THE FIRST CRUISE OF THE RANGER--SALUTE TO THE AMERICAN FLAG.
In spite of the most assiduous effort on the part of Jones, he was
unable to get the Ranger ready for sea before October, and the
following extract from another letter to the Marine Committee shows
the difficulties under which he labored, and the inadequate equipment
and outfit with which he finally sailed.
"With all my industry I could not get the single suit of sails
completed until the 20th current. Since that time the winds and
weather have laid me under the necessity of continuing in port. At
this time it blows a very heavy gale from the northeast. The ship with
difficulty rides it out, with yards and topmasts struck, and whole
cables ahead. When it clears up I expect the wind from the northwest,
and shall not fail to embrace it, although I have not a spare sail nor
materials to make one. Some of those I have are made of hissings.[5] I
never before had so disagreeable service to perform as that which I
have now accomplished, and of which another will claim the credit as
well as the profit. However, in doing my utmost, I am sensible that I
have done no more than my duty."
The instructions under which Jones sailed for Europe are outlined in
the following orders from the Marine Committee:
"As soon as these instructions get to hand you are to make immediate
application to the proper persons to get your vessel victualed and
fitted for sea with all expedition. When this is done you are to
proceed on a voyage to some convenient port in France; on your arrival
there, apply to the agent, if any, in or near said port, for such
supplies as you may stand in need of. You are at the same time to give
immediate notice, by letter, to the Honourable Benjamin Franklin,
Silas Deane, and Arthur Lee, Esquires, or any of them at Paris, of
your arrival, requesting their instructions as to your further
destination, which instructions you are to obey as far as it shall be
in your power.
"You are to take particular notice that while on the coast of France,
or in a French port, you are, as much as you conveniently can, to keep
your guns covered and concealed, and to make as little warlike
appearance as possible."
In the original plan the ship was heavily over-armed, being pierced
for twenty-six guns. Considering her size and slight construction,
Jones exercised his usual good judgment by refusing to take more than
eighteen guns, the ordinary complement for a ship of her class. These
were 6-pounders manufactured in the United States and ill
proportioned, being several calibres short in the length of the
barrel, according to a statement of the captain--a most serious
defect. To all these disabilities was added an inefficient and
insubordinate first lieutenant named Simpson, who probably had been
appointed to this responsible position on account of the considerable
family influence which was back of him. He was related to the Hancocks
among others. The crew was a fair one, but was spoiled eventually by
the example of Simpson and other officers. On the first of November,
1777, the imperfectly provided Ranger took her departure from
Portsmouth bound for Europe. Her captain laments the fact that she had
but thirty gallons of rum aboard for the men to drink, a serious
defect in those grog-serving days. Before sailing, Jones made large
advances from his private funds to the men, the Government being
already in his debt to the amount of fifteen hundred pounds, for
previous advances to the men of the Alfred and the Providence. None of
these advances were repaid until years after. These facts are
evidence, by the way, that he had finally realized considerable sums
of money from his brother's estate, for he had no other financial
resource save his West Indian investments, which were worth nothing to
him at this time.
Wickes, Johnston, and Cunningham, in the Reprisal, Lexington,
Surprise, and Revenge, insignificant vessels of inferior force, had by
their brilliant and successful cruising in the English Channel
demonstrated the possibility of operations against British commerce in
that supposedly safe quarter of the ocean. Paul Jones was now to
undertake, upon a larger scale, similar operations with much more
astounding results.
On the way over, two prizes, both brigantines, laden with wine and
fruit, were captured. Nearing the other side, the Ranger fell in with
ten sail of merchantmen from the Mediterranean, under convoy of the
line of battle ship Invincible, 74. Jones made strenuous efforts to
cut out one of the convoy, but they clung so closely to the line of
battle ship that he found it impossible to bring about his design,
though he remained in sight of the convoy during one whole day. Had
the Ranger been swifter or handier, he might have effected something,
but she was very crank and slow as well.
On the 2d of December the sloop of war dropped anchor in the harbor of
Nantes. Jones sent his letters and instructions to the commissioners,
and had the pleasure of confirming to them the news of the surrender
of Burgoyne and his army, which was probably the most important factor
in bringing about the subsequent alliance between America and France.
