Letter to Joseph Hewes from August 7, 1777.

Dublin Core

Title

Letter to Joseph Hewes from August 7, 1777.

Date

1777-08-07

Description

Papers include originals and typed transcripts of letters to Benjamin Franklin and others in Paris, to Joseph Hewes, and to A. Livingston. Also includes a 1776 list of U.S. Navy captains, his "A Plan for Regulation & Equipment of the Navy" (1777), and notes (1794) on the expense of building, fitting, and maintaining a frigate. Also a U.S. Continental Congress list showing rank of captions in the Navy, dated October 10, 1776.
2023-05-09
600 dpi, 16-bit depth, color, Epson Expression 10000XL, Archival masters are tiffs.

Rights

Copyright has not been assigned to the Charleston Library Society. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Special Collections Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Charleston Library Society as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Format

image/jpeg

Type

StillImage

Source

Ms. 92, John Paul Jones Papers, 1776-1794.

Language

English

Identifier

Ms92Let8

Text Item Type Metadata

Transcription

Portsmouth, N.H. August 17 1777

My dear and honored Sir:

Inclosed you have sundry letters [unreadable] which you are atLiberty to use at discretion for I can unbosom myself to you with the utmost confidence You have laid me under the most singular obligations and you are indeed the Angel of my Happiness
since to your Friendship I owe my present enjoyments, as well as my future prospects I will not attempt to thank you by letter, but endeavor to prove by my conduct that your Friendship and good Opinion is not misplaced- I do not at present expect an alteration to take place in the line of Rank-but I will hope for a separate Command whereby I may be enabled to distinguish myself in the Service:- For I should esteem ita greater disgrace, and a worse hardship to be under the command of any Man, who was not in the Navy, as early as myself, than to be fairly broke and expelled the Service- especially as the menI speak of cannot plead superior knowledge, or superior Services
And many of them with whom I have conversed McNeill among the Rest, have had candour enough to acknowledge that they did not expect to come into the Service in any other capacity than asJunior Officers. – I aver that many of them durst not step for that the beginning in such ships as the Alfred then was, and at a time when Independence had not even been mentioned out of doors.-I know what misfortune is, and I dare meet it again, in its most frightful aspect rather than loose my rank, there are characters among the thirteen in the list, who are truly contemptible – with such, as a private Gentlemen, I would disdain to sit down – I would disdain to be acquainted. – I am no Prophet but an alteration in the Navy rank will take place at a period not far distant
Justice will point out the Necessity of that alteration. – Should it not take place will it not leave room for reflection and how will any gentlemen now in the Service be assured that he
will not be superceded by men of presumptive abilities? I am very far from meaning to reflect on the Gentlemen who drew that line of rank. – I am persuaded that it was done with the intentional Impartiality
- but they have been misled by misrepresentationAnd their not being long conversant with Navy matters laid them Open to imposition. – I esteem several of the thirteen Captainsby whom I am at present superceded but until they give me proof of their superior abilities, I never shall acknowledge them as my senior officers I never will act under their command. I inclose a Copy of my letter to the Marine Committee on the subject of Rank, when I supposed myself superceded by one man
-and I am by no means inclined to retract my sentiments now, thatI find myself superseded by a number, if I have deserved this – I am unworthy of bearing a Commission, I am unworthy of drawing my sword in the cause of Free Men? – I am wondering whither Mr. Morris did or did not think it expedient to lay that letter before the Committee – perhaps he did not. – I would not make any difficulty about triffles, but this is not a triffle to me. I have last Winter paid off the Sloop Providence and Ship Alfred. from the beginning and from the date of my first commission until now, I have received no more public money as an individual, than the Fifty pounds which was ordered by the Committee this time twelve months to provideCabin stores at Philadelphia and I have now no prospect of Settlement. In the term of twelve weeks, including the time of fitting out the Alfred at Rhode Island I took twenty four Prizes among which was only one sloop and I
have received little more than three thousand dollars as my share of Prize Money
yet these and a thousand other disagreeable circumstances I consider astriffles – but to be superceded after all is unsupportable. The Ranger’s topsails will be best tomorrow and I hope to overcome all the difficulty that subsisted, when I took this command and to have the Ranger at sea much sooner than any otherShip in the Service hath yet been. – I may venture to affirm that there is not one of the thirteen persons in question who would in my situation proceed to Sea without a settlement, - yet I will go. I am deeply sensible of the many distinctions and preferences which I have lately experienced from Congress as well as from the Marine and Secret Committees. – I am incapable of Ingratitude and ardently wish to be employed in such enterprising services as will convince them that I have not deserved their former Neglect. I now understand that the Raleigh and the Alfred are by the advice of General Whipple and Col. Langdon destined for France in order to provide the Raleigh with stores, altho she is now laden as deep as a Merchant Ship
I mention this as the iris a probability of our Junction there, and I am predetermined not to serve under that dull inactive Genius, who would serve with more reputation in a dock yard than as a Commander in theNavy. There are Frigates now building and lately built inFrance, that mount thirty-two Guns on one deck – I wish for the command of one of these ships – and indeed for the present we ought to build Ships of no other Construction – They sail exceedingly fast and are capable of carrying Eighteen Pounders. Please to put the complaint against Captain Manly into the hands
of General Warren. It will give me much pleasure to hear from you before you leave Boston and I request your’s and Mr. Livingstons free sentiments and advice on this letter. I have the greatest respect for his Father and for Col. R.H. Lee and should be happy in corresponding with them. Please to inform me to whom you communicate the paper which I shewed you in Philadelphia and whether you think it prudent in me to shew it to any person this way. You will soon hear of my destination, I can write you to Philadelphia before I sail, I will hope to hear from you in France should I proceed there. I have many things to say on Navy matters, but must at Present conclude with repeating what I have frequently advanced – I mean that short inlistments are incompatible with the Necessary Subordination of a Navy – therefore I aver that theSeamen of these States ought to be registered and made subject to serve in their turns for three years at one time – I have the Honor to be with much respect and perfect Esteem

Sir
Your very obliged
Very obedient
most humble servant
[in pencil] Probably John Paul Jones

The Honble
Joseph Hewes

Citation

Jones, John Paul, “Letter to Joseph Hewes from August 7, 1777.,” Charleston Library Society Digital Collections, accessed November 5, 2024, https://charlestonlibrarysociety.omeka.net/items/show/1377.