A quick note: my name is Mike Romero, and I'm a Historic Interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg. The postings I make on this site are my own personal opinions and research, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Colonial Williamsburg. With that said, enjoy the read!
-=|Blog Home||Reading Room||Source List=-
By the latter half of 1779, John Paul Jones was already a noteworthy captain in the Continental Navy: he had captured over a dozen prizes in the space of six weeks while in command of the sloop Providence, captured a British fishing fleet at the port of Canso, captured HMS Drake and staged a raid on the port of Whitehaven commanding the sloop-of-war Ranger. While lobbying to secure a new command (preferably a proper frigate), in France, Jones announced his desire to "have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast, for I intend to go in harm's way." In the end, Jones would be forced to settle for a converted East Indiaman, purchased and outfitted by the French government with much political wrangling by Benjamin Franklin. Upon his appointment to the command, Jones named the vessel Bonhomme Richard, in honor of his new patron's famous Poor Richard's Almanack.
By March 1779, Jones was hard at work fitting Bonhomme Richard out. He planned for her armament to consist of 28 12-pound cannon in the main battery, 6 9-pounders on the quarterdeck, and 6 18-pounders on the lower deck, just above the magazine at the stern. To acquire these weapons, Jones was forced to travel to foundries throughout the French countryside, often having to work with older or badly constructed guns (he would reject the very worst of these) considered unsuitable for use by the French military. In early April, Jones is summoned to Versailles to consult on secret plans to raid the English coast with a squadron of vessels commanded by Jones and carrying a land force under the Marquis de Lafayette. These plans would eventually be derailed; King Louis would opt instead to attempt an all out invasion of the British Isles with a combined French and Spanish fleet, with Jones' ships to act as a diversionary force. This fleet sails, but is poorly supplied and soon stricken with disease, forcing the plan to be abandoned. Fortunately for Jones, he still gets his squadron: the 40-gun Bonhomme Richard, 36-gun Alliance, 32-gun Pallas, 18-gun Cerf, and 12-gun Vengeance. Although these ships sail under Jones' command and fly American colors, only the Alliance is an American-owned vessel. Alliance's captain is the French (though adopted as an American by the people of Massachusetts) Pierre Landais, whom Jones initially describes as a "sensible, well-informed man." His opinion would soon change.
Jones would spend much of the late spring and early summer of 1779 working up his squadron in the Bay of Biscay: escorting merchantmen, chasing enemy marauders, and slowly molding his crew (including Americans, French, Irish, even some British prisoners pressed into American service) into fighting trim. Almost immediately, Jones faced dissension from his squadron captains, who had been given orders suggesting they were under no true obligation to follow Jones orders, or even acknowledge his signals, in direct contradiction to the instructions Jones received from Franklin. On numerous occasions, ships of the squadron would part company of their own accord to pursue prizes or missions of their own choosing. Most frustrating to Jones, Bonhomme Richard was easily the slowest and least maneuverable ship in the squadron, repeatedly requiring the other ships to shorten sail and allow the flagship to keep pace. In early September, Bonhomme Richard is becalmed off the Irish coast, and Jones orders his barge lowered to tow the ship clear of the looming rocks...the barge promptly cuts the tow line and deserts, promptly joined by the crew of the longboat ostensibly sent in pursuit. By September 14, the squadron had taken several prizes, putting the coastline on alert, but Jones is hoping for a bold stroke similar to his capture of Drake and raid on Whitehaven the previous year. Bonhomme Richard sails up the Firth of Forth, where he plans to lay the port of Leith under contribution (demanding a large sum of money to avoid destruction of the port), though a sudden storm springing up forces the squadron out to sea.
