Halls of Montezuma” to the rapidly growing list of distinguished accomplishments with the storming of Chapultepec Palace overlooking Mexico City. Marines also continued to fight in coordination with the Navy during the conflict by serving aboard ships participating in the blockade of Mexico. In the decade after the war, Marines partook in Admiral Matthew Perry’s expedition and were among the first Americans to step foot on Japanese soil. As the 1850s came to a close, Marines engaged in a counter-insurgency operation at Harpers Ferry, Va., against abolitionist John Brown’s raiders.