CAREER IN THE UNITED STATES TO THE CLOSE OF THE WAR.
When Jones arrived at Philadelphia, the Board of Admiralty was engaged
in investigating the delay in bringing the stores from France.
Franklin, Jones, and Landais were under discussion. For his share in
the performance, and for other actions mentioned, Landais had already
been punished, as we have seen. Jones, therefore, was at once summoned
before the board, but before he reported to them they dismissed the
summons and instead requested him to answer in writing an exhaustive
series of questions covering his actions from the time of his arrival
at L'Orient the year before. Jones immediately set about preparing his
replies, meanwhile sending Franklin's note and De Sartine's letter to
the President to Congress, which, on the 27th of February, adopted the
following resolutions:
"_Resolved_, That the Congress entertain a high sense of the
distinguished bravery and military conduct of John Paul Jones, Esq.,
captain in the navy of the United States, and particularly in his
victory over the British frigate Serapis on the coast of England,
which was attended with circumstances so brilliant as to excite
general applause and admiration.
"That the Minister Plenipotentiary of these United States, at the
Court of Versailles, communicate to his Most Christian Majesty, the
high satisfaction Congress has received from the conduct and gallant
behaviour of Captain John Paul Jones, which have merited the attention
and approbation of his Most Christian Majesty, and that his Majesty's
offer of adorning Captain Jones with a Cross of Military Merit, is
highly acceptable to Congress."
In accordance with the permission conveyed by these flattering
resolutions, the French Minister, M. de la Luzerne, gave a splendid
entertainment, to which the members of Congress and the principal
citizens of Philadelphia were invited. Before this distinguished
company, in the name of the king, the commodore, wearing his beautiful
sword, was invested with the cross of a Knight of the Order of
Military Merit. It is stated that Jones habitually wore this
decoration thereafter, and referred to himself, and desired to be
addressed, by the title of Chevalier, which was conferred with it.
On the 28th of March, having carefully considered his answers to the
questions, the board declared itself as fully satisfied that the delay
had not been owing to Jones or Franklin, and stated to Congress in an
enthusiastic document that the conduct of Jones merited some
distinguished mark of approbation. In accordance with this
recommendation, on the 14th of April the following resolution was
passed:
"That the thanks of the United States, in Congress assembled, be given
to Captain John Paul Jones, for the zeal, prudence, and intrepidity
with which he hath supported the honour of the American flag; for his
bold and successful enterprises, to redeem from captivity the citizens
of these States, who had fallen under the power of the enemy; and, in
general, for the good conduct and eminent services by which he has
added lustre to his character and to the American arms.
"That the thanks of the United States, in Congress assembled, be also
given to the officers and men who have faithfully served under him
from time to time, for their steady affection to the cause of their
country, and the bravery and perseverance they have manifested
therein."
The thanks of Congress, the highest honor an officer can receive, were
given to but five other officers during the Revolution--viz., to
Washington, for the capture of Boston; to Gates, for taking Burgoyne;
to Wayne, for the storming of Stony Point; to Morgan, for the victory
at the Cowpens; and to Greene, for his success at Eutaw Springs.
Jones, therefore, stood in distinguished company.
On the 19th of May, to all of these honors was added a further
evidence of esteem, which was perhaps as valuable as any that he had
received. It came in the shape of the following letter from
Washington:
"Sir: My partial acquaintance with either our naval or commercial
affairs makes it altogether impossible for me to account for the
unfortunate delay of those articles of military stores and clothing
which have been so long provided in France. Had I any particular
reasons to have suspected you of being accessory to that delay, which
I assure you has not been the case, my suspicions would have been
removed by the very full and satisfactory answers, which you have, to
the best of my judgment, made to the questions proposed to you by the
Board of Admiralty, and upon which that board have, in their report to
Congress, testified the high sense which they entertain of your merit
and services.
"Whether our naval affairs have, in general, been well or ill
conducted it would be presumptuous for me to determine. Instances of
bravery and good conduct in several of our officers have not, however,
been wanting. Delicacy forbids me to mention _that particular one_
which has attracted the admiration of all the world, and which has
influenced a most illustrious monarch to confer a mark of his favour
which can only be obtained by a long and honourable service, or by the
performance of some brilliant action.
"That you may long enjoy the reputation you have so justly acquired is
the sincere wish of, Sir, your most obedient and very humble servant,
"George Washington."