By September 23, Jones' squadron is more or less complete once again, but growing short on time; he was under orders to make for the Dutch port of Texel by October 1 to escort a fleet of merchantmen. In the early evening, a fleet of 34 merchantmen escorted by two armed vessels is sighted: this is the Baltic Fleet (carrying invaluable naval stores and other items) escorted by the 44-gun HMS Serapis and the 20-gun Countess of Scarborough. The merchant vessels are instructed to stand in for the shore near Flamborough Head while their escorts make for the American ships. Jones orders Bonhomme Richard to beat to quarters around 5PM, and as it becomes apparent the two British warships intend to keep themselves between the merchantmen and the American squadron, Jones signals his ships to form line of battle to little effect. Alliance sheers off, Pallas maintains her original course, while Cerf and Vengeance hang back in relative safety. As darkness began to fall, Serapis was coming up on Bonhomme Richard, when British Captain Pearson calls for Jones to identify himself...Jones initially claims to be the merchantman Princess Royal in an attempt to draw the enemy closer, but promptly raises his colors when Pearson demands he confirm his identity. A nervous marine aboard Bonhomme Richard discharges his musket from the tops, and both vessels unleash a full broadside almost immediately thereafter, the combatants barely twenty-five yards apart.
Jones would spend much of the late spring and early summer of 1779 working up his squadron in the Bay of Biscay: escorting merchantmen, chasing enemy marauders, and slowly molding his crew (including Americans, French, Irish, even some British prisoners pressed into American service) into fighting trim. Almost immediately, Jones faced dissension from his squadron captains, who had been given orders suggesting they were under no true obligation to follow Jones orders, or even acknowledge his signals, in direct contradiction to the instructions Jones received from Franklin. On numerous occasions, ships of the squadron would part company of their own accord to pursue prizes or missions of their own choosing. Most frustrating to Jones, Bonhomme Richard was easily the slowest and least maneuverable ship in the squadron, repeatedly requiring the other ships to shorten sail and allow the flagship to keep pace. In early September, Bonhomme Richard is becalmed off the Irish coast, and Jones orders his barge lowered to tow the ship clear of the looming rocks...the barge promptly cuts the tow line and deserts, promptly joined by the crew of the longboat ostensibly sent in pursuit. By September 14, the squadron had taken several prizes, putting the coastline on alert, but Jones is hoping for a bold stroke similar to his capture of Drake and raid on Whitehaven the previous year. Bonhomme Richard sails up the Firth of Forth, where he plans to lay the port of Leith under contribution (demanding a large sum of money to avoid destruction of the port), though a sudden storm springing up forces the squadron out to sea.
By September 23, Jones' squadron is more or less complete once again, but growing short on time; he was under orders to make for the Dutch port of Texel by October 1 to escort a fleet of merchantmen. In the early evening, a fleet of 34 merchantmen escorted by two armed vessels is sighted: this is the Baltic Fleet (carrying invaluable naval stores and other items) escorted by the 44-gun HMS Serapis and the 20-gun Countess of Scarborough. The merchant vessels are instructed to stand in for the shore near Flamborough Head while their escorts make for the American ships. Jones orders Bonhomme Richard to beat to quarters around 5PM, and as it becomes apparent the two British warships intend to keep themselves between the merchantmen and the American squadron, Jones signals his ships to form line of battle to little effect. Alliance sheers off, Pallas maintains her original course, while Cerf and Vengeance hang back in relative safety. As darkness began to fall, Serapis was coming up on Bonhomme Richard, when British Captain Pearson calls for Jones to identify himself...Jones initially claims to be the merchantman Princess Royal in an attempt to draw the enemy closer, but promptly raises his colors when Pearson demands he confirm his identity. A nervous marine aboard Bonhomme Richard discharges his musket from the tops, and both vessels unleash a full broadside almost immediately thereafter, the combatants barely twenty-five yards apart.
