Evening journal., 1914-12-29
Last Attack on England
Was by French in 1877
John Paul Jones Kept fhe Island Kingdom in Terror
for More Than Year by Tactics Similar TO Those
Used by The German Fleet Recently.

The German attack on Scarborough,
Whitby and Hartlepool, last week,
is the first time in nearly 1lS years
that Great Britain. as distinct from
ireland, has been touched by an en-
emy For more than a century tho
English fleet has maintained an un-
breakable Gordon around the island.
The last bombardment of an Eng
lish city was at Fishsuard, on the west
coast, now known to all tourists as
/ the place where mail boats meet the
/ big transatlantic liners.
The "Fishguard Invasion" as it is
known in English history. took place
/ February 22 1891 The damage was
negligible, but it stirred England 70
higher pitch of excitement. prob
ably, than the German raid, coming as
/ IL did when Napoleon had his legions
massed on the Channel coast ready for
/ invasion.
4 Three French warships appeared off
| Fishguard on the chill February morn
ing. They cl ossed TO Carreg GWastad
Point. in the neighboring Province Of
Llanwnda, where small boats imme-
diately landed 1900, mostly Irish vol
unteers in the French service, under
command of General Tate, an Irish
American adventurer
A thrill of alarm went over Eng
land as fast as the news could be
carried The militia of the provinces
near Fishguaf was mObilized hastily.
The French warships sailed back to-
ward F'shguard after the troops were
landed. They stood close inshore and
threw 90 or more shots into the town.
Batteries, hastily constructed Of sand,
and small ships guns. replied lneffec-
tually. Little damage was done on
either side
General Tate, meanwhile. denlnyed
his troops as if they were only an ad-
vance guard, which England took them
10 be. For a day he put on a bold
lront. Then, nearly surrounded by the
militia levios. he surrendered after his
outposts had fired a few shots. Eng
land remained excited until IL was
definitely learned that Napoleon's
armies had not been embarked for
invasion
a more dangerous scare. and one
that put North England in a terror
mat lasted q year or more, was the
attack on WhitChavcn. town I'm
Cumberland, on the northwest coast
OF England, in l778 by John Paul
Jones, the great American admiral.
Ihat was the first time hostile troops
mad landed in England proper since
1880. when the French Admiral Tour
Vile cannonadod Toighmouth. on the
south coast
The attack ON Whitchavon was Eng
lands introduction to John Paul
Joes. II was also his debut as a
raider I'm the British Islands. He had
just taken command Of the Ranger
q cotton fast sailing ship. The Ranger
was the first ship 20 ny the Stars
and Stripes, then recently adopted as
the United Colonies flag. Jones
sailed into the Irish sea and began
] his career of destruction.
( Thirty-0ne Men storm Town.
April rs. l77S. ne made an attempt
to land at Whitehavcn. A sudden
change Of wind drove him off. He
| appeared before Carrickfergus Ire
land, the following day and gave that
town scare. Midnight. April %
| found him back before Whiohavcn.
I He took 81 men in two small boats
and rowed to the attack. Whitchavcn
unlike Fishguard, Hartlepool and
/ Scarborough. was fortified town. n
/ had two forts, each mounting Is
pieces of artillery. Alexander s.
Mackeu lie. naval writer, says "fcw
naval exploits exhibit a character of
greater daring and originality than
the descent on Whitehaven."
I The tide was at ebb when Jones
/ left his ship. Consequently IL was
daybreak when he landed. Seventy
! large ships and about 150 smaller
ones were in Whitehaven at that
/ time. Jones planned TO burn them
destroy the batteries and perhaps eX-
act a little tribdte from the city
He divided his men into two par
ties when he landed. One party. was
TO fire the ships on the north side.
Jones. with the other party, took tho
more difficult and daring task of
capturing the batteries, setting fire
TO the ships in the south basin and
attending TO whatever defense the
townspeople might make
Tho first fort was taken easily. The
sentrios were asleep in their boxes.
Jones simply locked them in and
spiked the guns. He left a guard there
and sent some of his men to start the
fires in the ships. With ono follower
he set out for the other fort, a hals
mile distant. In all his career Jones
never did more daring or foolhardy
I exploit than this. Two men stolminS
a fort pruinnpd with Is cannon and
manned with British artillerists! The
sentries were asleep, as at the other
fort. While his follower spiked the
cannon. Jones captured the garrison
and marched them out az the point OF
his pistol.
It was now growing light and
Jones hurried back to the landing
place. Upon his arrival he was
chagrined to find that neither party
sent to the ships had started any fires.
/ They made the tame excuse that their
candles had burned out. Jones imme-
! diately procured a candle from near
/ by house and set fire to the largest
shin in the basin with his own hands.
Scared The TOwnspeOple.
The townspeople had begun to gath
flames called them TO the docks. Jones
ordered his men to man their two
boats. while single-handed he held
back the townspeople until the flames
got well started.
81 stood between them and the
ship he wrote in his report to the
! American Commissioners in Paris
with a pistol in my hand and ordered