An attempt was made in Congress to promote him to the grade of rear
admiral--which he certainly deserved--and a resolution to that effect
was introduced. Owing, however, to jealousy among certain other
officers whom he would have superseded, the effort fell through. This
would have settled the long and tiresome contention on the question of
relative rank, and naturally would have been most agreeable to Jones.
However, the matter was settled in a more indirect but perhaps equally
satisfactory way.
On the 23d of June, Robert Morris became Minister of Marine in
succession to the Board of Admiralty, which was abolished, and on that
same day Congress resolved to take a ballot three days later to
designate the commander of the America, a magnificent ship of the
line, building at Portsmouth, which was then believed to be nearly
ready for launching. On the 26th of June, the ballot being taken, it
was found that Paul Jones had been unanimously chosen for the
position. Since the act of Congress on the 15th of November, 1776,
made a captain of a ship of from twenty to forty guns equal to a
lieutenant colonel, while a captain of a ship of forty guns and upward
was made equal to a colonel, and as he was the only officer intrusted
with so large a command, Jones was thus in effect placed at the head
of the navy list. He certainly belonged there. With his usual good
sense he notes in his journal his satisfaction, as follows:
"Thus Congress took a delicate method to avoid cabal and to do
justice. It was more agreeable to Captain Jones to be so honourably
elected captain of the line than to have been, as was proposed by the
committee, raised at once to the rank of rear admiral, because
Congress had not then the means of giving a command suitable to that
rank."
By direction of Robert Morris, at this time he presented his accounts
to Congress. He had received no pay and but little prize money since
his entry into the service, and, as has been stated, had advanced
large sums of money from his private funds for the payment of officers
and crew. The Government indebtedness to him amounted to some
twenty-seven thousand dollars, but no money was forthcoming,
consequently on the 28th of July he was actually compelled to ask for
an advance of four hundred pounds to pay current expenses and small
debts in Philadelphia, and enable him to proceed to New Hampshire and
enter upon his duties. This he appears to have received. He stopped
_en route_ at New Rochelle, where he was handsomely entertained by
Washington and de Rochambeau, both of whom he had great pleasure in
meeting. As he received a hint at the army headquarters that his
decoration and title might be obnoxious to the sturdy New Englanders,
he thereafter discontinued wearing the cross for a space. He reached
Portsmouth toward the last of August, and found that the America was
still on the ways and would not be ready to put to sea for months.
This was a great disappointment to him, but he set to work with his
usual zeal to further the work of getting the ship ready for
launching.
During his wanderings he had collected a most valuable professional
library, and he now found leisure to devote a good part of his time to
study, some of the results of which appeared in the improvements which
he carried out on the America. As usual, he also resumed his
correspondence. In his letters of this period are many excellent
suggestions looking to the welfare and future development of the naval
service. Many of these suggestions were subsequently adopted in the
service. The following letter, dated August 12, 1782, which he
received from John Adams, then minister at The Hague, is pleasant
reading:
"The command of the America could not have been more judiciously
bestowed; and it is with impatience that I wish her at sea, where she
will do honour to her name. Nothing gives me so much surprise, or so
much regret, as the inattention of my countrymen to their navy; it is
a bulwark as essential to us as it is to Great Britain.[38] It is less
costly than armies, and more easily removed from one end of the United
States to the other.
"Rodney's victory has intoxicated Britain again to such a degree that
I think there will be no peace for some time. Indeed, if I could see a
prospect of half a dozen line of battle ships under the American flag,
commanded by Commodore John Paul Jones, engaged with an equal British
force, I apprehend the event would be so glorious for the United
States, and ay, so sure a foundation for their prosperity, that it
would be a rich compensation for a continuance of the war."
When Jones heard of the movement which resulted in the surrender of
Cornwallis at Yorktown, he had expressed a desire to serve as a
volunteer in the army for the campaign under Lafayette. He pined for
action always. On this subject he received the following affectionate
letter from that gallant Frenchman:
"_December 22, 1781_.
"I have been honoured with your polite favour, my dear Paul Jones, but
before it reached me I was already on board the Alliance, and every
minute expecting to put to sea. It would have afforded me great
satisfaction to pay my respects to the inhabitants of Portsmouth, and
the State in which you are for the present. As to the pleasure to take
you by the hand, my dear Paul Jones, you know my affectionate
sentiments, and my very great regard for you, so that I need not add
anything on that subject.
