Anthony Gale - Later Life

Later Life

From Washington, Gale went first to Philadelphia where he spent several months in a hospital, then took up residence in Stanford, Kentucky. Armed with proof that he had been under the strain of temporary mental derangement while Commandant, he spent fifteen years attempting to have his court-martial decision reversed. Eventually, in 1835, the government partially cleared him and awarded him a stipend of $15 a month which was later increased to $25 and continued until his death.

Gale’s death is reported to be on December 12, 1843 or December 12, 1842, although most sources place his death in 1843. Over the years, several efforts have been undertaken by the Marines in an attempt to locate Commandant Gale’s final resting place. All have proven unsuccessful. In lieu of a monument at his gravesite, on March 6, 2010, various detachments of the Marine Corps League of Kentucky dedicated a monument to Commandant Anthony Gale at the Lincoln County Courthouse in Stanford, KY, nearby where he died and is likely buried. The Marine Corps League, Department of Kentucky, has taken as an annual project the traditional laying of the Commandant’s wreath at this memorial on each November 10, the birthday of the Marines.