THE CRUISE OF THE PROVIDENCE.
The British fleet having left Newport in the interim, on the 24th of
April, 1776, the American squadron got under way from New London for
Providence, Rhode Island. The ships were in bad condition; sickness
had broken out among their crews, and no less than two hundred and two
men out of a total of perhaps eight hundred and fifty--at best an
insufficient complement--were left ill at New London. Their places
were in a measure supplied by one hundred and seventy soldiers, lent
to the squadron by General Washington, who had happened to pass
through New London, _en route_ to New York, on the day after Hopkins'
arrival. There was a pleasant interview between the two commanders,
and it was then that Jones caught his first glimpse of the great
leader.
The voyage to New London was made without incident, except that the
unfortunate Alfred grounded off Fisher's Island, and had to lighten
ship before she could be floated. This delayed her passage so that she
did not arrive at Newport until the 28th of April. The health of the
squadron was not appreciably bettered by the change, for over one
hundred additional men fell ill. Many of the seamen had been enlisted
for the cruise only, and they now received their discharge, so that
the crews of the already undermanned ships were so depleted from these
causes that it would be impossible for them to put to sea. Washington,
who was hard pressed for men, and had troubles of his own, demanded
the immediate return to New York of the soldiers he had lent to the
fleet. The captain of the Providence being under orders for a
court-martial for his conduct, on the 10th of May Hopkins appointed
John Paul Jones to the command of the Providence.
The appointment is an evidence of the esteem in which Jones was held
by his commanding officer, and is a testimony to the confidence which
was felt in his ability and skill; for he alone, out of all the
officers in the squadron, was chosen for important sea service at this
time. Having no blank commissions by him, Hopkins made out the new
commission on the back of Jones' original commission as first
lieutenant. It is a matter of interest to note that he was the first
officer promoted to command rank from a lieutenancy in the American
navy. His first orders directed him to take Washington's borrowed men
to New York. After spending a brief time in hurriedly overhauling the
brig and preparing her for the voyage, Jones set sail for New York,
which he reached on the 18th of May, after thirty-six hours. Having
returned the men, Jones remained at New York in accordance with his
orders until he could enlist a crew, which he presently succeeded in
doing. Thereafter, under supplemental orders, he ran over to New
London, took on board such of the men left there who were sufficiently
recovered to be able to resume their duties, and came back and
reported with them to the commander-in-chief at Providence. He had
performed his duties, routine though they were, expeditiously and
properly.
He now received instructions thoroughly to overhaul and fit the
Providence for active cruising. She was hove down, had her bottom
scraped, and was entirely refitted and provisioned under Jones's
skillful and practical direction. Her crew was exercised constantly at
small arms and great guns, and every effort made to put her in
first-class condition. In spite of the limited means at hand, she
became a model little war vessel. On June 10th a sloop of war
belonging to the enemy appeared off the bay, and in obedience to a
signal from the commodore Jones made sail to engage. Before he caught
sight of the vessel she sought safety in flight. On the 13th of June
the Providence was ordered to Newburyport, Massachusetts, to convoy a
number of merchant vessels loaded with coal for Philadelphia. Before
entering upon this important duty, however, Jones was directed to
accompany the tender Fly, loaded with cannon, toward New York, and,
after seeing her safely into the Sound, convoy some merchant vessels
from Stonington to Newport.
There were a number of the enemy's war vessels cruising in these
frequented waters, and the carrying out of Jones' simple orders was by
no means an easy task; but by address and skill, and that careful
watchfulness which even then formed a part of his character, he
succeeded in executing all his duties without losing a single vessel
under his charge. He had one or two exciting encounters with English
war ships, the details of which are unfortunately not preserved. In
one instance, by boldly interposing the Providence between the British
frigate Cerberus and a colonial brigantine loaded with military stores
from Hispaniola, he diverted the attention of the frigate to his own
vessel, and drew her away from the pursuit of the helpless
merchantman, which thereby effected her escape. Then the Providence, a
swift little brig admirably handled, easily succeeded in shaking off
her pursuer, although she had allowed the frigate to come within
gunshot range. The brigantine whose escape Jones had thus assured was
purchased into the naval service and renamed the Hampden.
