Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-11-06
JOHN PAUL JONES.

Memorable Battle Between tn,
0 Bon Homme Richard and the
. Scraps.
. We have just passed the
one hundredth anniversary of 4
3 Revolutionary exploit which
3 certainly deserves a place a.
: nong the manifold subjects of
centennial commemoration, al
, though no great preparations
: seem anywhere to have been
! made to honor it. On the 23d
: Of September, 1879, occurred one
of the most desperate battles
} between single ships recorded
in modern warfare--a naval du-
el hardly surpassed, indeed, for
bulldog tenacitY in the authen-
tic annals Of amy age. The
memorable fightoffFlamboroueh
I Head in which John Paul Jones,
with the Bon Hommc Richard,
an old, ili-equipped, and, before
! the combat was ended, sinking
ship conquered the SerapiS,new,
more heavily armed and morc
fully manned, was the most
brilliant naval engagement OF
the Revolutionary War. Stat
ues have been set UP to heroes
Of that day whoes careers were
less uniformly triumphant, and
monuments have perpetuated
the memory Of deeds less yalor-
Gus.
Indeed, the very luster of
this combat has thrown into
partial eclipse the full record of
the services rendered by John
Paul Jones to the American
cause. Many persons, ,tolerabIy
well versed in the history of the
struggle, were wont to look upon
Jones rather as the hero of a sim
Gle great achievment than as the
commander in more than score
Of successful naval expeditions
and engagements. Born in a
maritime village of Scotland in
l747, his name being originally |
John Paul, and the surname
Jones afterward added, the out
break Of the revolution found
him in Virginia, whittier he came
in boyhood. Having almost con-
stantly engaged, from the age Of
twelve, in seafaring life, he
promptly gave his services to the
Colonies, his commission as Lieu
tenant dating December 22, 1775
near four years before his COM
bat with the Scraps. Assigned
as First Lieutenant to Captain
Saltonstall's thirty-gun ship, the
Alfred, flagship Of Commodore |
Hopkins Delaware River Squad
ron, he soon after received the
command ofthe sloop Providence,
twelve guns, with which he made
no fewer than sixteen prizes in a
short cruise off the \ orth Attain
tic Coast. lie was rewarded
with d Captains commission
August 8, 1776, and soon after,
in command of the Alfred, raw
aged the Cape Breton coal-car-
rying and fishery trade, taking
four prizes into Boston. Thet
following summer he received
command of the Ranger, a new
eighteen-gum ship (his preceding
vessel had been altered from a
merchant vessel), built at Ports
mouth, n. III. In this ship he
descended upon the coast of
Scotland, his most memorable
exploit being a bold swoop upon
Whitehaven,a n,anddaIingthe cruise
he captured the sloop-of-war
Drake, with a crew Of two hum
dred men, largely exceeding the
number OF his own, taking his
prize and prisoners into Brest,
where he was received with
great honor.
The Ranger having been sent
to America by the American
Commissioners in France, Frank
lin, Deane and Lee, Jones in
February, 1779, received the COM
mand of the Duras, an old lner-
chant vessel converted into Il
war ship,and rechristencd by him
Bon IIomme Richard, in compli-
ment to DR.. Franklin's ''Poor
Richard already famous in
France as in America. In this
ship, after some alterations TO
increase her armament, he sailed !
from L'Orient the following Au-
gust in command Of n fleet. AL
though not few Of the officers
and men in this fleet, made up,
as they were, of various NATIONAL
tiles, mostly European, showed
signs of mutiny, his energy Sc
far controlled and inspired them
that in six weeks time twenty
six prizes had been made of. the
east coast Of England, whose
maritime towns and villages
were thoroughly alarmed. The
boldness of this venture upon
British coasts in two successive
years is apparent. It's crowning
success was at Marlborough
Head, on the memorable day al
ready mentioned, when Jones, in
-. - - II .,,...,,c, lls.l,n,I co..{-xr-,