John paul jones when was he born

John Paul Jones. Title Captain. Date of Birth - Death July 6, - July 18, Related Biographies. In , he killed the leader of his mutinous crew in self-defense at Tobago, in the West Indies.

To avoid trial, he fled to Virginia and was considered a fugitive by the British. He concealed his identity by adding the surname Jones. He was commissioned a lieutenant on the first American flagship, Alfred. Jones was quickly promoted to captain in , and was given command of the sloop Providence. While on his first cruise aboard Providence , he destroyed British fisheries in Nova Scotia and captured sixteen prize British ships.

In recognition of his exploits, he was placed in command of five French and American vessels. Aboard his flagship, Bonhomme Richard , Jones led his small squadron in the capture of seven merchantmen off the Scottish coast. On 23 September , Jones fought one of the bloodiest engagements in naval history with the gun Royal Navy frigate Serapis. According to some historians, Jones remained appealing as much for his actions as for his personality.

British chapbooks, an early form of dime novels, pictured him as a ruthless marauding pirate akin to Blackbeard. His attacks on British ships were often sudden and sometimes bloody. The vision of a swarthy scalawag persisted even to the writings of Rudyard Kipling a century later. Unlike other merchant seamen, he was well dressed, carried a sword, and conducted himself with practiced decorum. He had a Scottish brogue and light Celtic features.

He was intense about his honor and his duties and was a harsh military master, but was also surprisingly sociable. He was a prolific poem and letter writer, spoke some French, and, though he never married, was involved in many romances. Above all, no one questioned his daring. In Britain, his naval actions against the mother country certainly led to his reputation as a pirate. He left the Russian service in and moved to Paris.

The captain's real purpose in the raid was to kidnap the Earl and exchange him for guarantees that captured U.

Unfortunately for Jones, the Earl was not at home. Determined to act in a gentlemanly fashion, the mortified captain bought back the silver from his crew and later returned it to Lord Selkirk and his lady with many apologies. Shortly after the Selkirk episode, he and his crew took out HMS Drake --her decks "running with blood and rum"--and captured some prisoners in the process.

The Bon Homme Richard v. In February , the captain was given command of a large ship designed to carry heavy guns. Built by the French, the Bon Homme Richard was a luxurious vessel, with beautiful carvings, gold decorations, veneered decks, and a spacious, well-lit captain's cabin, riding high above the waterline.

On board also was Dr. Laurence Brooke , opens a new window , a native of Spotsylvania. Jones got close by assuming the identity of a British vessel that resembled his own. The battle lasted for several hours, leaving the Richard slowly sinking from a raking by Serapis' lb guns, leading to Jones making his famous pronouncement: "I have not yet begun to fight! Scotsman Bill Hamilton crawled across the Richard's main yard with a sack of grenades and tossed them into the Serapis' main hatch, touching off an explosion of powder cartridges.

After that devastation, Captain Pearson of the Serapis surrendered. In Jones' blasted and ruined luxury cabin, Pearson offered his host his sword, and the two men cordially drank glasses of wine as the poor Richard continued to sink beneath them. Both crews sustained heavy casualties, and Jones received a head wound.

Richard's crew was transferred to the captured Serapis and the other American ships. Although Jones tried hard to save the Richard, she sank beneath the waves the following day, taking some of Jones' personal belongings with her.

John Paul Jones' victory inspired his French allies and the young country that was very much embroiled with land battles. He received many military honors and a special gold medal—which he helped design--was struck to commemorate the victory. One side showed his handsome profile and the other had a likeness of the victorious but doomed Bon Homme Richard.

Despite his famous success, John Paul Jones had a difficult time finding a command worthy of his accomplishments. Proud as the French were of him, they considered the captured Serapis to be French property as the Richard had technically belonged to them while Jones captained her. Still, while looking for a position, Jones kept busy. His rock-star status, good looks, and gentle manners earned him much appreciation. He has been here often and dined with us several times; he is said to be a man of gallantry and a favorite amongst the French ladies Comfortable though he was, his ambition pushed him to make conquests beyond the boudoirs.

He almost got a significant command back in the United States, but, at the last moment, the gun ship America was gifted to the French as a thank-you for their help in defeating the British. Left without a proper rank as Congress chose to give him a gold medal rather than an exalted position, John Paul Jones took up Russian Empress Catherine the Great's offer of an admiralty. He performed well in the Liman Campaign against the Turks in the Black Sea, but he made an enemy of Prince Potemkin, the Queen's favorite, when he criticized the leadership of the other commanders--though he got on very well with the Russian crews.

While waiting for his next command, the admiral learned more about the ways of the Russian Court. He continued enjoying women who offered themselves to him and did not refuse when a fresh-faced peddler-girl made him a proposition.

The young butter-seller went to the authorities claiming that Jones had raped her, and she a virgin and not yet in her teens. Naturally, popular sentiment rose against him, although it was later revealed that the girl was a good bit older and definitely not an innocent.

It came to light that this was probably a court-driven plot, but by that time it was too late to save his reputation. He went to Empress Catherine hoping to get another command, but instead, he received an official leave of absence.

Between his newfound notoriety and Empress' coolness towards him, it was time to leave Mother Russia and return to Paris.

Unfortunately, the Paris to which John Paul Jones returned was not the glittering jewel that it had once been. The French were experiencing their own revolution, and his health was very poor. Although the Swedes did offer him the chance to fight the ungrateful Russians, he died in debt on July 18, , before he could accept either that or a forthcoming position as U. Consul to the Barbary States. He was 45 years old.

Jones' French friends paid for the funeral, and he was buried in a lead-lined coffin in the cemetery for Protestant foreigners.