It was on a day like this 230 years ago, with a west wind howling up the Forth, rattling the window panes and lifting the roof tiles, that Edinburgh and Leith were saved from sacking by the United States Navy
I can't do maths, it was 240. The year was 1779 and in the middle of the War of Independence, a squadron of American ships appeared in the Forth. Their objective was to disrupt shipping, spread panic and "raise a contribution" of £200k from Edinburgh and Leith
The ships were the 36-gun USS Bon Homme Richard, the 32-gun USS Pallas and the 12-gun USS Vengeance and in command was one John Paul Jones. To the Americans a great hero, the father of their naval service. 
To the British, a common pirate. Of course, they would say that, because he beat them at their own game, rattled the establishment to its core and made the mighty Royal Navy look thoroughly impotent.
So who was John Paul Jones? For a start, he wasn't born an John Paul Jones or an American, he was actually from Kirkcudbrightshire. He was born in 1747 as John Paul to John Paul Snr. (a gardener) Jean Mcduff.
In 1760, Jean Paul Jr. was apprenticed to a sea captain in Whitehaven and took to the seven seas on the merchant ship "Friendship". He sailed mainly between Britain and the colony of Virginia, where his older brother was settled.
For quite a few years, John Paul plied the Atlantic trade routes, working his way up the grades to First Mate by 1768. At this point, fate begins to intervene to steer his life on a new course. In Jamaica, JP abandons his ship and works his passage back to Scotland.
He finds a new ship, the appropriately named "John", and is taken on as lower mate. When the master and leading mates unexpectedly die of fever, JP takes command and brings the ship and her cargo safely home. In gratitude, the owners raise him to Captain.
So at the tender age of 23, JP finds himself a ship's master with 10 years experience, life has worked out well for him. But then some things start to go wrong.
On only his 2nd voyage as captain, JP has someone flogged for insubordination. A very common and non-noteworthy act for the time, sailors were kept in check with equal proportions of corporal punishment, alcohol and the promise of the occasional bumper pay packet.
But the flogged man has connections back in Scotland, and when he dies (from Yellow Fever), the blame for his death is laid at the feet of John Paul. As a young captain from a humble family, he has no influence himself over matters once he's off his ship.
Back home, JP is thrown in the Tolbooth at Kirkcudbright to await his fate. But clearly he is not without friends, as he is bailed and given some quiet advice to get far away from Kirkcudbright before the law has its way. Sensible advice, which he follows.
JP leaves Scotland for England, and finds a new ship, the Betsy, and spends 18 successful months toing and froing in the Caribbean, before once again he clashes with a subordinate crewmember. This time, he runs the man through with a sword in an argument over wages.
JP claims self defence, but having fled from the law before, must have realised that he can't go back this time and face the music, so he heads north to the Virginia colony in about 1772. His brother has died, so JP takes over his affairs there.
And perhaps to cover his tracks, in Virginia he changes his name to John Paul Jones, American folk legend suggests that it was in honour of statesman Willie Jones.
JPJ takes to his new home and when war breaks out with Britian, he signs up to fight for his adopted homeland against that of his birth. Whether this was opportunism or patriotism is not clear, but in 1775 he signs up for the newly formed Continental Navy.
as an experienced sailor and officer, JPJ's potential is recognised by founding father Richard Henry Lee, and he is appointed 1st Lieutenant of the frigate USS Alfred. Like most US ships of this time, it's actually a converted merchantman, but that again was not uncommon
It is apparently Jones who had the honour of hoisting the "Grand Union Flag" - the first "national" flag of the United States, on a US ship for the first time
JPJ and the Alfred sail to the Caribbean and raid Nassau, but after this this point he takes a demotion to a smaller ship, the sloop "Providence", as a step on the ladder to commanding a frigate of his own
Long story short, John Paul Jones rapidly impresses his Continental Navy superiors with a combination of skill, aggression and good luck. By 1778 he is in charge of the new frigate USS Ranger and is sent to take the war to the British on the other side of the Atlantic
JPJ however finds the crew, and in particular the officers, of the USS Ranger completely lacking, and unwilling to take risks or follow his orders. A raid on the sloop HMS Drake fails due to poor seamanship
A raid on Whitehaven, JPJ's old home port, fails due to a combination of poor weather and an uncooperative crew who decided to visit the pub instead of set fire to the ships in the harbour
JPJ next hatches a plot to kidnap the Earl of Selkirk on St. Mary's Isle for ransom. But this is foiled as the Earl is away, the Americans are cordially entertained by the Earl's wife, and they leave after helping themselves to some silverwear
(Jones would later buy the silverwear back at his own expense and return it to the Selkirks). Ultimately his raiding around the Solway is fruitless and the crew are restless from the lack of prize money which they should rightfully have a share of
The effect on British morale and general public alarm was much more significant however. Here were American rebels acting with impunity not just in British waters but also on the land. It was a national scandal.
JPJ sails Ranger back across the Irish Sea and finally catches up with the sloop HMS Drake, which is captured after an hour long fight. A roughly equal fight on paper, 5 of the British crew including their captain are killed in the firefight, another national scandal
JPJ has "Drake" is sailed to Brest to be sold to the French as a prize. This is a great victory for the fledgling Continental Navy, but there is much acrimony between Jones, his 2nd in command Lt. Simpson (who he tries and fails to have court martialled) and the crew
On return to France, JPJ is given command of a bigger ship, the merchantman "Duc de Duras", which has been gifted to the US Navy by a sympathiser. JPJ has her named "Bon Homme Richard", after Ben Franklin, who used the pseudonym Poor Richard to publish his almanac in Paris
JPJ's little fleet prepares for war in Lorient in June 1779, but is forced back from its initial cruiser by bad weather and for repairs.
