Show imago t 0 22 MZA 7 by ELMO SCOTT WATSON N tim THE sixth of july asi years ago there was born in KIik bean county of kirkcudbright scotland to a gardener named john paul a son who was destined to play a role in the founding of a new nation F for or the first twelve ears earsom of his life young john paul for he was after ills his father lived the life of any boy of his hia time and there was nothing to indicate the high destiny that awaited him then in 1759 he was apprenticed to a Whit ellaven merchant in the american trade and went to sea and it was on the sea that this scotch lad was to win his fame was to become the outstanding american naval of the revolution and one of our great sea captains of all time to most americans the name john paul jones is a familiar one but the extent of their knowledge of him is usually confined to trat tl at epic battle between the bonhomme richard and the Ser aills during which jones uttered his immortal words 1 I have not yet begun to fight but there Is so much more of interest in his career than is given in our school book histories that it deserves wider knowledge among us of his adopted country for one thing if for no other his connection with the early lili history tory of our national banner should give him enduring fame that flag and I 1 vre pie twins he once said born the ille same day and the same hour we ve cannot be parted in life or in death so long arwe can floatee float floa twe we shall float together if we must sink we shall go down abone as one 11 the scotch boy who went to sea in 1759 rose yap rapidly idly became a ship owner and by 1773 was making voyages to the west indies and to india in the meantime his brother william paul had been adopted by a certain wllliam william jones and became a prosperous planter when he died john paul inherited his estate thereupon he added the jones to his name anu and settled down as a planter in america which as he characterized it was the country of ills his fond selection since theace the age of ea eighteen jones was not long to carry forward his ambition to become a virginia gentleman for the outbreak of the revolution brought with it the necessity for the colonies to organize a navy with which to copit cope if possible with the mistress of the seas and more especially to waylay ships bringing supplies to the british army so one of the early acts of the continental congress was to choose a naval commander ln in chief four captains and a number of first second and third lieutenants and provide ships for them this now new navy was mainly a new england affair and the commander ln in chief was commodore esek hopkins from massachusetts the only officers who were not new englanders were nicholas beddle of pennsylvania and john paul jones of Virgi virginia fila jones first task was arming and manning the flagship of tho the fleet of eight vessels given to commodore it was the black prince a merchant ship which was renamed the alfred alfedd in january 17 0 commodore commadore hopkins arrived in philadelphia to go aboard hla his flagship As he stepped aver the side captain gave the signal and LI eutena t jones who was flag lieutenant hoisted over the alfred q two ro flags the one which he raised to io the mizzen peak as the flag of the united colonies wits was the grand onion flag fing of thirteen af alternate ternate red an and dwhite white with the union jack in the upper tipper lefthand left hand corner carner where in the future the field 0 blue with its white stars was to appear so came about john paul jones first connection with our national flag after ills return from this voyage during ivsich lie he distinguished him self for boldness and skill when the commander ln in calef displayed a timid tty ity and a lack of skill riot not in keeping with his hufh position jones was given command of the providence a 12 gun brig with her he captured 15 prized along the atlantic coast and on october 10 he was made captain and given command of the alfred a 24 gun vessel on this ship he set out on his cruise which resulted in the capture of seven british vessels which he brought into port at boston convinced that more good could be accomplished y harassing the british in their own waters than by attacking their shipping olt off the file american coast he began urging congress to allow him to carry the war against england across the atlantic accordingly on june 14 1777 congress ai al pointed appointed him to the command of the ranger a new ship of 18 48 guns recently completed at portsmouth new hampshire in the very same hour that the resolution giving him command of the ranger hanger was passed there was also passed the historic resolution which brought into being the stars and stripes and it ws this ch urn stance which inspired jones statement that he and the flag were twins and it is here that the stories of john paul jones and our national em emi i blem began 0 run in parallel channels a story which Is little known to tg mo ino americans and which has been brought out by a new book the xa national flag by willis fletcher johnson published