John Paul Jones of naval fame, a character of the revolution

Front matter

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Of Naval Fame A Character of the Revolution

Introduction

American history gleams with the brilliant achievements of her adopted sons. No historian ever wearies in telling of the glorious deeds and self-sacrifices of La Fayette, De Kalb, Pulaski, Kosciuszko, De Grasse, Eochambcau, Steuben, St. Clair and D'Estaing, whose deeds of heroism, great privations and unceasing devotion to the cause of liberty will never be forgotten by their countr^anen on this side of the Atlantic.

Of all the revolutionary patriots, however, who crossed the ocean to offer their fortunes, and their lives if necessary, that the spirit of freedom might not perish from the face of the earth, there is no name deserving of higher veneration than that of John Paul Jones, and while his name and office is familiar to millions of the youth of our land, yet it is a lamentable fact that many of them know scarcely anything of the early history, the trials and disappointments he experienced in the organization of the American Navy, or the last years of the life of this remarkable man.

Republics are not ungrateful, nor has the United States been unmindful of the valiant services of her alien sons. In America, we do not manifest our appreciation of gallantry by some gaudy decoration at the hands of our citizen ruler. We have no euphonious titles to confer and no flaring bawbles with which to decorate our patriots. "I prefer a solid to a shining

10 Introduction.

reputation, a useful to a splendid command/' was the only favor the Congress could bestow on Captain Jones ; but even though the latter was denied him, his reward has been ample. — magnanimous as were his services.

The everlasting gratitude of admiring millions of American freemen should be, and is, a sufficient recognition even for the greatest sacrifice. Nathan Hale regretted that he had but one life to give to his country, and he gave even that without hope or expectation of reward, or that his name would live in the hearts of his compatriots even until the close of the struggle that meant liberty or greater enslavement to those who survived.

So it was with Paul Jones; this same feeling manifested itself in his every thought, word and action. It was his' constant desire "to go in harm's way," and the heart burnings of this brave man can readily be imagined when we read in subsequent chapters of the trials and disappointments he endured until the end of the war, when his services were no longer required and he returned over the seas to fight oppression under other flags than ours.

Though dissensions arose continually that caused him much apprehension as to the appreciation in which his services were held, yet he had the fortitude and great good sense to submit to the commands of his superiors and ask the Congress to sit in judgment concerning his conduct, while never for a moment permitting the service or the cause for which he was fighting to suffer by any word or act or neglect of his. Even if Captain Jones had not been the leading spirit in the

Introduction. 11

formation of our navy — even if he had not worked miracles in naval warfare, the Congress was not jealous of his successes, but rather proud of his achievements, and showed its appreciation by never restricting liis operations, nor criticising his plans, either before or after an engagement. Congress realized that if ever the yoke of British tyranny was to be throvm off and the Colonies let loose from the fetters that bound them to the despotism of George the Third, that time had come, and neither Washington, nor the Marine Committee, nor the Congress would permit petty jealousies to affect the greatest good possible in the navy or in the army of the Eepublic.

Captain Jones' active participation in the revolt of the American Colonies, when even the slightest manifestation of sympathy was appreciated by Wa?-hington and the Congress, justifies the many memorials that have appeared, and though the story of his adventures has many times been told, each attempt only adds renewed interest and brings to light new facts in the life of this romantic character in his unselfish devotion to the "cause of freedom and the rights of man."

The purpose of this book is to deal largely with the incidents in the life of Paul Jones so far as they have helped to make the naval history of our country and to show how intimately associated is his name with that which we prize above all else in this world — Liberty; yet it would be hard to tell the story of this courageous man if no mention was made of his adventures under other flags than, ours and in other parts of the world. It is therefore essential to the completion of this nana-

12 Introduction.

tive that brief mention be made of his whole naval career, whether under the banner of America, France or Russia, and though his life after his entrance into the Russian navy loses its direct importance to us, the well-wishes of four million grateful freemen followed him across the ocean to his native shores and bid him God-speed in his assault on tyranny wherever found.

