The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1905-03-25
AMERICAN NAVY
Barry the Founder, Not John
Paul Jenes, Says
Martin l. j. Griffin in an Article
Relative Thereto.

In the article relating to John Pau
Jones in the Public Ledger, he is called
''the founder of the American navy
Taking the Public Ledger account o.
Jones and testing its statement by ;
relation of other facts, how can he bt
called rightly the founder of the
American navy" even considering the
navy of the Revolution as the begin
ming of the American navy? You say
Jones was appointed to the Alfred as
lieutenant, and that his commission
was given him December % in Inde
pendence hall, by President Hancock
who, although Jones was sixth on the
list, ordered Lieutenant Jones to take
charge of the Alfred pro TEN. Now
the facts are that the Alfred was the
ship Black Prince, commanded by Cap.
tain John Barry, who had sailed her
to London early in January in 1II5.
but learning of the disturbed state of
delpha and brought the Black Prince
here on October IL. when she was at
once sold to the marine committee of
congress and renamed the Alfred in
honor of Alfred the Great the founder
of the English navy. On December %
Esek Hopkins, of Rhode Island, was
appointed her commander and Jones
commissioned lieutenant.
Hopkins was the commander Of the
fleet which sailed to New Providence,
in the Bahamas. and on ST. Patrick
day, 1776, captured the place and took
its governor as hostage, and captured
arms, ammunition and stores, which he
brought to New London. Jones went
along as lieutenant.
On October Is. 177775. the very day
Captain Barry brought the Black
Prince to Philadelphia. congress re-
solved to fit out two armored cruisers,
one of fourteen and the other of ten
guns, to capture the supplies being
brought to the British army ut Boston.
The marine committee bought two YES
sells and named them the Lexington
and the RcpriSnl. On December T.,
17I6, the committee appointed Captain
John Barry to the Lexington and Cap
tain WickeS to the Repris;l
Because of the ice in the Delaware,
just like this year; AMI because of
smallpox among the crew, Hopkins
fleet did not sail until February IL,
177G. 1t did not then fly the Rattle
snake and Pine Tree" flag. which you
lean tag. but it sailed from Phiadel-
phia amid the vaccinations of thou
sands assembled on the joyous occa-
sion under the display Of Il Union flag
with thirteen stripes in the field, en-
bl"nmtic Of the thirteen United Colo
mics. That's the record nll must stand
hy. There wasn't any such flag as the
Pine Tree and Rattlcsnake flag There
was Il flag with Il white ground, pine
tree in the middle. with the motto. AN
appeal to Heaven" Another read. can
Appeal to God. That was one flag
There was another flag of yellow silk.
with Il lively representation of a rattle
snake in tho middle i'm the attitude of
going to strike. and underneath Don't
Tread on Me-" So the Pine Tree was
one flag. the RAttlrSI,kr flag another.
The RnttlcSnakr fla" which Jones
Ir>iS.
Captain Hopkins of tho Alfred. by
which the other vessels of his fleet
might know his ship and his where
alouts. II WAS not until February s,
11Ir. that congress had this flag. when
it was placed on the presidents chair
as n standard such as is used by the
cnIMmnnder-iE-cllirf of the American
nayy"-Captain Essex Hopkins
So with Hopkins fleet sailing south
wArh il there. at New Providence.
made ST. Patrck's day II day of vic
tory. just as Washington was doing
that very same st. Patrick's day mt
Boston. by driving the British out of the
city like the viprrs st. Patrick drove
out of Ireland. No wonder is it that
all truc-bloodrd and heart loving Amer
leans are such crlcbrntrrs of st. Pat
rick'S day. 1t was the 1776 day of vic
tory which gave heart to make the day
of Independence. Let us all honor ST.
patrirk'S day as an American holiday
But the Lexington under Barry was
still in the Delaware. Its captain "was
employed on shore" says Cooper's
History of the Navy" edition of 1850.
On March 23 congress ordered letters
OF mArqlle to be issued Barry soon
started for the sea. On Sunday.
March 81. so report was made on April
to the committee of safety, captain
Barry went to sea-" He had escaped
the Roebuck. Il British man-of-war,
"oDa of his Majesty's pirates" which
kept guard of the bay.
Barry crlliseh off the capcs of Vir-
Elnia. and on April I. 1776 captured
the Edward and brought her to Phila-
'delphia nE April II. Among his prison
elS Was Richard Dale. who had been
captured by the Edward "and induced
to nj pit the royal cause" Barry in
dll.ed him to return to American ale
giance- He became a commodore in