 |
| “The Action Between His Majesties Ship Serapis, Commanded by Capt Pearson & The Bonhomme Richard Commanded by Paul Jones, Sept. 23, 1779” by William Elliott, 1789. |
Almost immediately, two of Bonhomme Richard's 18-pounders burst on the lower deck, killing and wounding many of the men serving those guns, and effectively taking Jones' heaviest weapons out of action. Unlike the aging Bonhomme Richard, Serapis is less than a year old, and Captain Richard Pearson is adept at taking advantage of his vessel's superior sailing qualities. Jones gamely tries to maneuver his own ship to get in a position to rake the enemy vessel, but is out sailed at every turn. At one point, Serapis rams Bonhomme Richard, tangling her bowspirit in the American mizzen rigging. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jones has the two vessels lashed together. Hoping to break free, Pearson drops an anchor, hoping Bonhomme Richard's momentum will forcibly separate the two ships. Jones has done his job well, however, and Serapis ends up swinging fully alongside Bonhomme Richard, catching her mizzen chains in the Jones' bow anchor. For the next several hours, the two vessels blast away at one another, the muzzles of their run out guns literally touching the side of the opposing vessel. In the fighting tops of both ships, marines are pouring withering small arms fire into the crews on deck. Both ships are soon burning (at one point leading to a brief lull in action as American and British seamen alike pause to fight the fires), and the winds die down to almost nothing.
Bonhomme Richard finds herself at a marked disadvantage, with fire from the Serapis passing through one side, killing men and dismounting guns, and passing out the other side. More seriously, the American ship has taken several hits below the waterline, and is leaking badly. Laboring in the hold, carpenter John Gunnison believes the ship is in danger of sinking, and makes his way to the gun deck. Once there, he encounters gunner's mate Henry Gardner, who has taken a shocking number of casualties, with many of his guns disabled. Both men agree that the time has come to surrender, and go on deck to report to the senior officers. The sight that greets them above is gruesome indeed: the deck is littered with dead and wounded, the ship is practically shattered around them, Bonhomme Richard's colors have been shot away, and not a single is officer in sight. Gunnison and Gardner shout across to Captain Pearson, attempting to surrender. Suddenly, Jones appears from where he has been laboring behind a quarterdeck gun, knocks Gardner out with a thrown pistol and chasing Gunnison back below. Aboard Serapis, Pearson hails Jones: "Have you struck? Do you ask for quarter?"
According to American naval legend, Jones responds "I have not yet begun to fight!" The quote was related to Jones by his first lieutenant, Richard Dale, some forty years later when speaking with a biographer. Other accounts of Jones' response vary wildly: an article in the Edinburgh Advertiser from October 1779 suggests Jones shouted "I may sink, but I'll be damned if I strike," and Midshipman Nathaniel Fanning claims his captain responded with "we’ll do that when we can fight no longer, but we shall see yours come down first; for your must know, Yankees do not haul down their colors till they are fairly beaten." Jones himself is no help...in the report he addressed to Benjamin Franklin, he remarks that he responded "in the most determined negative," though in a memorial written to the French king years later, Jones claims to have declared that "I haven't as yet thought of surrendering, but I am determined to make you ask for quarter." Whichever particular response suits you best, suffice it to say that Jones told Pearson "NO!"
Once Jones makes his refusal to surrender clear, Pearson sends a boarding party across from Serapis, where they are met by a furious counterattack led by first lieutenant Richard Dale. By this point, the only guns Bonhomme Richard still has in action are the 9-pounders on the quarterdeck, one of which Jones himself trains upon the Serapis' mainmast. Seemingly out of nowhere, Captain Landais and the Alliance appear, firing a broadside that rakes both vessels indiscriminately, not once, but twice. Both ships are soon burning once again, with the near nonexistent winds preventing the smoke from dissipating. Meanwhile, a sailor named William Hamilton crosses the tangled yards from Bonhomme Richard to Serapis, and begins throwing hand grenades down on the nearly deserted deck. Somehow, one of these grenades falls down an open hatchway and detonates on Serapis' upper gun deck, setting off a devastating series of secondary explosions that force several guns out of action. Realizing that the stricken Bonhomme Richard is not about to surrender and fearing that the undamaged Alliance will soon return to the engagement, Captain Pearson strikes his colors to preserve his remaining crew.