Chapter I. Early Life Of John Paul

Arbigland wa^ the iname of a large private estate bordering on the shores of the Solway in the South of Scotland. Its owner, Mr. John Craik, member of Parliament from Galloway, was of noble ancestry, being a lineal descendant of the Earl of Argyll, and from whom he had inherited much of his vast landed possessions. A great number of tenants were required to care for so many thousands of cultivated acres, yet in all this vast domain, where the controlling power was centered in one man whose authority was absolute, there was no murmuring, no complaining among the tenantry. They were universally happy, prosperous and contented.

We do not wonder, then, that when John Paul, of Leith, but formerly of Fifeshire, went very early in life to be bound a gardener's apprentice to Mr. Craik, that he rejoiced at his good fortune in finding so kind and generous a master, for at that time an apprenticeship more often meant a period of servitude, with the inn fliction of inexpressible cruelties for the slightest diso-' bedience. At Arbigland there were no cruel overseers; ? every infraction of established rules came before Mr. f Craik, who disposed of each case in a manner befitting the offense — the severest punishment being dismissal from his service. ,■ The occupation of a gardener on a large estate was ^ similar to that of an overseer or landscape artist of today, and it should be understood that such a position is given only to one who is especially adapted for the work, which in all cases must be an intelligent man, better educated than the common operative mechanic in ordinary handicraft. Such a man must have been John Paul, for after his term of apprenticeship had expired his master "set aside a portion of the estate as ' a permanent home for his faithful servant and his immediate family after his death," which occurred about the year 1763.

The Craik Mansion of Arbigland stands about a quarter of a mile from the shore, and a little farther^ west on the same gentle sloping promontory still stands / the self-same cottage in which young Paul was born. The present condition of the house is little changed from what it was three-quarters of a century ago, when an account of the surroundings, from which the following is an extract, appeared in the Dumfries' Courier of July 30, 1834. Lieutenant A. B. Pinkham, of the American Navy, had just donated from his own purse a princely sum for the purchase and maintenance of the cottage, and had erected a small monument "to the memory of Paul Jones as a slight token of esteem in which his name is held by his American benefactors :

"The site of the cottage is a glade in a thriving wood, on the shores of the Solway, with a green in front, fancifully railed in, and tastefullv ornamented with ever-

Early Life of Jolin Paul. 15

green flowers and flowering shrnbs. Inside and out, it is a trim cottage and may vie with similar buildings in England, and, as the walls are whitened annually with the finest lime, it is become a sort of landmark to nearly every sail that enters the Solway. The widow of a fisherman, who died under highly distressing circumstances, and who owed much to the humanity of Mr. Craik, tenants it rent free, and will probably close her eyes under its honored roof, and as this fact is generally known, almost every tar, in passing the spot, doffs his bonnet in token of gratitude, and says ^God bless the kind Lieutenant Pinkham/ "

The work of constructing reservoirs, fountains, building lakes, laying out the drives, gardens, walks, lawns, flower-beds, and the planting of trees, that to this day iembellish the grand old estate, was entrusted to the care of John Paul, and after the lapse of nearly two hundred years, it is said that there is no park in all Scotland that shows the skill of a landscape gardener more than that of Arbigland of Kirkcudbright (Kirkoo-bre). The natural beauty of the estate was greatly enhanced by the dark mountain ranges stretching away toward the north, and, as if in contrast to the sombre mountain colors, the bright blue waters of Solway Frith and the green fields of Cumberland in the North of England, lent gladness to the scenes in the south, while in the remote distance, marking the eastern end of the estuary, rise the majestic summits of Helvellyn, Skiddow and the Saddleback in the hills of Cheviot. The towering granite shaft of Crippel still stands, like a lone sentinel on the north shore, and away in the east, beyond the sliinin<? Frith the waters of the Esk freshen those of the Solway. The wide sweeping lawns and avenues of poplar, elm, maple and birch that overshadow the walks and drives that led down to the sea at the foot of the lawn, were the pride and constant care of the overseer — John Paul.

