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JONES, John Paul: Memorial near the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C.
by Charles Henry Niehaus
John Paul Jones (1747 - 1792) was America's first well-known naval hero in the American Revolutionary War. John Paul adopted the alias John Jones when he fled to his brother's home in Fredericksburg, Virginia in 1773 to avoid the hangman's noose in Tobago after an incident when he was accused of murdering a sailor under his command. He began using the name John Paul Jones, at the suggestion of his brother, during the start of the American Revolution. Although his naval career never saw him above the rank of Captain in the Continental Navy after his victory over the Serapis with the frigate Bonhomme Richard, John Paul Jones remains the first genuine American Naval hero, as well as a highly regarded battle commander. His later service in the Russian Navy as an admiral showed the mark of genius that enabled him to defeat the Serapis.
Jones simply was not as good a politician as he was a naval commander, in an era where politics determined promotion, both in America and abroad. Although he was originally buried in Paris, after spending his last years abroad, he was ultimately reinterred at the United States Naval Academy, a fitting homecoming for the "Father of the American Navy". During his engagement with Serapis, Jones uttered, according to the later recollection of his First Lieutenant, the legendary reply to a quip about surrender from the British captain: "I have not yet begun to fight!" Source: Wikipedia
Bronze, Marble by Charles Henry Niehaus
Address: Independence Ave & 17th Sts SW Nearest Metro: Smithsonian (Orange - Blue)
Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog: Control number 76009746 (dcMem ID #1200)
Click here to see all 10 pictures of this attraction
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Sources & Links:
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The Names of Washington D.C. (p122)
ADC Greater Washington, DC Street Map Book (55)
The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington D.C. (K05/p397)
Naval Historical Center: Jones Biography (140)
Wikipedia article on John Paul Jones