While awaiting a reply to his letters he busied himself in repairing
the defects and weaknesses of his ship so far as his limited means
permitted. Her trim was altered, ballast restowed, and a large
quantity of lead taken on board; the lower masts were shortened
several feet, and every other change which his skill and experience
dictated was made on the ship. The results greatly conduced to her
efficiency. It may be stated here that Jones was a thorough and
accomplished seaman, and no man was capable of getting more out of a
ship than he. From a slow, crank, unwieldy vessel he developed the
sloop of war into a handy, amenable ship, and very much increased her
speed.
In January, 1778, in obedience to instructions from the commissioners,
he visited them in Paris and explained to them in detail his proposed
plan of action. Alone among the naval commanders of his day does he
appear to have appreciated that commerce destroying can be best
carried on and the enemy most injured by concentrated attacks by
mobile and efficient force upon large bodies of shipping in harbors
and home ports, rather than by sporadic cruising in more or less
frequented seas. He had come across with the hope of taking command of
the fine frigate Indien, then building in Holland, and then, with the
Ranger and such other ships as might be procured, carrying out his
ideas by a series of bold descents upon the English coasts. But while
the ministers of the King of France were hesitating, or perhaps better
perfecting their plans preparatory to announcing an alliance offensive
and defensive with this country, it was deemed of the utmost
importance that no occasion should be given the British which would
enable them unduly to hasten the course of events. The suspicion of
the British Government was aroused with respect to the Indien,
however, and it was thought best, under the circumstances, to pretend
that she was being made for the Government of France, with which
England was then nominally at peace. In any event, work upon her had
been so delayed that she was very far from completion, and would not
have been available for months.
Thus was Jones deprived of the enjoyment of this command, to his great
personal regret, to the disarrangement of his plans, and to the
detriment of the cause he was so gallantly to support. There was no
other ship nor were any smaller vessels then available for him, and he
was therefore of necessity continued in the command of the Ranger.
This in itself was annoying, and produced a sequence of events of a
most unfortunate character. Lieutenant Simpson had been promised the
command of the Ranger when Jones took over the Indien, and the failure
to keep this promise entailed by the circumstances mentioned,
embittered Simpson to such a degree that his efficiency--never of the
first order--was greatly impaired, and so long as he remained under
the command of Jones he was a smoldering brand of discontent and
disobedience.
On the 10th of January Jones, who had rejoined his ship, wrote at
great length to Silas Deane, one of the commissioners, suggesting a
plan whereby, in case the proposed alliance between France and the
rebellious colonies were consummated, a magnificent blow might be
struck against England, and the cause of the Revolution thereby
greatly furthered. He urged that Admiral D'Estaing should be
dispatched with a great fleet to pen up and capture Lord Howe, then
operating in the Delaware with an inferior fleet. There is no doubt
that this conception was essentially sound, and if he himself could
have been intrusted with the carrying out of the plan the results
would have been most happy; but, in order to effect anything, in peace
or war, prompt action is as necessary as careful planning and wise
decision.
When the French did finally adopt the plan they found that their
dilatory proceedings, their failure to take immediate advantage of
past preparation, and their substitution of Toulon for Brest as a
naval point of departure, doomed the enterprise to failure. Lord Howe,
hearing of the attempt, and realizing his precarious and indefensive
position in the Delaware, made haste to return to his old anchorage in
New York. When D'Estaing, urged by Washington, arrived off the harbor,
he was deterred from attacking Lord Howe's inferior force by the
representations of the pilots, who stated that there was not enough
water on the bar for the greater ships of the line. While, therefore,
Jones' suggestion came to nothing, it is interesting and instructive
to contemplate this project of his fertile brain. Another enterprise
proposed by him involved an expedition to take the island of St.
Helena, and with it as a base of attack attempt the capture of the
numerous Indiamen which either stopped at Jamestown or passed near the
island. This too was unheeded.
While these matters were under consideration, the Ranger sailed from
Nantes to Quiberon Bay early in February, 1778, having under convoy
several American trading ships which were desirous of joining a great
fleet of merchant vessels assembling at that point. These vessels were
to be convoyed past Cape Finisterre on their way across the Atlantic
by a heavy French squadron of five line of battle ships and several
frigates and sloops under the command of La Motte Piquet.