Shortly after entering the employ of Mr. Craik, Paul married Jean Macduff, the daughter of a poor but industrious farmer in the neighboring parish of New Abbey. The ^lacduifs were a respectable rural clan, and some of them had been small landed proprietors in the parish of Kirkbean for many generations. Of this marriage seven children came to bless the union. The first born was William Paul, who came to America early in life, and finally settled near Fredericksburg, Virginia, close by the Ecippahannock, where he died about the year 1773, leaving a small estate, but no family to inherit the fruits of his labors. The next three were girls — Elizabeth, Janet and Mary Ann, while two others, one boy and a girl, died in infancy. Elizabeth never married; Janet married Mr. Taylor, a watchmaker in Dumfries, and Mary Ann was twice married, first to a Mr. Young and after his death to a Mr. Louden.

On the 6th of July, 17-47, another son was born to John and Jean Paul, and they named him after his father — John Paul. His youth was passed very much after the way of other boys who are fortunate in being born in the country. When old enough he attended the parish school at Kirkbean, spending much of his time scaling the cliffs and rocky promontories along his native coasts — watching the ships and fishing smacks

Early Life of John Paul. 17

going to and fro on the broad expanse of sea, or talking with the mariners and seafaring men who frequented all parts of the globe.

Though there were no large seaports on the shores of Solway Frith, yet vessels ascended the river Nith to Dumfries, and considerable coast trade was carried on along the Irish Sea. Trade was quite brisk between Kirkbean and Liverpool and the fishing smacks dotted the horizon in all directions. When the tides came in, or the storm tossed waters laved the rock-bound shores of Galloway and overflowed the meadows that border the seas in Cumberland, large ships came to anchor in the land-locked harbor below Arbigland.

In the days of the highland elans when the whole of Scotland was divided into almost numberless tribes, Kirkcudbright was known as Galloway and for an hundred miles this picturesque bit of land bounded Solway Frith on the north. This deep inlet from the Irish Sea, separating England from Scotland, was no barrier to the brave mariners who made their homes along its hospitable shores. Returning from a year's voyage to distant parts of the world, how pleasant must have seemed to them the green meadows in Britain, the hills of Cheviot, or the northern mountains that sheltered Bruce and Wallace, giving us Ben Lomond with its wealth of song and poetry?

Though Scotland lost its independence forty years before, it was only.. the year preceding the birth of the younger Paul that the last independent office, the Scottish Secretary of State at London, was abolished. We do not wonder then that the birth of Paul Jones, or

Jolm Paul, as we yet know him-Vassociated so closely with the loss of Scottish independence— left its impress upon his youthful mind and caused him some years after he had taken up his residence in Virginia to write to his friend Baron Vander Capellan at Amsterdam :

"I was born in Britain, but I do not inherit the degenerate spirit of that fallen nation, which I at once lament and despise. It is far beneath me to reply to their hireling invectives. They are strangers to the inward approbation that greatly animates and rewards the man who draws his sword only in support of the dignity of freedom. America has been the country of my fond election from the age of thirteen, when I first saw it. I had the honor to hoist, with my own hands, the flag of freedom the first time it was displayed on the Delaware, and I have attended it with veneration ever since on the ocean."

The education which young Paul received at the par- ^ ish school of Kirkbean, must have terminated after he went to sea. His subsequent acquirements — and they were considerable — were the fruits of private study and of such casual opportunities as in boyhood he had the forethought to improve as often as his ship arrived in port.

N^ Among the numerous unfounded slanders and rumors Nof which this brave and often misrepresented man has been the subject, is the assertion that he ran off to sea against the will of his parents. Even this transgression, however, might have been atoned by his after life ; but there was no foundation for such belief. His in-

Early Life of John Paul. 19

clination for the bold and hardy mode of life which he adopted, appears, as it often does in boyhood, to have been a strong passion, fostered by his childish pastimes, and encouraged by much that he saw and heard in his daily intercourse with ships and seamen along the shores of the Solway.