A second attempt is made in August. "Bonhomme Richard", "Pallas" and "Vengeance" are accompanied by "Le Cerf" and two privateers, "Monsieur" and "Granville". "Monsieur" falls out with JPJ only days out of port and leaves the fleet
The Royal Navy are better prepared this time and attempt to chase the Americans, but he leads them on a merry dance around the north of Scotland and shakes them off. On his way, despite ongoing squabbles with other officers, they take 16 merchant ships as prizes
And so it was on the 16th September 1779 that there is great alarm on both banks of the Forth when John Paul Jones and his 3 remaining ships (the others had returned to France by this time), appeared in the firth, intent on sailing up it
A panic spreads through Edinburgh and Leith. The moneyed classes secure their goods and flee the city for their estates. The banks locked up, the garrison barricaded themselves in Edinburgh castle, the church bells were rang and "neither a carriage nor a horse [was] to be seen"
Leith's fortifications, the great Marian walls and Cromwellian citadel are decrepit. Partially slighted, the stonework has been carried off over the past centuries to build the town.
But the enterprising folk of Leith try to mount a defence of sorts. Three old cannon were retrieved from the "Naval Yard" on Constitution Street and manhandled along to the Citadel
Although it was never meant to defend the town from the sea and although its walls are largely demolished, the citadel does at least provide something of a raised platform to cover the mouth of the harbour. This battery was "extremely perilous to those who worked it"
Edinburgh sent down a couple of old cannon and gunners from the castle which were posted near Newhaven, and arms were handed out to the incoporated trades of Leith. With this meagre defence, the town awaited its fate
But the folk of Kirkcaldy take an alternative approach to defence. They are lead down to the see by their minister, the Revd. Shirra, and begin to pray for almighty intervention.
"Now deer Lord, dinna ye think it a shame for ye to send this vile piret to rob our folk o Kirkcaldy; for ye ken they’re puir enow already, and hae naething to spaire."
And the almighty happened to be listening, for no sooner had Kirkcaldy prayed than, in the words of John Paul Jones, "a very severe gale of wind came on, and being directly contrary obliged me to bear away after having in vain endeavoured for some time to withstand its violence"
As the wind blew up, JPJ's ships were not yet in the safety of Leith Roads where they could ride out the storm, and despite being "in a cannon's shot of the town", were obliged to follow the wind back out to sea. In the process, the ship "Friendship" taken in prize was sunk
JPJ is blown straight out of the Forth and down the east coast. Edinburgh, Leith and Kirkcaldy have been saved by divine intervention.
A week later, JPJ encounters the Royal Navy off Flamborough Head and a somewhat battle takes place. The "Bonhomme Richard" is sunk, but JPJ captures the Royal Navy flagship "Serapis" and takes her instead. Although the British convoy escapes, again it's a national embarrassment
Again, the Americans press have their hero and the British their villain. The British press do a cover-up job to try and salvage national dignity; the Americans lost their flagship and the British convoy escaped
But the British had lost *their* flagship too, in site of British soil, and they had let John Paul Jones get away, yet again. It was rather hollow disaster management.
Back in Leith, plans were immediately drawn up for a new artillery fort to protect the port and the City of Edinburgh behind from the sea. These were drawn up by local celebrity architect James Craig, despite him having no background in military engineering
It's a fairly straightforward defensive structure, a half-moon battery of 8 cannon facing out to sea, protected by a huge earthen bank heaped up infront of it, with a blockhouse behind to protect it from assault from the land
The fort and the land on which it was built were provided "at the expense of the citizens of Edinburgh and Leith". It was armed with 8 x 24-pounder (i.e. firing a 24 pound shot) naval cannon, some of which were on "traversing frames" (i.e. could swivel from side to side)
A 13 inch siege mortar (of the same type made famous by Buster Keaton in the General)
And an 18-pounder gun mounted "en barbette" (that is, behind a rotating armoured screen)
The armament was finished off with a 68-pounder "Carronade". Names after the famous Carron foundry at the head of the Forth, it was a short barrelled gun with a very large calibre and heavy shot and it was deadly at close range
I'm not sure how much of this armament was ever fitted. Certainly within a few decades the battery was more of an ornamental garden than a place of warfare, and the fort had been expanded into more of a barracks and stables for the Royal Artillery, than a fixed defence
And what of our hero, John Paul Jones? Well he managed to sail the damaged Serapis from Flamborough Head to the neutral territory of Texel in the United Provinces of the Dutch Republic
A tricky diplomatic incident then took place, as JPJ had lost the Continental Navy's flags with Bonhomme Richard, and couldn't fly the Royal Navy's ensigns, so he was technically operating under no flag, and the British claimed he was a pirate
So, based on only a written description, ("colors should be white, red, and blue alternately to thirteen... [with a] blue field with thirteen stars... in the canton") JPJ had his men run up a *new* (and rather unconventional) flag
The Dutch dutifully checked that the flag matched the description (the didn't actually know what the flag of a US warship *should* look like as they'd never seen one) and entered it with a sketch in their records to make it official.
With its 8-pointed stars and irregular groupings of red/white/blue tricolour stripes, the "Serapis flag" is unique, the true work of a sailor handy with needle and thread and not someone versed in the rigid conventions of vexilology
John Paul Jones' wacky flag saved him from charges of piracy and takes pride of place on the coat of arms of the US warships that have taken his name
So there you have it, the tale of the lad from Galloway who the Royal Navy couldn't sink, tried to capture the Earl of Selkirk, put the willies up the good folk of Edinburgh and Leith and rocked the vexilogical world threadreaderapp.com/thread/1204372…
