The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-05-30
miscellaneous.
JOHN PAUL JONES.
An BnglIsh Account Of the Fight Between the
.iserapIs" and "BOnhOmme Richard"

ships. which had been standing together
toward the south, tackled, thus crossing
ahead of the Americans, and keeping be-
tween them and the convoy. 1t was a
lovely autumn evening, and Flambor-
ough Head, distant barely league, was
crowded with people, whom the rumors
OF the day had drawn to the neghbor'
hood; az thesun set the full harvest moon
rose and lighted up thes scene, permitting
them to see, or to fancy they saw, the
events that were passing off their coast.
About half.past seven the Bonhomme
Richard was within hail Of the Scraps,
to windward but somewhat on her quar-
ter, both ships standing in for the land
on the port tack. The hail was answer
ed, as it was followed, by broadside ;
the FIRE seems to have been simultaneous
and in this way began fight which in
modern naval history has no parallel. l
will therefore pause moment to take
an exact view of the opposing forces,
The Pallas, thirty-two gun frigate,
mounting, in all probability, nine pound
ers on her main deck, bore away for the
Countess Of Scarborough, a ship utterly
unable to contend with such an oppo.
nent. She did indeed offer very cred
table resistance, but after au hour was
obliged to haul down her colors, and the
Pallas, occupied for the rest of the time
in taking possession of her prize, had no
share in the fight with the Scraps. The
Alliance is spoken of as of thirty.siX
guns, but, being American without any
establishment, it is difficult to say what
her armament was. In the English or
French naVies thirty-six gun frigates at
that time carried twelve Founders on the
main deck; and | should think it most
likely that the Alliance did so too, though
it is of course possible that she had only
nine Founders. l believe that of the
squadron the Alliance was most like a
ship.of-war, had she only been properly
commanded; but under a man like Lam
dals she proved of little value. In the
early part of the engagement she is de-
sCribed as sailing atsome distance round
the Pallas, and the Countess of SCarbor-
ough firing promisCueusly at both of
them, which, in the dark, while the
moon was only rising, did as much harm
to friend as to foe; and she does not seem
to have at any time really engaged the
Scraps in support of her consort, the
Bonhomme Richard.
But the force of the Scraps was such
as might be considered not very une-
quail match for the Bonhomme r. jhard
and the Alliance together, She was Of a
class then much esteemed for Sci vice in
the narrow seas and smooth wate', being
particularly handy by reason of their
shortness. She was Al gun two decker
and on her lower deck she IOunted Is
Founders, II Founders on her main deck.
The double battery and the heavier guns
gave her an undoubted superiority over
the Bonhomme Richard, two of whose
makeshift IS Founders in the gun room
old worn out guns-burst at the Sec
oud round, killing and wounding many
of the men, and partly blowing up the
deck overhead. The accident spread a
panic among the ships company, which
Jones, by personal effort, was able to
stop; but naturally, no further attempt
was made to use the rest of these guns.
But, more even than in armament the
Scraps was superior to the Bonhomme
Richard in rate of sailing and hardness.
She seems to have had it in her power to
sail round her enemy and to weather on
her at pleasure. Although she began
the action to leeward, broadside to broad
side, she presently got ahead, and crossed
the Bonhomme Richards bows, passing
to windward, and raking her as she did
80, then hack again, again rakirg her,
The advantage lay entirely with the Ser
apis, which ought, beyond a doubt, to
have won an easy victory. Capt. Pear
son was brave man and good seaman
but he was not equal to unwonted emer-
gencies; and when, after about an hours
engagement, Jones finding the Bon
homme Richard seriously ill-treated by
the heavier guns and superior sailing of
the Scraps, resolved to grapple with her.
Pearson had not the tactical skill nor the
presence of mind to prevent him or to
free his ship.
1t may be left an open question by
what maneuver Jones caught the Sera-
pis. In their official reports Jones said
and Pearson said, that the Bonhomme
Richard, by keeping away from the posi-.
ton to windward, ran across the bows of
the Scraps, ,,and these were the men in
charge Of the two ships at the time. On
the other hand, Dale, who was in COM
mand of the Bonhomme Richards main
deck, and could not possibly see what
was being done, wrote in a private &C.
count that the Scraps "wore short round
her heel" and tried to pass astern of
the Bonhomme Richard to rake her,
and his statement, made in greater de-
tail to Mr.. Cooper, described the Scraps
as having been "boxhauled," an evolu-
ton now practically obsolete, but then
in favor among short ships in smooth
water. Except from purely technical
point of view, it is not Of much Conse.
quence; but the fact is certain that the
jib.boon of the Scraps was caught in
the starboard mizzen rigging Of the Bon
homme Richard; that Jones, with his
own hands, laehed it to the Bonhomme
Richards mizzen mast that the Serapis's
starboard anchor hooked the Bonhomme
Richards quarter, and that the two ships
swung together bow and stern, their
star.boa sides touching each other.
Pearson, hoping that the Bonhomme
Richard might drift apart, let go his other
anchor; but he did not know, and was
probably unable to learn, how it was
that the two ships were so closely lock-
ed. They swung together with the tide,
setting to the northwest, and so contin-
ued. In number Of men the adversares
were nearly equal, but while the lower
deck battery Of the Scraps gave her an
overpoweriDg superiority below, it en-
ployed more men, and left the Bon
homme Richard with marked superi.
ority above. The eighteen Founders of
the Scraps smashed the Bonhomme
Richard into chips, and sllenCed her
main deck guns; but the men, thus driven
on deck and to the tops, swept the quar-
ter deck and forecastle of the Scraps