The Glorious Cause - Jeff Shaara [262]
“More than aware, sir. The plan was, in principle, my own. I had hoped to command such a force. It is the primary reason I asked to meet with you, Doctor.”
“Thank you for your candor, General. Now, I must be candid as well. Your government is not comfortable with your plan. There is concern that the effort required in the West Indies could leave the French navy in a precarious position should a serious fight erupt in the English Channel. I cannot speak of what your role should be, and I dare not insert my views in places where they do not belong. Your notoriety and your value to General Washington will ultimately determine where your duty is best performed. As for causing injury to the British from the sea, I have my own view. It has come as a surprise to many here that America has in fact produced something of a navy. Thus far, there has been one extremely useful benefit of this. American ships have begun to appear in foreign ports of call, patrolling European waterways, protecting American shipping interests. It both amuses and distresses me that until our ships appeared in their waters, some European governments considered America as some strange mythical place. It is a peculiar notion that my country was little more than a rumor until our flag appeared from the masts of warships.”
“Doctor, from what I have heard in America, there were some in your country who knew nothing of King George until his warships destroyed your towns. People often believe what is convenient.”
“Quite so. Your king and some of his generals may not believe it is convenient to have you off commanding an army somewhere. I can understand your disappointment. But that does not mean we will not cause our own havoc.”
Lafayette could not hide his mood, but Franklin saw curiosity as well.
“General, a French warship has been refitted and offered to an American captain, to use as he will in the waters around the English coast. With the additional support already promised him from several French vessels, I believe he can cause considerable discomfort in British ports. I have advised him only to avoid barbarism, not to exact revenge on British civilians for the brutality their navy has inflicted in America. His family is Scottish, and he’s a Virginian now. Perhaps you know him? His name is John Paul Jones.”
THE SHIP WAS NOW CALLED THE BONHOMME RICHARD, A TRIBUTE TO Franklin himself, his Poor Richard’s Almanack now extremely popular throughout France. Captain Jones had become popular himself, had already given birth to a reputation in France as a keen naval officer who preyed effectively on British merchantmen. But he had yet to face a challenge from a British warship, and when his small fleet sailed for British waters, the French officers he commanded were not yet convinced this American could even survive a serious naval battle, much less command one.
The British ship was the Serapis, a forty-gun frigate that was newer, larger, and far more maneuverable than the Bonhomme Richard. The fight began at dusk, the two ships swirling about each other in a storm of fire and smoke. When Jones could not outflank the Serapis, he rammed her, his crew casting hooks over her rails. With the two ships locked together, their gunners poured a continuous hell of grapeshot and canister into the faces of the enemy. On the Bonhomme Richard, Jones sent marksmen up into the rigging, musket fire now adding to the carnage below. On the deck of the Serapis, no man could survive, and finally, with both ships taking on water at a dangerous rate, an American shell was lobbed into the main hatchway of the British ship. The explosion ripped the Serapis apart from within, and with both crews exhausted and bloodied, Jones himself aimed a single gun at the main mast of the Serapis and fired. As the mast toppled into the sea, the British lowered their flag.
The extraordinary victory had been achieved within sight of a stunned audience on the British shore, and though the destruction of both ships could not be