John Paul Jones
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In 1779, while cruising up and down the east coast of Scotland, between the Solway and the Clyde, he tried to capture the Earl of Selkirk, in order to secure a notable prisoner for exchange. He had been an early friend of Jones's father. His seat was at the mouth of the Dee. Jones anchored his vessel, the Ranger, in the Solway at noon, and with a few men, in a single boat, he went to a wooded promontory on which the earl's fine estate lay, where he learned that his lordship was not at home. Disappointed, he ordered his men back to the boat, when his lieutenant, a large and fiery man, proposed to go to the mansion and plunder it of the family plate. Jones would not listen to the proposition, for the memory of old associations made his heart tender towards Lady Selkirk, who had been very kind to him. Again he ordered his men back, but they and the lieutenant, eager for prize-money, in defiance of his expostulations, went to the house and demanded the plate. The frightened Lady Selkirk surrendered it with her own hands. When the prizes of the Ranger were sold Jones bought this plate, and sent it back to Lady Selkirk with a letter in which he expressed his regret because of the annoyance she had suffered.
THE HAND-TO-HAND FIGHT ON THE DECK OF THE SERAPIS.During the spring and summer of 1779, American
cruisers were very active, both in American and European waters. At
the middle of August Jones was sent out from the French port of
L'Orient, with five vessels, to the coast of Scotland. His flagship
was the Bon Homme Richard. As he was about to strike some armed
British vessels in the harbor of Leith a storm arose, which drove
him into the North Sea. When it ceased, he cruised along the
Scottish coast, capturing many prizes and producing great alarm.
Late in September, while Jones's squadron lay a few leagues north of
the mouth of the Humber, he discovered the Baltic fleet of forty
merchantmen (convoyed by the Serapis, a 44-gun ship, and the
Countess of Scarborough, of twenty-two guns), stretching out from
Flamborough Head. Jones signaled for a chase, and all but the
Alliance, Captain Landais, obeyed. While the opposing warships were
maneuvering for advantage, night fell upon the scene. At seven
o'clock in the evening of September 23, 1779, one of the most
desperate of recorded sea-fights began. The Bon Homme Richard and
Serapis, Captain Pearson, came so close to each other that their
spars and rigging became entangled, and Jones attempted to board his
antagonist. A short contest with pike, pistol, and cutlass ensued,
and Jones was repulsed. The vessels separated, and were soon placed
broadside to broadside, so close that the muzzles of their guns
touched each other. Both vessels were dreadfully shattered: and, at
one time, the Serapis was on fire in a dozen places. Just as the
moon rose, at half-past nine o'clock, the Richard, too, caught fire.
A terrific hand- |
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