On the 13th of February the Ranger hove to off the bay. The wind was
blowing furiously, as it frequently does on the rocky confines of that
bold shore, off which a few years before the great Lord Hawke had
signally defeated Conflans; but, instead of running to an anchorage
immediately, Jones sent a boat ashore, and through the American
resident agent communicated to the French commander his intention of
entering the bay the next day and saluting him; asking, as was
customary, that the salute be returned. The French admiral courteously
replied that he would return four guns less than the number he
received, his instructions being to that effect, and in accordance
with the custom of his navy when an interchange of sea courtesies took
place between the fleets of France and those of a republic. This was
not satisfactory to the doughty American, and he addressed the
following letter to the American agent for the French commander:
"_February 14, 1778_.
"Dear Sir: I am extremely sorry to give you fresh trouble, but I think
the admiral's answer of yesterday requires an explanation. The haughty
English return gun for gun to foreign officers of equal rank, and two
less only to captains by flag officers. It is true, my command at
present is not important, yet, as the senior American officer at
present in Europe, it is my duty to claim an equal return of respect
to the flag of the United States that would be shown to any other flag
whatever.
"I therefore take the liberty of inclosing an appointment, perhaps as
respectable as any which the French admiral can produce; besides
which, I have others in my possession.
"If, however, he persists in refusing to return an equal salute, I
will accept of two guns less, as I have not the rank of admiral.
"It is my opinion that he would return four less to a privateer or a
merchant ship; therefore, as I have been honoured oftener than once
with a chief command of ships of war, I can not in honour accept of
the same terms of respect.
"You will singularly oblige me by waiting upon the admiral; and I
ardently hope you will succeed in the application, else I shall be
under a necessity of departing without coming into the bay.
"I have the honour to be, etc.
"To William Carmichael, Esq.
"N. B.--Though thirteen guns is your greatest salute in America, yet
if the French admiral should prefer a greater number he has his choice
_on conditions_."
A great stickler for his rights and for all the prerogatives of his
station was John Paul Jones. In this instance he was maintaining the
dignity of the United States by insisting upon a proper recognition of
his command.
However, having learned afterward that the contention of the French
admiral was correct, Jones determined to accept the indicated return,
realizing with his usual keenness that the gist of the matter lay in
receiving any salute rather than in the number of guns which it
comprised; so the Ranger got under way late in the evening of the
14th, and beat in toward the harbor. It was almost dark when she drew
abreast the great French flagship. Backing his main-topsail, the
6-pounders on the main deck of the Ranger barked out their salute of
thirteen guns, which was promptly returned by the French commander
with nine heavy guns from the battle ship.
It was the first time the Stars and Stripes had been saluted on the
high seas. It was, in fact, the first official recognition of the
existence of this new power by the authorized military representatives
of any civilized nation. A Dutch governor of St. Eustatius, a year
before, had saluted an American ensign--not the Stars and Stripes, of
course--on one of our cruisers, but the act had been disavowed and the
governor promptly recalled for his presumption.
As this little transaction between Paul Jones and La Motte Piquet had
occurred so late at night, the American sent word to the Frenchman
that he proposed to sail through his line in broad daylight on the
morrow, with the brig Independence, a privateer temporarily attached
to his command, and salute him in the open light of day. With great
good humor and complaisance, La Motte Piquet again expressed his
intention of responding. Accordingly, the next morning, Jones repaired
on board the Independence, which had been lying to during the night
outside of signal distance, and, having made everything as smart and
as shipshape as possible on the little vessel, with the newest and
brightest of American ensigns flying from every masthead, the little
brig sailed past the towering walls of the great ships of the line,
saluting and receiving their reply. There were no doubts in any one's
mind as to the reality of the salute to the flag after that!
It must have been a proud moment for the man who had hoisted the
pine-tree flag for the first time on the Alfred; for the man who had
been the first officer of the American navy to receive promotion; for
the man who had first flung the Stars and Stripes to the breeze from
the masthead of a ship; for the man who, in his little vessel,
trifling and inconsiderable as she was, was yet about to maintain the
honor of that flag with unexampled heroism in the home waters and in
the presence of the proudest, most splendid, and most efficient navy
of the world. That 15th of February, that bright, cold, clear winter
morning, is one of the memorable anniversaries in the history of our
nation.