It is also observed that his regard for America, and his willingness "to descend with fire and sword," in her cause, upon the shores of his native land, which were thought unnatural, may have had their origin in the conversations he had with the mariners from the discontented colonies in America.

In after times, when the name of Paul Jones became the subject of historical interest, an effort was made to assign to him. what was thought a nobler origin, as the natural son of the Earl of Selkirk, or of Mr. Craik. As if the brand of illegitimacy, and the stigma on a mother's fame, would be more than compensated by an association with noble names, or a sinister descent from a Scottish earl or from a "bonnet laird" best known to fame by the fact of our hero being the son of his gardener, would be a more fitting introduction to a career of glory than birth in honorable wedlock, of humble but honest parents. These calumnies, though intended for commendations, were falsified by the unsullied character of the wife of John Paul, and by the happiness of their union.

' These weak inventions have long since been exploded, though preserved in the pages of fanciful novelists and scattering accounts in the remote parts of England. In answer to an inquiry of Baron Vander Capellan in

1779, Jones says with respect to his parentage: "1 never had any obligation to Lord Selkirk, except for his good opinion, nor does he know me or mine, except by character." This is further verified by the correspondence which we shall have occasion to introduce as our narrative proceeds.

Thus, early in life, before most boys have laid aside their childish toys, or given one thought to the stern realities of life, we find young Paul already engaged in laying the foundation for his life's work. His knowledge of geography, of the customs and the habits of the people w^ho inhabited all parts of the earth's surface, were as well understood by him at the age of ten years as was expected of one twice his age. He lost no opportunity of acquiring information pertaining to America and its people, not merely because his brother William had made his home here, but because he had early formed a hatred for England on account of her treatment of his ancestors, who, like the Americans, had long contended for their independence. He resolved to cross the ocean, and when old enough he would return to England in a great ship and destroy her commerce, lay ransom to her coast cities, burn the shipping in her harbors, and in a hundred ways spread alarm and disaster and ruin everywhere throughout Britain. Such were the dreams, the ambitions, the hopes of this young Scotchman, and with what determination did he adhere to his youthful resolve we shall see in subsequent chapters.

Thus the scenes and incidents that so early engaged his attentions, which we can well imagine took possession of his entire being, displeased his parents very

Early life of John Paul. 21

much, for their judgment and ambitions were to have their youngest son remain -at home and follow the profession of a tradesman or artisan, instead of going offto the colonies — India, America, Australia — as was the custom with young men in those days. His associations and frequent visits to the village harbor only intensified his longings for the sea. He had fully determined upon the course he would pursue; he chose the following of the sea at first, he said, for adventure and profit, but afterward as a profession and a home which only the freedom of the sea, he thought, could afford him.

In the traditions of his family, young Paul is described as launching, while a mere child, his mimic ship ; hoisting his flag and issuing his miandates to his imaginary crew with all the firmness and dignity of one born to lead and command his fellows.

Again, he was wont to repeat among his playmates, mustered on the shores of some little inlet and each with his mimic bark, ^while he himself, perched on a rocky eminence, various, "make believe" orders, in imitation of the mariners. At other times, he passed his days alone, sometimes along the coasts, at other times constructing and launching his toy ships in the little ■ brook that flowed by the north meadow, but which is now dry save in the rainy seasons.

Thus we see that whether man or boy, John Paul was not moulded in the stamp of character which shrinks from facing what he once firmly resolved to do. So constituted was he that whatever seemed his duty, he let no excuse or obstacle arise to thwart the accomplishment of his set purpose.

