08/09/2026
He wasn’t part of the Culper Ring or espionage, so why does Culper Coffee highlight him? Hold my coffee and read this… Born in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland, in 1747, the son of a gardener, John Paul Jones went to sea at about 13. He learned his trade aboard merchant ships and eventually served as third mate and then first mate on vessels engaged in the transatlantic slave trade. He left that trade, reportedly in disgust, and returned to merchant shipping.
By his early twenties, he was commanding ships. His rise was anything but clean.
While commanding the John in 1770, Paul ordered a ship’s carpenter flogged for neglect of duty. The man died weeks later, and Paul was accused of causing his death. Paul contested the accusation and was able to establish his innocence.
Then in Tobago in 1773, Paul killed the leader of a mutinous crew with his sword. According to Paul’s own account, he acted in self-defense. Rather than remain to face legal proceedings, he fled the West Indies.
He eventually surfaced in Virginia and added “Jones” to his name, possibly to conceal his identity.
Then came the American Revolution.
In 1775, Jones entered the newly created Continental Navy. He served aboard Alfred and later commanded Providence and Ranger, attacking British commerce and taking numerous prizes.
In 1778, Jones carried the war directly to Britain. He raided Whitehaven, attempted to capture the Earl of Selkirk in Scotland, and then defeated and captured HMS Drake off Ireland.
A year later came the battle that made him a legend.
On September 23, 1779, Jones’s Bonhomme Richard fought HMS Serapis off Flamborough Head. His ship was being destroyed but Jones refused to surrender.
The famous words “I have not yet begun to fight!” were attributed to him decades later, so his exact response remains uncertain, but the outcome does not.
After hours of brutal close-range combat, Serapis surrendered.
Bonhomme Richard was too badly damaged to save and sank on September 25. Jones and his men transferred to their captured enemy vessel. The Royal Navy ruled the seas and John Paul Jones sailed into its backyard anyway. 🇺🇸⚓
