The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1878-05-24
JOHN PAUL JONES.
An english Account of the Fight Between
..s.-nni.,, and aRnnI,nmme Riehnrd.r

ships, which had been standing together
toward the south, tackled, thus crossing
ahead of the Americans, and keeping
between them and the convoy. 1t was
lovely autumn evening, and Fam
borough Head, distant barely league,
was crowded with people, whom the
minors of tie day had drawn to the
neighborhood; as the sun set the full
harvest moon rose and lighted up the
scene, permitting them TO see, or to fancy
thew saw, the events that were passing OH
their coast. About half-past seven the
Ronhomme Richard was within hail OF
the Scraps, TO windward but somewhat
On her quarter, both ships standing in
for the land on the pert tack. The hail
vas answered, as 1t was followed, by
broadside; the fire seems to have been
simultaneous; and in this way began
ight which in modern naval history has
M parallel, / will therefore pause
moment to take an exact view OF the
opposing forces.
I Pallas, thirty-twO-gun frigate,
mounting, in ali probability, niue
FOUNDERS on her main deck, bore away
ior the C, untess OF Sc3rbogougb. 3 ship
utterly unable 10 contend with such an
opponent. she did indeed offer q
yery creditable resistance, but after
an hour was obliged 70 haul down
her colors, and the Pallas, occu>
MED Tor the rest OF the tine in taking
possession OF her prize, had ma share
IN the fight with the Scraps. The Alli-
anee is spoken of as of thirty-six guns,
hut, being American, without any
establishment, it is difficult to say what
her armament was. In the English or
French navies thirty-six gun fTigates at
that time carried twelve Founders on the
main deck; and / should think it most
6keiy that the Alliance did so too, though
it Is of course possible that she had only
nine pounderE. ] believe that OF the
squadron the Alliance was most like q
ship of war, had she only been properly
commanded; but under a mar like
Landais she proved OF little value. In
the early part of the engagement she is
described as sailing st some distance
round the Pallas aud the Countess of
Scarborough firing promiscuously at
both of them, which, in the dark, while
the moon was only yet 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
eonsOrt, the BonhOmme Richard
But the Iorce of the Scraps was such
as might be considered not = very I'M
equal match for the Bonhomme Richard
and the Alliance together She WAS of a
class then much esteemed for service in
the narrow seas and smooth water, being
particularly handy by reason Of her
shortness. She WAS q II gun two decker ;
on her lower deck She mounted Is
FOUNDERS, 13-pounders on her MAN deck.
The double battery and the heavier guns
gave her an undoubted superiority over
the BOnhomme Richard, two of whose
makeshift lSpounders in the gun room,
old worn out guns, burst at the second
round, killing and wounding a number
Of the men, and partly blowing up the
deck overhead. The accident spread a
panic among the ships company, which
Jones, by personal exertionS, 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 70 the Bonhomme
Richard in rate or sailing and handiness
she seems to have had it in her power
10 sail round her enemy and to weather
on her at pleasure. Although she began
the action to leeward, bToadside to broad>
side, she presently shot ahead, and
crossed the Bonhomme Richards bows,
passing TO windward, and Iakiug her as
she did so, then back again, again raking
her. The advantage lay entirely with
the Scraps which ought, beyond
doubt, TO have won an easy victory.
Captain Pearson was a brave man and
good seaman, but lie was not equal TO
unwOnted emergencies; and when after
about an hours engagement, Jones fnd>
ing the Bonhomme Richard seriously ILL
treated by the heavier guns and superior
sailing OF the Scraps, resolved to Crap
Ple with her, Pearson had not the tsctic>
al skill nor the presence OF mind to pre-
vent him or 10 free his ship.
1t may be lett an open question by
what maneuver Jones caught the Scraps.
In their Official reports Jones said, and
Pearson said, that the Bonhomme Il Chard,
by keeping away from the position to
wlndwar1, rau 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 2 private account
that the Scraps wore shot round her
heel" and tried to pass astern of the
BOnhomme Richard &c rake her, and his
statement, made in greater detail to Mr.
Cooper, described the iSerapis as hav>
ing been 'box>haI.led, an evolu-
ton aow practically obsolete,
but then In favor among short ships in
smooth water. Except from q purely
technical point of view it is not OF much
consequence but the fact is certain that
the jio-boom Of the Scraps was csught in
the starb0ard mizzen rigging of the Bon.
homme Richard; that Jones, with his
own hands, lashed it to the Bonhomme
Richards mizzen-msst ; that the Scraps
starboard anchor hooked the Bonhomme
Richards quarter, and that the two ships
swung together bow and stern, their
starbOard sides touching each other.
Pearson, hoping that the BenhOmme
Richard might drift apart, let 90 his
other anchor; but he did not know, and
was probably unable TO learn how IL was
that the two ships were 50 closely locked.
They swung together with the tide setting
TO the northwest, and so continued Ia
number of men the adversaries were
nearly equal, but while the lower deek
battery OF the Scraps gave her an over
poweTing superiority below, 1t employed
more men, and left the Bonhomme
Richard with marked superiority above
The eighteen Founders OF the Separis
smashed the Bonhomme Richard into
chips, and sIlenced her main deck guns
but the men, thus driven on deck and to
tbs tops, swept the quarterback and
fore castle of the Scraps with musketrv
and hand-grenades, and drove her men
below. There was some skirmishing
below through the ports; some above,
scrosst the MEETINGS, but on neither side
was there any organized attempt to
hoard
Meantime the Alliance, which might,
under the existing circumstances. have
anchored athwart the stern OF the Scraps
and without danger % herself have
ended the action in few minutes. con-
tented herself with sailing round the
two ships, firing indi-criminately at
either or both, not only with round shot.
but with grape. Pearson, in his report,
naturally speaks only of the damage he
sustained from this ire; but American
writer's maintain that the loss which il
inflicted on the Bonhomme Richard was
much greater; and it seems well estab-
Iished that the material assistance
rendered by the Alliance was worse than
useless, though, of course, Pearson could
not know that at the time, and her pre-
,ence had very positive and dispiriting
,6ect
Still, even under the disadyantageous
.ircu instances in which the Scraps was
Il. 4.