recently by the houghton mifflin company upon taking command of the ranger liander jones immediately began preparing the ship for the trip across the atlantic although there Is 1 no record of the date when lie he raised the stars and stripes over tier her tradition says that it was on the fourth of july of jones cruise of 23 days in british water with the ranger it has hasI been said for daring and success it was unsurpassed in the annals of naval history in addition to capturing the drake lie burned tile the shipping in White whitehaven haven and off carrickfergus Carrick fergus and made his name one of terror along the coasts of great britain but the months which followed jones success in the ranger were months of anxiety for him also most of his troubles however were ashore rather that aal bat lie he wal wai finding it very difficult to pay ills nen sell his prizes and secure a squadron for another and greater cruise which he had in mind at last an old east bast india merchant ship was secured renamed the richard IU charil in compliment to benamin franklin band and to this was wag joined the alliance a 32 gun frigate and three small french vessels the commander of the alliance was capt pierre dandala Dan Dand dats als who as jones wrote to franklin was ap a crazy man on september 23 off flamborough Flam borough head Jon jones esmet met the baltic trade a convoy of 41 v vessels asels escorted by the and the countess of scarborough then followed the historic rn en ga gement of which it has been said eald the annals of the th american navy contain no alner ecamp example le of skill courage and leadership than that found in n the duel off flamborough Flam Flambo borough head rarely hash has a commander who won his fight contended with such overwhelming obstacles sta st acles adli es the story of that eif engagement kage is too familiar to need retelling here how jones soon realized that the alie sia sera lestroy lelm ln in a k af long range battle how he out maneu vered pearson the british command er how he closed in and lashed the richard to the Ser aills how the alliance came to ills his aid how the crazy dandala aandal sent a broadside into the unprotected side of jones ship and how in the midst of the s around him with the richard sinking under him jones could still hurl back his defiant 1 I have not yet begun to fight so lie he won his battle and the briton struck hla his colors As for jones colors tile the stars and stripes they played a 11 glorious part in the battle for the new flag was lying flying at the masthead of the bie richard when it closed with the once it was shot down but it was immediately rescued and raised again and there it to the end for tite the bonhomme richard was so shattered in the light fight that there eliere was no hope of saving it so jones transferred himself and his men to the captured Ser apts As a matter of pride and sentiment he would not allow the flag odthe richard to be lowered but left it flying as the vessel si sank with the bodies of her dead dead jones did not return to receive the acclaim of his own countrymen until early in 1781 lie ile reached philadelphia february 18 of that year where congress gave him a vote of thanks and the command of the america a new 74 gun ship then nearing completion but the revolution ended before lie he could again put to sea with no more lighting fighting to be done jones could not content himself to go back to virginia or to settle down to the quiet of commerce on the seas his restless spirit led him to seek naval service with russia ile he became a rear admiral and in 1788 continued lils his brilliant exploits on the water by defeating the turkish navy at the battle of liman allman ile he returned to russia to reap his reward but lie he did not stay long ile he returned to parts paris and there he died july 18 1702 what followed allowed oll owed isa striking illustration of theold the old saying about how a republic for forgers forge gels tb for more than a hundred years the republic which he had helped establish forgot john paul jones at least so far as paying any honor to lils his ashes was in 1005 ambassador florace porter after a long search found jones grave in th the old st louis cemetery for foreign protestants under instructions from president roosevelt ills his remains were exhumed and brought to the united states by an american squadron sent especially for that purpose they were taken to the united states naval academy and then as a final ironical touch to the way in which the richest and stingiest stringiest stin giest govern meiA in in the world rewards its heroes for neither his salary the money lie had advanced to tile the united states Lovern government alent nor his prize money was paid until a generation after his death the casl cachet et containing his body was left behind a staircase resting on a couple of rough carpenter horses in one of tile the buildings at annapolis for seven years I 1 then when the scandal of ened tobe to be aired in congress he was i burled with the honors due him ff by western newspaper union |