"Accept of my best thanks for the kind expressions in your letter. His
Lordship's [Lord Cornwallis] downfall is a great event, and the
greater as it was equally and amicably shared by the two allied
nations. Your coming to the army I had the honour to command would
have been considered as a very flattering compliment to one who loves
you and knows your worth. I am impatient to hear that you are ready to
sail, and I am of opinion that we ought to unite under you every
Continental ship we can muster, with such a body of well-appointed
marines [_troupes de mer_] as might cut a good figure ashore, and then
give you plenty of provisions and _carte blanche_."
It would appear from the letters that both Adams and Lafayette held a
similar opinion of the capacity of the great commodore.
On the occasion of the rejoicings at Portsmouth over the surrender of
Cornwallis he ventured to assume his cross of knighthood again, and,
finding that no objections were made, he continued to wear it on all
occasions, and he also resumed the title of Chevalier. The fall, the
winter, and the following summer passed quietly and pleasantly for the
little captain, busily engaged in writing, waiting, working, planning,
and drawing. On the whole I think this must have been, after Paris,
the happiest period of his life. He made many friends, and was much
looked up to by the people of Portsmouth and vicinity. There was a
spice of excitement about his work as well, which relieved the
monotony, for the enemy conceived various projects to destroy the
America, which could not be put in operation owing to the vigorous
watchfulness of Jones, who armed and drilled and exercised his workmen
for guarding the ship. The birth of the French Dauphin was celebrated
elaborately in the summer of 1782.
Toward the last of August the ship was about ready for launching, and
Jones cherished high hopes of soon getting to sea in her.
Unfortunately, however, a squadron of French ships of the line, under
the Marquis de Vaudreuil, entered the harbor of Boston at this time,
and one of them, named the Magnifique, was stranded on a rock and
lost. Congress, by a resolution dated the 3d of September, presented
the America to the French king as a recompense for the loss of the
Magnifique, and on the 4th of September Morris sadly acquainted Jones
with the decision. To be compelled to turn over the great ship, in
which he had hoped to do such brilliant service, to the French was a
tremendous disappointment to the commodore, but he wrote in so noble
and magnanimous a manner to Morris on the subject that the latter at
once said to him that the sentiments which he had expressed would
always reflect the highest honor upon his character. In fact, Jones'
words made so strong an impression upon the mind of Morris that he
immediately submitted his letter to Congress.
The America was launched on the 5th of November. The operation of
getting her into the water was a difficult one on account of the
peculiar lay of the land opposite the ways, but Jones accomplished it
with his usual skill and address. When the ship was safely moored he
turned her over to the Chevalier de Martigne, the former captain of
the Magnifique, and on the next day he started for Philadelphia. The
America was reputed to be one of the most beautiful and effective
ships afloat.
Morris, who was a great admirer and an old friend of Jones, now
desired to place him in command of that vessel which had been the
object of his desire for so many years, the frigate Indien, which, by
a queer combination of circumstances, had finally been brought to
Philadelphia. The King of France, having no use for the ship, had lent
her to the Chevalier de Luxembourg, who had entered into a business
arrangement with a certain sea captain named Gillon, who was employed
by the State of South Carolina to command a small naval force which
had been equipped for the protection of her coasts, Gillon assuming
the title of commodore.
The Indien, now called the South Carolina, had been a rather fortunate
cruiser. Gillon had captured a number of merchantmen, and had joined
in another successful expedition to New Providence. He had then
proceeded to Philadelphia. As he was indebted to the United States for
advances of large sums of money, and as he had made no accounting to
the Chevalier de Luxembourg for his share of the prizes, it was
thought by Robert Morris and Luzerne, the French Minister, who
represented Luxembourg, that if they could get control of this
frigate, by placing it under Jones' command with other ships, they
could create a formidable force to cruise against the enemy.
But Gillon contrived to evade the legal process by which the claimants
sought to insure the payment of their dues, and, in spite of the
efforts made to detain him, he succeeded in carrying the Indien to
sea, where she was promptly captured just as she cleared the capes of
the Delaware by the Diomede, the Astrea, and the Quebec, three English
frigates stationed particularly to intercept her.
