The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1905-08-18
OFFICERS OF REVOLUTION.
Very Few Emerged From the Obliv-
ion of Routine Naval Druggery
-Biddle's Self-Sacrifice.
New York Evening Pos'1.

SlOOQ neaQ ana SlOuluelS OFel MS
brother officers in the service Of the
Revolution, yet there were some who
pressed him rather closely in the
award Of honors concerning whose
deeds comparatively little is known.
This is regrettable for more reasons
than one, chief among which is that,
while Jones will be found to have suf-
fe1ed nothing by comparison, these
humber heroes of his day have not
received the recognition so justly due
them. OF the 20 officers who held
the rank of naval captain in our SER
vice during the Revolution, only
few emerged from obscurity. They,
like the great majority in all ser
vices, were destined to perform that
hardest Of all professional work, the
monotonous routine duty incident to
the carrying on of naval war.
There were few, however, who had
the good fortune to emerge from the
oblivion and naval druggery and per-
haps the greatest OF these is Nicf1o-
las Biddle, of good Pennsylvania
stock. He commanded the Andrea
Dorta in the first naval expedition
Of the war, Captain Jones (then a
EeutenanO serving in the same squad
ron aboard the flagship Alfred.
Jones shortly aftcrward won the i'm
mortal distinction of taking the Sera-
pis while his own ship went down.
A year before the Bonhomne Rich
ard-Serapis fight, Biddle had the
unique distinction OF both "going up"
and going down" in his ship, the 81
gun frigate Randolph, in her engage
n1ent with the saip-of-the-line Var
mouth. Jones' bravery off Flanbor-
ough head was superb, but it does not
equal the patriotism and noble sacri-
flee Of Biddle, who, in order to save
his convoy of seven rich merchant
men, laden with goods indispensable
to the American cause, unhesita;ingly
ran alongside the monster ship-of-
the-Ene and was blown up, 81 Of
the Rardolph's complement OF 3I5
pershing, including Biddle-but the
convoy was saved. This was the
noblest act Of self-sacrifice on large
scale in the annals of the American
navy. Earlier in the war, Biddle,
while in command of the Andrea
Doria, in a cruise Of four months
captured 10 English vessels, which,
with the exception of two, reached
port in safety-two of the prizes con-
tanning 400 soldiers of a Highland
regiment.
While the immortal distinction Of
being the first man to Moist our ma
tional colors aboard an American war
ship belongs to Captain Jones, the by
no means small honor Of showing
the American flag for the first time
on regularly commissioned Ameri-
cc1l war ship in European waters
belongs to Captain Lambert Wickes,
who crossed the Atlantic in the I6-
gun war brig Reprisal. Lambert
made cruise in the Bay OF Biscay,
and in two circuits OF Ireland took
some 20 prizes
Nor Should the daring cruises OF
Captain GuStavus Connyngham in
the Surprise be overlooked One year
before Captain Jones appeared on
the other side OF the Atlantic as COM
mander Of an American warship,
Connyngham secured the coast of
England and picked up prizes in the
very chops of the English channel
Our commissioner in Europe, Silas
Deane, wrote: "Connynghana, by his
first and second bold expeditions, is
become the terror of all the eastern
coast of England and Scotland, and
Is more dreaded than Thurot was in
the late war;
Then there were Captains Thomas
Thompson and Elisha Hinman, who,
one year before Captain Jones's ap-
pearance in English waters, executed
a dash against a British fleet which