Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1895-05-24
PAUL JONES' CAREER.
He Was the First TO Hoist the
American Flag.
Hs Had n Peculiarly Fascinating way
with sailors-A Tireiess Letter writer
and an Inditer OF Sentimental
Verses to Women


On December %, TITS, was made the
beginning of the American navy; and
from this point the true history of Paul
Jones begins. He was then twenty
eight years old, Of the middle height,
his figure slight, but graceful, and of
IA dashing and officer-lilxe appear
ance." His complexion, writes Miss
Molly Elliot Seawell In Century
was dark and weather beaten: his
black eyes very expressive, but melan-
choly. His manners were easy and
dignified with the great, and he was
without doubt fascinating to women.
He often fancied himself in love and
like Washington, sometimes even
wrote bad verses to ladies; but it is un-
likely that any woman ever had the
real mastery of his heart He was not
deferred by the greatness of "the
fair, as he called them When thev
pleased him, and made love to very
great ndiasquite as boldly as when
ard he lal 6srd the stout ser a,en-
He had a. peculiarly persuasive wav
with sailors as with women; and if he
"lshed to enlist a sailor would walk
up and down the pier with him by the
hour, and he never failed to get bis
man. He was tireless lletter-wricer,
and when Paul Jones wtote rs Paul
Jones spoke nothing could exceed the
force and simplicity of ,kis STYLE. But
he was subject to ATTACKS of the literary
devil, and his predictions then were
intolerably fine. 'He wrote and spoke
French respectively, and his handwrit-
ing, grammar and spelling are all much
above the average of his day.
Ills bTst duty was as first lieutenant
!. on tbe Alfred, Commodore Hopkins flag
ship. On this vessel he hoisted for the
first time the original flag of the revo-
lution-the rattlesnal1e flag. In let
ter to Robert Morris in 1888, Paul
Jones says:
ut was my fortune, as the senior of
the first leutenants, to hoist myself,
the flag of America q chose to do it
with my own hands, the first time it
was displayed. Though this was but
light circumstance, yet, feel for its
honor more than think l should have
felt had it not so happened"
The services he was engaged in under
Commodore Hopkins were far from
brilliant. The commodore had a strong
disinclination to go ''in harms way
TO use a favorite expression of Paul
-Jones-and within year was dismissed
the navy. Paul Jones' first command
was little sloop of war, the Provi-
dence; and from a memorandum among
his papers, in the handwriting of the
secretary of the congress, we learn that
his uniform was: "Blue cloth with red
lappels, slash cuffs, stand-up collar,
dat yellow buttons, blue britches, red
waistcOat with narrow lace" The uni
form for the junior officers was also
prescribed, and all were commanded to
wear 'blue britches." The marine Off
GERS, however, were to wear 'britches
edged with green, black gaiter and gar
ters."
Paul Jones' conduct ring the cruise
he made in the Providence, and after
ward in command of small squadron
in 1776, won him great credit, especial
iy with Washington: His employment
was the conveying of men and stores
from Rhode Island to Washington at
New York Long Island sound swarmed
with the cruisers of Lord Howe's fleet,
and Paul Jones address in eluding
them, especially the Cerberus frigate,
which tracked him for weeks like a
bloodhound, marked him as a man of
great enterprise His next cruise with
little squadron maintained his repu-
tation, and from that on the requests
of officers who wished to serve under
him were frequent. Paul Jones' replies
TO these are quaint reading. He always
protests disinclination to ''entice" of
ticers away from other commanders,
but never fails to note the good points
of his own ship, and to give forecast
of his daring schemes very captivating
to an ambitious young officer.
There was great confusion in the ia
bles of rank first adopted in the navy,
and thence proceeded grievance that
Paul Jones never ceased to protest
against bitterly, until in 1881, many
years afterward, he became, by the
unanimous election of congress, the
ranking officer of the American navy.
BY the personal carelessness of Presi-
dent Hancock, Paul Jones' original
commission as captain-the first com
mission granted under 1.-The United
States"-was lost. When a new one
was given him, he found, TO his natural
indignation, that thirteen of his juniors
were ahead of him on the list of cap
tains. How infuriating this was TO
man as greedy of distinction as Paul
Jones, may be imagined He always
spelled rank with a capital, and wrote
of 1t as Crank, which opens the door to
Glory" He swore he would never serve
under any of the men thus unjustly
given precedence of him. Congress,
while negligent in doing him justice.
was wise enough. nevertheless, to give
him always a separate command. 1t
was determined to send him to Europe
In the Bangor sloop of war, and in
Europe to give him the finest command
then at the disposal of the congress.