A sailor's life, with all of its attending hardships and varying fortunes, was his decided choice, and we can well imagine with what heart burnings and great reluctance he was sent by his father across the Solv/ay and bound apprentice to a Mr. Younger, of Whitehaven, in Cumberland. As his father had served an apprenticeship, so young Paul was bound out to service — to a life on the seas — at the tender age of twelve years.

Chapter II. Goes To Sea — Settles In Virginia

John Paul was not yet thirteen years of age when he first saw America. His initial voyage was made in the brigantine Friendship^, Captain John Benson commanding, which sailed from Whitehaven early in the spring of 1760, bound for Jamaica by the way of Virginia. The vessel ascended the Rappahannock as far as Fredericksburg, in order to obtain such supplies and make such repairs as was required after an eventful voyage in which the brig had several times become disabled owing to the unusually rough seas which were not unexpected at this season of the year. A collision with an iceberg which almost capsized the ship; one whole week passed in plowing through tempestuous seas in the face of a blinding storm of hail, sleet and snow alternately; two weeks aground on the banks of Newfoundland; a week becalmed in mid- Atlantic — these and numberless other causes added to the discomfiture of the crew; but the complete exhaustion of both provisions and water gave them greater anxiety than any of their other troubles. We can imagine the rejoicing on board the Friendship when it came to anchor in the beautiful inlet of Carter's Creek, on the north shore of the Rappahannock, a few miles above its junction with the Chesapeake. Had the vessel been delayed a few days longer, the pangs of hunger and of thirst wouhl doubtless have driven many of the poor fellows to acts of desperation.

It was now almost mid-summer. The balmy airs from the ocean, mingling with a gentle west wind, redolent with the perfumes of a dense semi-tropical foliage and the music from a thousand feathered songsters — all amid a landscape such as young Paul had never beheld — must have seemed to him a wonderful contrast to the caprices of nature he had just experienced out on the Atlantic. His introduction to America could not have been under more favorable auspices if he could forget the trying experiences of that long and distressing sea-voyage.

When the vessel left Whitehaven, Paul had no intention of remaining in America longer than was required to reprovision the ship and make such repairs as might be found necessary after a three-thousand mile cruise, but after the experience he had just gone through in his first long sea-voyage, and the lasting impression the first view of America made upon his youthful mind, he prevailed upon the captain to allow him to remain with his brother until the return of the Friendship from its voyage to the West Indies. After receiving such supplies as were absolutely required, the Friendship continued its voyage up the Eappahannock as far as the City of Fredericksburg, near which, we remember, is buried Mary Ball Washington, the mother of our first President. N'ot far distant was also the home of Paul's elder brother William, who had married and settled upon an estate of some two or three hundred acres.

Much importance attaches to this old homestead, for it was here just one hundred and two years later that the army of the south met the army of the north and seventeen thousand men died for the cause they believed was right. Though the dwellings and orchards were completely demolished by the fierce cannonading and musketry, evidences still exist of the ambitious efforts of its former owner to build on the banks of the Rappahannock what his father's master had on the shores of the Solway.

It was here that young Paul came immediately upon the arrival of the ship at Fredericksburg. We can scarcely imagine the joy that the meeting of the two brothers for the first time occasioned. The sudden appearance in this far off country of one who was not yet born when the elder Paul left his old home in the highlands, and coming as he did unheralded and without giving the slightest intimation of his intended visit, the meeting must have been at once romantic and affecting. Under a sky as blue as ever shone above the Bay of I^aples, with a west wind as balmy as the breezes that sweep the plains of Tuscany, resonant with the songs of birds and the murmuring of the swiftly flowing waters of the Rappahannock — it was here the brothers met, and the impression formed, stamped itself so deeply on the mind of the youthful adventurer that years after he wrote in memory of the event : "America has been the country of my fond election from the age of thirteen when I first saw it."