The coal fleet had assembled at Boston instead of Newburyport, and in
pursuance of his original orders Jones brought them safely to the
capes of the Delaware on the 1st of August. The run to Philadelphia
was soon made, and Hopkins' appointment, under which he was acting,
was ratified by the Congress, and the commission of captain was given
him, dated the 8th of August, 1776.
Hitherto Jones, like all the others engaged in the war, had been a
subject of England, a colonist in rebellion against the crown. By the
Declaration of Independence he had become a citizen of the United
States engaged in maintaining the independence and securing the
liberty of his adopted country. The change was most agreeable to him.
It added a dignity and value to his commission which could not fail to
be acceptable to a man of his temperament. It was pleasant to him also
to have the confidence of his commander-in-chief, which had been shown
in the appointment to the command of the Providence, justified by the
government in the commission which had been issued to him.
Jones had made choice of his course of action in the struggle between
kingdom and colony deliberately, not carried away by any enthusiasm of
the moment, but moved by the most generous sentiments of liberty and
independence. He had much at stake, and he was embarked in that
particular profession fraught with peculiar dangers not incident to
the life of a soldier. It must have been, therefore, with the greatest
satisfaction that he perceived opportunities opening before him in
that cause to which he had devoted himself, and in that service of
which he was a master. A foreigner with but scant acquaintance and
little influence in America, he had to make his way by sheer merit.
The value of what has been subsequently called "a political pull" with
the Congress was as well known then as it is now, and nearly as much
used, too. He practically had none. Nevertheless, his foot was already
upon that ladder upon which he intended to mount to the highest round
eventually. He was not destined to realize his ambition, however,
without a heartbreaking struggle against uncalled-for restraint, and a
continued protest against active injustice which tried his very soul.
It was first proposed by the Marine Committee that he return to New
England and assume command of the Hampden, but he wisely preferred to
remain in the Providence for the time being. He thoroughly knew the
ship and the crew, over which he had gained that ascendency he always
enjoyed with those who sailed under his command. Not so much by
mistaken kindness or indulgence did he win the devotion of his
men--for he was ever a stern and severe, though by no means a
merciless, disciplinarian--but because of his undoubted courage,
brilliant seamanship, splendid audacity, and uniform success. There is
an attraction about these qualities which is exercised perhaps more
powerfully upon seamen than upon any other class. The profession of a
sailor is one in which immediate decision, address, resource, and
courage are more in evidence than in any other. The seaman in an
emergency has but little time for reflection, and in the hour of
peril, when the demand is made upon him, he must choose the right
course instantly--as it were by instinct.
With large discretion in his orders, which were practically to cruise
at pleasure and destroy the enemy's commerce, the Providence left the
Delaware on the 21st of August. In the first week of the cruise she
captured the brigs Sea Nymph, Favorite, and Britannia; the first two
laden with rum, sugar, etc., and the last a whaler. These rich prizes
were all manned and sent in.
On the morning of the 1st of September, being in the latitude of the
Bermudas, five vessels were sighted to leeward. The sea was moderately
smooth, with a fresh breeze blowing at the time, and the Providence
immediately ran off toward the strangers to investigate. It appeared
to the observers on Jones' brig that the largest was an East Indiaman
and the others ordinary merchant vessels. They were in error, however,
in their conclusions, for a nearer approach disclosed the fact that
the supposed East Indiaman was a frigate of twenty-eight guns, called
the Solebay. Jones immediately hauled his wind and clapped on sail.
