John THE MEN WHO HELPED WIN INDEPENDENCE JOHN PAUL JONES, A SCOTCHMAN, WHO WON THE GREAT. 100. John Paul. In 1747, in far-away Scotland, on the arm of the sea called Solway Firth, a great sailor was born. John Paul played along the seashore, saw born in tall ships, and heard wonderful stories of a new land Scotland called America, whose ships filled with tobacco came into the firth. Sails on the Returns John Paul did not get much schooling, and at the age of thirteen he went as a sailor lad on the Friendship to America. The ship sailed into Chesapeake Bay and up the Rappahannock River to the town of Fredericksburg, where he found his brother William living on a plantation. In the very same town where George Washington had just been to school, John Paul also went to school. He studied hard to make up for lost time, and left a great name among the boys. He afterward returned to Scotland, and at the age of nineteen sailed as an officer on a slave-trading ship to and sails Africa, and carried a load of negroes away from their for Africa native land. Many people did not then think it wrong to do this, but John Paul hated the cruel business, and left the slave ship as soon as he reached Jamaica. Made captain On his way back to Scotland the officers of the ship died, and John Paul, although but twenty years old, had to take charge. The owners of the vessel were so pleased with the way he handled it that they made him captain, and he went on many voyages to different countries. After a time John Paul went to Virginia to take care of his dead brother's plantation. While he was living in In Virginia he watched the quarrel between England and Virginia her colonies break out in open war. ΙΟΙ. John Paul Jones Enters the American Navy. He hastened to Philadelphia and offered his services to Congress. He knew England would send thousands of soldiers to America; and that she would send her war ships along our seacoasts and up and down our bays and rivers, to capture and burn our towns. He also knew that the Congress did not own a single war ship when the war began. JOHN PAUL JONES From a painting by Charles Wilson Peale again Congress ordered war ships to be built. While these were being made, Congress ordered trading vessels to be fitted with cannon and sent out to capture British ships. When John Paul went to Philadelphia he gave his name as Paul Jones, probably in honor of Willie Jones, a friend who lived in North Carolina. Some have thought that his name he did not want the British to know him, if they should capture him in a sea fight. Although Paul Jones really knew more about war ships than most of the men in Philadelphia, Congress gave him a very low office. But that made no difference to him, for he really wanted to get into a sea fight. In 1775 he Changes Really wants to fight What he could do Sent to With the "Ranger" at Whitehaven "Paul, the Pirate" was made a lieutenant, and joined an expedition to capture cannon and powder from the British in the THE FIRST AMERICAN ENSIGN man-of-war, was raised by John Paul Jones West Indies. He did so well that Congress made him captain and gave him a ship. He then went on a cruise to the West Indies, where in six weeks he captured sixteen prizes and destroyed a number of small vessels. Congress afterward gave him command of the ship Ranger, and sent him to This, the first flag to float above an American carry letters to Benjamin Franklin, who was in France trying to get the king to take sides with the Americans. Franklin planned for Jones to take the Ranger to the coast of England, and show that American as well as English ships could burn, destroy, and fight. He captured two vessels, made straight for his old town of Whitehaven, "spiked" the cannon in the fort, set some ships on fire, and escaped without harm. Near by this place, his sailors took all the silver from the home of a rich lady. This robbery troubled him so much that, afterward, at great expense to himself, he returned the silver to its owner. "Look out for Paul Jones, the pirate!" the people said; and the Drake, carrying two more cannon than the Ranger, was sent to capture her. Five boatloads of people went to see the pirate captured. The fight lasted more than an hour. When the Drake surrendered, her captain and forty-two men had been killed. The Ranger had lost only two men. After this fight the English towns were still more afraid of Paul Jones. There was great joy in France when Paul Jones sailed into port. The king, who was now making war on England, promised him a larger fleet of war vessels. So, in 1779, he found himself captain of a large ship armed with fifty cannon. He called the ship the Bon Homme Richard in honor of Franklin's Almanac, the "Poor Richard." Three smaller vessels joined him, and he again set sail for the English coast. The news of his coming caused great alarm. 102. A Great Sea Fight and a MARINE CANDLESTICK From man-of-war The the "Se Great Victory. As Paul Jones sailed along the British The coasts he captured many trading ships and frightened the "Richpeople. At last he came upon two British war ships. Just ard" and at dark the Richard attacked a larger English ship, the rapis" Serapis. At the first fire two of Jones' cannon burst, tearing up the deck and killing a dozen of his own men. The fight went on for an hour, when the Serapis came near, and Jones ran the Richard into her. "Have you struck your colors?" called out the English captain. "I have not yet be- great sea gun to fight!" replied Captain Jones. fight When the ships came together again Paul Jones himself seized a great rope and tied them together. Now the fighting was terrific. The cannon tore huge holes in the sides of the ships. NAVAL PITCHER This was made in commemoration of the American Navy, 1795 A great explosion on the Serapis The A great victory A great naval hero Finally THE CAPTURE OF THE SERAPIS Because of this victory three nations, France, Russia, and non on each ship Denmark, bestowed special honors upon John Paul Jones as "the valiant assertor of the freedom of the sea" could be fired. The decks of both ships were covered with dead and wounded, but neither captain would give up. Finally Paul Jones, with his own hands, pointed two cannon at the great mast of the Serapis. Just as it was about to fall, the English captain surrendered. All night Jones and his men were kept busy fighting fire and pumping water, while the wounded were removed to the Serapis. The Good Man Richard sank the next day at ten o'clock. Paul Jones sailed to France with his two English ships, where he was praised and rewarded by the King of France. He was a great hero in the eyes of the French people, and in the eyes of the Americans, too. After the war Paul Jones was an officer in the Russian navy. He died in France in 1792. His grave was buried in forgotten for many years, but was discovered in 1905, America and his bones were brought to America with great honor, and buried at Annapolis, Maryland. |