The Battle of Flamborough Head would prove to be one of the bloodiest naval engagements of the American Revolution; Bonhomme Richard and Serapis alike would have approximately 50% of their crews killed our wounded, abnormally high casualties for single ship engagements of the time. Shortly after Pearson's surrender, Serapis' mainmast would fall, and the crew of Bonhomme Richard would spend hours getting the fires under control with flames coming within inches of the gunpowder magazine. In the end, late the next day, Bonhomme Richard would succumb to her battle damage (numerous breaches below the water line, and at least one pump destroyed) and sink, much to Jones' regret. A small silver lining comes in that the frigate Pallas does indeed join the battle, capturing Countess of Scarborough after an hour's action. The nearly three dozen ships of the Baltic Fleet would arrive safely at their intended destinations despite the loss of their escorts, for which Captain Pearson would eventually be knighted. Knowing that news of the battle would soon bring enemy reinforcements, the weary squadron makes for neutral waters.
The remaining ships of Jones' squadron arrive at the port of Texel in the Netherlands on October 3. Almost immediately, British officials there begin pressuring the Dutch government to have Jones arrested as a pirate, noting he wasn't sailing under a recognized flag. The Dutch promptly send an artist out to sketch the flags being flown from the captured Serapis and the Alliance, inserting these sketches in their record books after the fact. The Dutch government can now claim to recognize these flags, essentially making Jones' capture of the Serapis a legitimate wartime action. In the weeks that follow, the Dutch will treat Jones as a conquering hero, which he allows to distract him from worsening conditions aboard his ships, from a lack of winter clothing to a constant arrears in pay for the men to the gruesome fact that Serapis had not even been cleaned after the horrific battle. Eventually, Jones' increasing notoriety in the eyes of the Dutch public and constant pressure from the British will convince the Dutch to expel Jones and his squadron from the port. Meanwhile, while Jones is distracted by his newfound laurels, French officials will sell Serapis out from under him, then reclaim Pallas, Vengeance, and Cerf, leaving him Alliance (the only American-build and owned vessel of the squadron) to command. Jones' command of Alliance will be brief but noteworthy, as he brazenly races past the British vessels sent to capture him and well within sight of the British fleet at the Downs before arriving safely at Coruna, Spain on January 16, 1780.
The Battle of Flamborough Head is arguably the most iconic American naval victory during the American Revolution, and John Paul Jones won it in a sluggish old tub. In 1788, Thomas Jefferson would write of Jones, "I consider this officer to be the principle hope of our future efforts on the ocean." The inscription on Jones' tomb at the United States Naval Academy goes on to assert that "He gave our navy its earliest traditions of heroism and victory." Jones is among a handful of names that historians mention when referring to the father of the American Navy; certainly his future-mindedness in regards to naval power, dedication to the American cause, superb shiphandling skills, and unwavering courage in battle are certainly traits worthy of emulation. Jones had his share of faults as well, often related to allowing his ego to overcome his judgement. While I personally wouldn't style Jones the ONLY father of the United States Navy (John Barry for example, known for courage, seamanship, and professionalism is another contender for the title), he is certainly one of several men the USN can look to as an early example of its guiding principles.
Sources:
1. Thomas, Evan. John Paul Jones: Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy. (Simon and Schuster, 2003).
2. McGrath, Tim. Give Me a Fast Ship: The Continental Navy and America's Revolution at Sea. (The Penguin Group, 2014).
3. Mastai, Boleslaw and Marie-Louise D’Otrange. The Stars and the Stripes. (Knopf, 1973).
4. Journal of the American Revolution. The Real Immortal Words of John Paul Jones, https://allthingsliberty.com/2015/01/the-real-immortal-words-of-john-paul-jones/ (January 19, 2015).
Bonhomme Richard finds herself at a marked disadvantage, with fire from the Serapis passing through one side, killing men and dismounting guns, and passing out the other side. More seriously, the American ship has taken several hits below the waterline, and is leaking badly. Laboring in the hold, carpenter John Gunnison believes the ship is in danger of sinking, and makes his way to the gun deck. Once there, he encounters gunner's mate Henry Gardner, who has taken a shocking number of casualties, with many of his guns disabled. Both men agree that the time has come to surrender, and go on deck to report to the senior officers. The sight that greets them above is gruesome indeed: the deck is littered with dead and wounded, the ship is practically shattered around them, Bonhomme Richard's colors have been shot away, and not a single is officer in sight. Gunnison and Gardner shout across to Captain Pearson, attempting to surrender. Suddenly, Jones appears from where he has been laboring behind a quarterdeck gun, knocks Gardner out with a thrown pistol and chasing Gunnison back below. Aboard Serapis, Pearson hails Jones: "Have you struck? Do you ask for quarter?"