In a few days the novelty of his new surroundings and the effects of that long and harrowing sea-voyage had worn off. Being a close observer he was quick to comprehend his new environments, and he was not backward in accepting their responsibilities. He saw his brother, who was without culture or learning, honored and respected among his neighbors, even as Mr. Craik was in the parish of Kirkbean. He observed the ■carriages as they went by, that they bore no coat-ofarms; the occupants had not the air of the well-fed, well-groomed English aristocrat; but on the other hand, the haughty demeanor — if there was any — was that of one conscious of the fact that he was as good as his neighbor, that he bowed to no man because of rank or station, for here, there was neither. All men in America were equal. Freedom was no longer to him a myth. The spirit, born in restraint, had burst its bounds and an inordinate ambition such as only those who have felt the fetters can know, took possession of mind, body and soul of this young Scotchman.

In his youthful hours of reverie he had resolved to humble the pride of boastful Britain, by attacking, single handed if need be, her invincible navy, her imperial cities by the sea, and her maritime commerce that encompassed the globe. If the spirit of revenge for the wrongs he believed his ancestors had suffered was strong enough to cause him to make so dire a threat while yet a British subject, what must have been the feelings which stirred his soul when he saw three thousand miles of ocean rolling between him and his native shores, hated and despised because of her spirit of domination — to rule or ruin?

John Paul was yet a mere boy, a lad of less than a dozen years, when he began to harbor these bitter feelings of revenge. The more he thought of the wrongs and persecutions heaped upon his defenseless ancestors, the greater became his hatred of King George and the Home Government that ruled her dependencies with a despotism second only to that of the Czar of Kussia. But the hour had not yet come when the colonies in America (single or united) felt strong enough to declare themselves free and independent, capable of battling with the intricate problems that daily confront nations and states.

Though young Paul had renounced his allegiance to Great Britain he still cherished a strong love for his oppressed countrymen struggling under the yoke of British tyranny. Having once tasted the sweets of freedom — freedom born of security through distance from the oppressor, he resolved never to lose a moment in preparing himself for a life on the seas, so that should the time ever come when occasion demanded his services, he would be prepared to command not only one ship, but a dozen — a fleet of a hundred vessels.

Diligently he pursued the fascinating studies of navigation and mathematics; geography, history, German, French, Spanish and a general improvemxcnt of his English composition occupied every moment of his spare time. To become a great and successful navigator or naval commander he realized the importance of possessing every accomplishment. To be able to speak the various languages would render him independent of interpreters, he reasoned, and years afterward, these several attainments stood him in good stead, for when his crews were made up of the ignorant, one language, rabble of every country in Europe, he commanded respect and a fair measure of subordination by addressing each man in his own tongue. While living in the foreign capitals — Paris, Copenhagen, St. Petersburg, Constantinople — he found favor with the court officials because he spoke the language and entered into their life and customs with the spirit of native grace and dignity.

But to return to the Friendship and her motley crew of adventurers; after a month or so spent in Virginia she departed on her voyage to the West Indies. Some months were spent in cruising from island to island gathering a cargo of slaves, grain and tropical fruits, after which she sailed for England, where she arrived late in the fall of 1760. When Mr. Younger learned of Paul's determination to temporarily retire from his service, he was naturally very much disappointed; but Paul had written him setting forth his aims and hopes and concluded by saying that he would re-enter his employ when the Friendship or any other vessel belonging to him arrived in Virginia. Mr. Younger replied that he would send no more vessels to America, as the slave trade was no longer profitable and the demand for slaves was growing less and less each year.

During the short time Paul had been in his employ at Whitehaven, his good conduct, intelligence and absorbing interest in his chosen profession, had procured for him Mr. Younger's lasting friendship, as well as his future favor and protection. Mr. Younger owned several vessels employed in the American trade and though he was engaged largely in the slave traffic he was a kind and liberal master to the unfortunate creatures in which he bartered, as well as to Paul, whom he had come to look upon as his future partner and representative in America. From the embarrassment of his own affairs the following spring, however, Mr. Younger was unable to fulfil these promises, but in releasing Paul from his unexpired term of apprenticeship he did all that he could then perform.