The frigate, which had endeavored to conceal her force with the hope
of enticing the Providence under her guns, at once made sail in
pursuit. The Providence was a smart goer, and so was the Solebay. The
two vessels settled down for a long chase. On the wind it became
painfully evident that the frigate had the heels of the brig. With
burning anxiety Jones and his officers saw the latter gradually
closing with them. Shot from her bow-chasers, as she came within
range, rushed through the air at the little American sloop of war,
which now hoisted her colors and returned the fire. Seeing this, the
Solebay set an American ensign, and fired one or two guns to leeward
in token of amity, but Jones was not to be taken in by any transparent
ruse of this character. He held on, grimly determined. As the Solebay
drew nearer she ceased firing, confident in her ability to capture the
chase, for which, indeed, there appeared no escape.
An ordinary seaman, even though a brave man, would probably have given
up the game in his mind, though his devotion to duty would have
compelled him to continue the fight until actually overhauled, but
Jones had no idea of being captured then. Already a plan of escape had
developed in his fertile brain. Communicating his intentions to his
officers, he completed his preparations, and only awaited the
favorable moment for action. The Solebay had crept up to within one
hundred yards of the lee quarter of the Providence. If the frigate
yawed and delivered a broadside the brig would be sunk or crippled and
captured. Now was the time, if ever, to put his plan in operation. If
the maneuver failed, it would be all up with the Americans. As usual,
Jones boldly staked all on the issue of the moment. As a preliminary
the helm had been put slightly a-weather, and the brig allowed to
fall off to leeward a little, so bringing the Solebay almost dead
astern--if anything, a little to windward. In anticipation of close
action, as Jones had imagined, the English captain had loaded his guns
with grape shot, which, of course, would only be effective at short
range. Should the Englishman get the Providence under his broadside, a
well-aimed discharge of grape would clear her decks and enable him to
capture the handsome brig without appreciably damaging her.
From his knowledge of the qualities of the Providence, Jones felt sure
that going free--that is, with the wind aft, or on the quarter--he
could run away from his pursuer. The men, of course, had been sent to
their stations long since. The six 4-pounders, which constituted the
lee battery, were quietly manned, the guns being double-shotted with
grape and solid shot. The studding sails--light sails calculated to
give a great increase in the spread of canvas to augment the speed of
the ship in a light breeze, which could be used to advantage going
free and in moderate winds--were brought out and prepared for
immediate use. Everything having been made ready, and the men
cautioned to pay strict attention to orders, and to execute them with
the greatest promptitude and celerity, Jones suddenly put his helm
hard up.
The handy Providence spun around on her heel like a top, and in a
trice was standing boldly across the forefoot of the onrushing English
frigate. When she lay squarely athwart the bows of the Solebay Jones
gave the order to fire, and the little battery of 4-pounders barked
out its gallant salute and poured its solid shot and grape into the
eyes of the frigate. In the confusion of the moment, owing to the
suddenness of the unexpected maneuver, and the raking he had received,
the English captain lost his head. Before he could realize what had
happened, the Providence, partially concealed by the smoke from her
own guns, had drawn past him, and, covered with great wide-reaching
clouds of light canvas by the nimble fingers of her anxious crew, was
ripping through the water at a great rate at a right angle to her
former direction.
When the Solebay, rapidly forging ahead, crossed the stern of the
saucy American a few moments after, she delivered a broadside, which
at that range, as the guns were loaded with grape shot, did little
damage to the brig and harmed no one. The distance was too great and
the guns were badly aimed. By the time the Solebay had emulated the
maneuvers of the Providence and had run off, the latter had gained so
great a lead that her escape was practically effected. The English
frigate proved to be unable to outfoot the American brig on this
course, and after firing upward of a hundred shot at her the Solebay
gave over the pursuit. This escape has ever been counted one of the
most daring and subtle pieces of seamanship and skill among the many
with which the records of the American navy abound. As subsequent
events proved, the failure to capture Jones was most unfortunate on
the part of the English.
Jones now shaped his course for the Banks of Newfoundland, to break up
the fishing industry and let the British know that ravaging the coast,
which they had begun, was a game at which two could play. On the 16th
and 17th of the month he ran into a heavy gale, so severe in character
that he was forced to strike his guns into the hold on account of the
rolling of the brig. The gale abated on the 19th, and on the 20th of
September, the day being pleasant, the Providence was hove to and the
men were preparing to enjoy a day of rest and amusement, fishing for
cod, when in the morning two sail appeared to windward. As Jones was
preparing to beat up and investigate them, they saved him that trouble
by changing their course and running down toward him. They proved to
be a merchant ship and a British frigate, the Milford, 32.
