Published in Scotland Magazine Issue 37 on 20/03/2008.

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America's navel hero

John Paul Jones was one of America’s greatest battle commanders during the Revolution. Not bad for a poor boy from Kirkcudbright.

John Paul Jones was born plain old ‘John Paul’ on the estate of Arbigland in Kirkcudbright on the 6th July 1747, and went on to be come America’s first naval hero in the American Revolutionary War.

John Paul began his maritime career at the age of 13, sailing out of Whitehaven, England, as apprentice aboard the Friendship.

For the next several years he sailed British merchant and slaver ships, eventually quitting in disgust at the cruelty he witnessed.

Given free passage home in 1768 onboard the brig John, John Paul’s career was quickly advanced when the captain and first mate died of fever, and he successfully brought the ship back to a safe port. As a reward, the vessel’s grateful Scottish owners made him master of the ship and its crew, aged just 21.

During a subsequent voyage to Tobago aboard the John, the young captain was accused of being “unnecessarily cruel” having flogged one of his sailors, who later died of his injuries. He was cleared of blame but this was an event which would dog him for the rest of his life.

Leaving Scotland, John Paul’s next commission was the London vessel Betsy, which came to a similarly violent end when Jones killed a member of his crew with a sword in a dispute over wages. He fled to his brother’s estate in Virginia in 1773, changing his name, first to John Jones and later to John Paul Jones.

America at this time was working up to the Revolution, and shortly after arriving Jones volunteered his services to the newlyfounded Continental.....

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By John Paul Jones

Section : Scotland Legends

Page number : 43