Disappointed again in his hope of getting a command by these untoward
circumstances, Jones requested permission to embark as a volunteer in
the squadron of De Vaudreuil, which was destined to take part in a
proposed grand expedition to France and Spain against Jamaica. Morris
forwarded Jones' request to Congress with a strong recommendation, and
that body at once passed the following resolutions:
"_Resolved_, That the agent of marine be informed that Congress,
having a high sense of the merit and services of Captain J. P. Jones,
and being disposed to favor the zeal manifested by him to acquire
improvement in the line of his profession, do grant the permission
which he requests, and that the said agent be instructed to recommend
him accordingly to the countenance of his Excellency, the Marquis de
Vaudreuil."
Admiral de Vaudreuil was graciously pleased to receive the chevalier
on his flagship, the Triomphante, where he treated him with the
highest consideration, even sharing his cabin with him. The expedition
came to nothing, and though Jones probably enjoyed ample opportunity
for observing the handling of the fleet, he saw no actual service, to
his great disappointment; instead of which he became seriously ill
with intermittent fever. At Porto Cabello, on the 4th of April, 1783,
he received the news of the signing of the treaty of peace, and this
stern warrior, who was supposed to live only for fighting, thus
expressed himself concerning the subject:
"The most brilliant success, and the most instructive experience in
war, could not have given me a pleasure comparable with that which I
received when I learned that Great Britain had, after so long a
contest, been forced to acknowledge the independence and sovereignty
of the United States of America."
Jones shortly thereafter left the French fleet and returned to
Philadelphia, where he arrived on the 18th of May, 1783. He was still
very ill. He carried with him the two following letters to the French
Minister from de Vaudreuil and the Baron de Viomenil, who commanded
the land forces on board the fleet.
From the Marquis de Vaudreuil:
"M. Paul Jones, who embarked with me, returns to his beloved country.
I was very glad to have him. His well-deserved reputation caused me to
accept his company with much pleasure, and I had no doubt that we
should meet with some occasions in which his talents might be
displayed. But peace, for which I can not but rejoice, interposes an
obstacle which renders our separation necessary. Permit me, sir, to
pray you to recommend him to his chiefs. The particular acquaintance I
have formed with him since he has been on board the Triomphante makes
me take a lively interest in his fortunes, and I shall feel much
obliged if you find means of doing him services."
From the Baron de Viomenil:
"M. Paul Jones, who will have the honour of delivering to you, sir,
this letter, has for five months deported himself among us with such
wisdom and modesty as add infinitely to the reputation gained by his
courage and exploits. I have reason to believe that he has preserved
as much the feeling of gratitude and attachment toward France as of
patriotism and devotion to the cause of America. Such being his titles
to attention, I take the liberty of recommending to you his interests,
near the President and Congress."
He was in some doubt as to his future career, but for the present the
state of his health rendered it necessary for him to abstain from
active duty. As a matter of fact, there was practically no American
navy in existence at the close of the war, and no duty for him to
undertake. The commodore's constitution was much shattered, and the
wasting fever still clung to him. He removed, therefore, by the advice
of his physician, to the village of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he
passed the summer in rest and retirement, and his health gradually
improved under the careful treatment he received. He seems to have had
in mind the project of settling down and forming an establishment
somewhere, and marrying "some fair daughter of liberty," and he wrote
to some friends in regard to an estate he desired to purchase near
Newark, New Jersey. However, the design fell through, mainly because
he was unable to realize upon his resources, as his expense account
had not been paid by Congress, and no prize money was yet forthcoming.
While awaiting the complete restoration of his health he prepared
several plans for organizing a navy for the new country, all of which
are distinguished by his usual insight and skill. Many of the plans,
including the germ of a proposed naval academy in the shape of a
school-ship filled with cadets, were adopted with profit to the naval
service and the country in after years. But the new nation was too
poor and the central government too weak at that time to accept any of
these suggestions. Finally, by an act of Congress, dated November 1,
1783, in accordance with the report of a committee of which Mr. Arthur
Lee was a member--singular revolution of time which put him in the
position of upholding Jones!--he was appointed a special commissioner
to solicit and receive the money due from France for the prizes taken
by the Bon Homme Richard and his squadron. He was, of course, to act
under the direction of the American Minister, Franklin, and was
required to give bond to the amount of two hundred thousand dollars
for the faithful performance of his duty. It is an evidence of his
high reputation for probity and honor that he found no difficulty in
securing signers to his bond.