Charles City intelligencer., 1865-01-05
Yistoriital.
PAUL JONES.

Paul Jones was the first man that
ever hoisted the Stars and Stripes on
q ship of war. When the Revolutions
ary war broke out he was living at
Philadelphia in extreme poverty. In.
deed, he was almost pcnniless, and
had scarcely friend in the colonies.
He was born on the southern coast of
Scotland, where he lived till he was
twelve years old, and then having a
passion for the sea, he served regu-
lar apprenticeship of seven years on
board ship trading to America. He
learned his business thoroughly, as
great men always do. There never
lived better sailor than Paul Jones,
and he knew the British coast as IA
miliarly as a newsboy knows Nassau
street. After following the sea till he
was twenty-five years old, he settled
as a merchant in the West Indies,
where he acquired little property,
and had good prospect of making a
fortune. But in l774 when he was
still but twenty-four years Of age, he
was obliged for some reason he would
never tell, to sud ienly leave the Island
of Tobago, and he sailed for Philadcl,
phia with just fifty pounds inhis pock,
ct and that was all the money he ev-
er received from his property in Toba-
go. There is said to be a woman at
the bottom of every mischief. This,
as our readers well know, is a slander
upon the fair sex. But the intimate
friends of Paul Jones always suppos-
ed that it was some affair of love that
caused him to leave his home and
property in the West Indies. He was
also noted for his chivalric and re.
spectful devotion to ladies.
In Philadelphia he lived upwards OF
a year upon his fifty pounds, since com.
merce was nearl Y suspended by the re.
fusal of the colonists to consume Brit.
ish manufactures, and he could get nc
berth on ship or shore. Just as he
was getting to his last guinea, living
almost on bread and water, Congress
resolved to have navy. Then he
came forward and made known his sit
uation and past history to a member
of Congress, who saw the stuff he was
made of, took up his cause in earnest
and got him Lieutenants commission
in the navy of the United States. Let
Us say, however, that Paul Jones wa:
no mere needy adventurer. He was
wholly devoted to the cause of his
adopted country. He understood th'
quarrel between the colonies and tht
mother country, and embraced the
right side Of the dispute with all his
heart and mind.
His success on the sea was wonder
full. In one short cruise on the Anne
rican coast he took sixteen prizes
of which he burnt eight that were no
worth saving, and sent In eight. Ill
did not refuse battle even with tn
Kings ships, one of which he captures
that had on board company OF troop
and ten thousand suits of clothes
which were worth to Congress, jus
then, their weight in silver. In abou
eight months he had made fortune i
prize money, and had absolutely swep
the coast clear of all British vessel
sailing without powerful convoy.
| Congress was prompt in rewardinl
him. July l4th, llTT, when he wa
not yet thirty years old, he was al
pointed to command the Ranger, tn
best vessel of our infant navy, rank
ing as a sloop of war. 1t was fror
the mast head of this immortal shi
that the stars and stripes were frs
flung to the breeze and it was on thi
ship that the ensign of the Union frs
received salute from the guns of
friendly nation. This occurred in tn
French Harbor of Brest in February
ITS, Just one week after DR.. Franz
lin had signed the treaty of allianc
with France.
A new, brilliant scene opened in tn
career of this heroic sailor. CLOSING
the ports of the Ranger, and removing
every other trace of her war-like char
acter, he sailed boldly into the Char
mel, and made his way to that part {
the coast upon which he was born, an
to the town from which he had sale
ten years, every wharf and lane {
which he knew. 1t was Whitehavel
a place of several thousand inhabitants
and the harbor of which containe
three hundred vessels, close togethe
At daybreak, with two boats and thi
ty-one men, he landed on wharf of tn
town, provided with lantern and tw
tar-barrels. He went alone to fol
defending the town, and finding it d
serted climbed over the wall, and spill
ed every gun, without alarming tn
garrison, who were all asleep in I'll
guardhouse, and took every man pri
Toner Mex he snranos into the nnl