 |
| Portraying John Paul Jones in 1959, Robert Stack boldly declares "I have not yet begun to fight!" |
Once Jones makes his refusal to surrender clear, Pearson sends a boarding party across from Serapis, where they are met by a furious counterattack led by first lieutenant Richard Dale. By this point, the only guns Bonhomme Richard still has in action are the 9-pounders on the quarterdeck, one of which Jones himself trains upon the Serapis' mainmast. Seemingly out of nowhere, Captain Landais and the Alliance appear, firing a broadside that rakes both vessels indiscriminately, not once, but twice. Both ships are soon burning once again, with the near nonexistent winds preventing the smoke from dissipating. Meanwhile, a sailor named William Hamilton crosses the tangled yards from Bonhomme Richard to Serapis, and begins throwing hand grenades down on the nearly deserted deck. Somehow, one of these grenades falls down an open hatchway and detonates on Serapis' upper gun deck, setting off a devastating series of secondary explosions that force several guns out of action. Realizing that the stricken Bonhomme Richard is not about to surrender and fearing that the undamaged Alliance will soon return to the engagement, Captain Pearson strikes his colors to preserve his remaining crew.
The Battle of Flamborough Head would prove to be one of the bloodiest naval engagements of the American Revolution; Bonhomme Richard and Serapis alike would have approximately 50% of their crews killed our wounded, abnormally high casualties for single ship engagements of the time. Shortly after Pearson's surrender, Serapis' mainmast would fall, and the crew of Bonhomme Richard would spend hours getting the fires under control with flames coming within inches of the gunpowder magazine. In the end, late the next day, Bonhomme Richard would succumb to her battle damage (numerous breaches below the water line, and at least one pump destroyed) and sink, much to Jones' regret. A small silver lining comes in that the frigate Pallas does indeed join the battle, capturing Countess of Scarborough after an hour's action. The nearly three dozen ships of the Baltic Fleet would arrive safely at their intended destinations despite the loss of their escorts, for which Captain Pearson would eventually be knighted. Knowing that news of the battle would soon bring enemy reinforcements, the weary squadron makes for neutral waters.
 |
| Sketches from the port records of Texel, Netherlands depicting the flags flown by Alliance and the captured Serapis. |
The Battle of Flamborough Head is arguably the most iconic American naval victory during the American Revolution, and John Paul Jones won it in a sluggish old tub. In 1788, Thomas Jefferson would write of Jones, "I consider this officer to be the principle hope of our future efforts on the ocean." The inscription on Jones' tomb at the United States Naval Academy goes on to assert that "He gave our navy its earliest traditions of heroism and victory." Jones is among a handful of names that historians mention when referring to the father of the American Navy; certainly his future-mindedness in regards to naval power, dedication to the American cause, superb shiphandling skills, and unwavering courage in battle are certainly traits worthy of emulation. Jones had his share of faults as well, often related to allowing his ego to overcome his judgement. While I personally wouldn't style Jones the ONLY father of the United States Navy (John Barry for example, known for courage, seamanship, and professionalism is another contender for the title), he is certainly one of several men the USN can look to as an early example of its guiding principles.
Sources:
1. Thomas, Evan. John Paul Jones: Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy. (Simon and Schuster, 2003).
2. McGrath, Tim. Give Me a Fast Ship: The Continental Navy and America's Revolution at Sea. (The Penguin Group, 2014).
3. Mastai, Boleslaw and Marie-Louise D’Otrange. The Stars and the Stripes. (Knopf, 1973).
4. Journal of the American Revolution. The Real Immortal Words of John Paul Jones, https://allthingsliberty.com/2015/01/the-real-immortal-words-of-john-paul-jones/ (January 19, 2015).