Jones kept the Providence under easy canvas until he learned the force
of the enemy, and then made all sail to escape. Finding that he was
very much faster than his pursuer, he amused himself during one whole
day by ranging ahead and then checking his speed until the frigate
would get almost within range, when he would run off again and repeat
the performance. It was naturally most tantalizing to the officers of
the Milford, and they vented their wrath in futile broadsides whenever
there appeared the least possibility of reaching the Providence. After
causing the enemy to expend a large quantity of powder and shot,
having tired of the game, Jones contemptuously discharged a musket at
them and sailed away.
On the 21st of September he appeared off the island of Canso, one of
the principal fishing depots of the Grand Banks. He sent his boat in
that night to gain information, and on the 22d he anchored in the
harbor. There were three fishing schooners there, one of which he
burned, one he scuttled, and the third, called the Ebenezer, he loaded
with the fish taken from the two he had destroyed, and manned as a
prize. After replenishing his wood and water, on the 23d he sailed up
to Isle Madame, having learned that the fishing fleet was lying there
dismantled for the winter. Beating to and fro with the Providence off
the island, on that same evening he sent an expedition of twenty-five
men in a shallop which he had captured at Canso, accompanied by a
fully manned boat from the Providence. Both crews were heavily armed.
The expedition captured the fishing fleet of nine vessels without
loss. The crews of most of them, numbering some three hundred men,
were ashore at the time, and the vessels were dismantled. Jones
promised that if the men ashore would help to refit the vessels he
desired to take with him as prizes, he would leave them a sufficient
number of boats to enable them to regain their homes. By his ready
address he actually persuaded them to comply with his request, and the
unfortunate Englishmen labored assiduously to get the ships ready for
sea.
On the 25th of September their preparations were completed, but a
violent autumn gale blew up, and their situation became one of great
peril. The Providence, anchored in Great St. Peter Channel, rode it
out with two anchors down to a long scope of cable. The ship Alexander
and the schooner Sea Flower, which were heavily laden with valuable
plunder, had also reached the same channel. The Alexander succeeded in
making an anchorage under a point of rocks which sheltered her, and
enabled her to sustain the shock of the gale unharmed. The Sea Flower
was driven on the lee shore, and, being hopelessly wrecked, was
scuttled and fired the next day. The Ebenezer, loaded with fish from
Canso, was also wrecked. The gale had abated about noon, when, after
burning the ship Adventure, dismantled and in ballast, and leaving a
brig and two small schooners to enable the English seamen to reach
home, the Providence, accompanied by the Alexander and the brigs
Kingston Packet and Success, got under way for home. On the 27th the
Providence, in spite of the fact that she was now very short-handed on
account of the several prizes she had manned, chased two armed
transports apparently bound in for Quebec, which managed to make good
their escape. The little squadron resumed its course, and arrived
safely at Rhode Island without further mishap on the 7th of October.
On this remarkable cruise Jones had captured sixteen vessels, eight of
which he manned and sent in as prizes, destroying five of the
remainder, and generously leaving three for the unfortunate fishermen
to reach their homes. He had carried out his orders to sink, burn,
destroy, and capture with characteristic thoroughness, but without
needless cruelty and oppression. He burned no dwelling houses, and
turned no non-combatants out of their homes in the middle of winter,
as Mowatt had done at Falmouth. He had entirely broken up the fishery
at Canso, had escaped by the exercise of the highest seamanship from
one British frigate, and had led another a merry dance in impotent
pursuit. Property belonging to the enemy had been destroyed to the
value of perhaps a million of dollars in round numbers, not to speak
of the effect upon their pride by the bold cruising of the little brig
of twelve 4-pound guns and seventy men.