Three battalions were raised from among the Royal Marines during the Napoleonic Wars, seeing combat in Portugal, Northern Spain, the Netherlands and North America.

The French, unawares that the marines had returned, launched an unsuccessful counter-attack against the fort's Bilbao gate.

The news that a French division was approaching to reinforce the 1,500 men garrison at Santoña led to the recall of the battalion on 1 November.

The battalion disembarked at Zumaia on 18 August, and joined up with Spanish forces under the command of Francisco de Longa.

The deployment of both battalions in Northern Spain forced the French to redeploy 30,000 men, away from the Salamanca campaign.

[9] He requested that the 2nd Battalion be deployed to the barracks at Berry Head Fort in Torbay, so that drilling of the unit would result in better discipline and cohesion.

[21] Its final engagement was the Battle of Big Sandy Creek, where an element of the battalion made up part of the 180-man force.

Thereafter, the battalion's companies were broken up and its men were dispersed among the squadron and flotilla on Lake Ontario, as per orders from Commodore James Lucas Yeo.

Upon the orders of Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane, three of the ten companies were detached from this unit, to become the regenerated 3rd Battalion, under the command of Major Lewis.

A composite "battalion" of 100 men also took part in the Battle of New Orleans, under the command of Brevet Major Thomas Adair.

Orders were received on 11 December to embark, the Marines later disembarking on Cumberland Island on 10 January 1815, along with the 1st Battalion and two companies of the 2nd West India Regiment.

Thereafter, this force attacked Fort Peter on 13 January, subsequently marching on the town of St. Marys, and occupying it for about a week, before retiring to Cumberland Island.

The battalion's rocket detachment, commanded by Lieutenant John Lawrence, were on HMS Tonnant, and were put ashore on 7 February 1815, to participate in the attack on Fort Bowyer.

A provisional government was formed, the Triumvirate of 1813, which invited the exiled Prince William VI of Orange to The Hague.

Most of the British army was fighting the Peninsular War, so the 2nd Battalion 2nd Foot Guards[26] and several companies of Marines[27] were hastily embarked at Deal.

Just prior to the liaison, a detachment of 12 Royal Marine gunners (with two howitzers and a field piece) and 100 Royal Marine infantry[30][31] were transferred to HMS Hermes and HMS Carron, to accompany Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Edward Nicolls to Florida,[32] where they would remain for the duration of the war.

On the morning of 19 July, the battalion landed near Leonardtown and advanced in concert with ships of the squadron, causing the US forces to withdraw.

The first week of August was spent raiding the entrance to the Yeocomico River, which concluded with the capture of four schooners at the town of Kinsale, Virginia.

[33] Prior to the establishment of the Corps, some of its men had been employed to good effect as scouts and guides with raiding parties.

The three remaining Royal Marine companies of the original 3rd Battalion departed Bermuda in May 1815 to return to England.