Writing to the Marine Committee on the 22d of February, 1778, he says:
"I am happy in having it in my power to congratulate you on my having
seen the American flag for the first time recognized in the fullest
and completest manner by the flag of France. I was off their bay the
13th instant, and sent my boat in the next day, to know if the admiral
would return my salute. He answered that he would return to me, as the
senior American Continental officer in Europe, the same salute which
he was authorized by his court to return to an admiral of Holland, or
any other republic, which was four guns less than the salute given. I
hesitated at this, for I demanded gun for gun. Therefore I anchored in
the entrance of the bay, at a distance from the French fleet; but,
after a very particular inquiry on the 14th, finding that he had
really told the truth, I was induced to accept of his offer, the more
so as it was, in fact, an acknowledgment of American independence. The
wind being contrary and blowing hard, it was after sunset before the
Ranger got near enough to salute La Motte Piquet with thirteen guns,
which he returned with nine. However, to put the matter beyond a
doubt, I did not suffer the Independence to salute till next morning,
when I sent the admiral word that I would sail through his fleet in
the brig, and would salute him in open day. He was exceedingly
pleased, and he returned the compliment also with nine guns."
The much-talked-of treaty of alliance between France and the United
States had been secretly signed six days before, but neither of the
participants of this interchange of sea courtesies was then aware of
this fact. Having discharged his duties by placing the merchant ships
he had convoyed under La Motte Piquet's command, Jones left Quiberon
Bay and went to Brest, where there was assembled a great French fleet
under the famous Comte D'Orvilliers. Jones had the pleasure of again
receiving, by the courtesy of that gallant officer, a reply to the
Ranger's salute from the great guns of the flagship La Bretagne.
The Frenchman, whose acquaintance Jones promptly made, was much
attracted by his daring and ingenuous personality, and, having been
advised of the disappointment caused by the loss of the Indien, he
offered to procure him a commission as a captain in the French navy
and assign him to a heavy frigate instead of the petty sloop of war at
present under his command--an unprecedented honor. Had Jones been the
mere soldier of fortune which his enemies have endeavored to maintain
he was, this brilliant offer would have met with a ready acceptance.
The French marine, through the strenuous efforts of the king and his
ministers, was then in a most flourishing condition. The terrific
defeats at the close of the century and the beginning of the next were
still in the womb of events and had not been brought forth, and the
prospects of its success were exceedingly brilliant. With the backing
of D'Orvilliers and his own capacity, speedy promotion and advancement
might easily be predicted for the American. He refused decisively to
accept the flattering offer, and remained with the Ranger.
On the 10th of April, having done what he could to put the ship in
efficient trim, he sailed from Brest under the following orders:
"Paris, _January 16, 1778_.
"Sir: As it is not in our power to procure you such a ship as you
expected, we advise you, after equipping the Ranger in the best manner
for the cruise you propose, that you proceed with her in the manner
you shall judge best for distressing the enemies of the United States,
by sea or otherwise, consistent with the laws of war and the terms of
your commission." (Directions here follow for sending prizes taken on
the coasts of France and Spain into Bilboa or Corogne, unless the
danger was too great, in which case they were to be sent to L'Orient
or Bordeaux.) "If you make an attempt on the coast of Great Britain we
advise you not to return immediately into the ports of France, unless
forced by stress of weather or the pursuit of the enemy; and in such
case you can make the proper representation to the officers of the
port, and acquaint us with your situation. We rely on your ability, as
well as your zeal, to serve the United States, and therefore do not
give you particular instructions as to your operations. We must
caution you against giving any cause of complaint to the subjects of
France or Spain, or of other neutral powers, and recommend it to you
to show them every proper mark of respect and real civility which may
be in your power."
These orders had been dated and issued to him some months before, but
were not modified or revoked in the interim. He was given an
opportunity to carry out so much of his proposed plan for attacking
the English coast as was possible with his single ship.