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Joseph Callo,
John Paul Jones; America’s First Sea Warrior. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2006. 250pp., illustrations, maps,
appendixes, notes, bibliography, index.
Reviewed by Roderick
Gainer, M.A.
LGB & Associates, Inc.
U.S. Army
Center
of Military History
_____________________________________________________________________
John Paul Jones certainly had a varied career, at
least has far as historians are concerned. Praised as the savior of the American
Revolution by some, and dismissed as a glory seeking blow-hard by others,
Jones has always been a persona that inspires extremes. One work that happily falls in the
middle of all this mess is John Paul Jones; America’s First Sea
Warrior. Rear Admiral Joseph
Callo (retired), an expert on the age of
sail, has produced a solid, up to date biography of this often elusive
character. This title does and
admirable job of stripping away the myth in front of the man, and is an
excellent life study America’s
first naval hero.
Although he died in obscurity in 1792, living in Paris
and near penniless, Jones has never suffered from want of biographers.
Indeed, there is a virtual plethora of his life’s history. Since 2000, he has been the subject
of at least three new biographies. Even such luminaries as Samuel
Elliot Morrison have tackled the subject. Morrison wrote a massive biography of
Jones a few decades ago. For
many reasons, not the least of which was Jones very real contributions
to the Continental war effort, he has always been a fascinating subject
for biographers. Callo’s John Paul Jones; America’s First Sea
Warrior is a solid, detailed examination of Jones’s career. Although hardly the final word on
Jones, it is an excellent starting point.
Callo’s biography is divided
into thirteen chapters, with the preponderance of the book addressing
Jones far flung, albeit brilliant, service in the American Revolution.
From the early days of the war, when Jones spent most of his time
jockeying for position and rank, to his brilliant exploits raiding
British commerce and villages, Callo
illustrates Jones career with skill and flair, especially the famed
Battle of Flamborough Head, where Jones
defeated HMS Serapis with the Bonhomme Richard. Jones strange relationship with
Captain Pierre Landais, the psychotic French
skipper of the USS Alliance plays a special role in this section of the
book. Callo also offers a detailed, and much
needed, examination of Jones service in the fleet of the Czarina
Catherine the Great. Despite his
victory at the Second Battle of Liman, Jones
proved no match for various Russian courtesans, who stole his credit
and reputation. The book also
has five detailed appendices, containing numerous original battle
accounts and reports. These are
a useful and colorful addition to the book. There are numerous maps and a few
illustrations as well.
Despite his success as a fighting sailor, Jones’
reputation has been somewhat marred by his reputation as an inveterate
womanizer. Also, Jones spent a
great deal of his time involved in petty squabbles with various
officials, squabbles that Jones lost more often then not. Although
hardly alone in these categories, many of Jones biographers have spent
a seemingly inordinate amount of time overly emphasizing his character
flaws. Fortunately, Callo chose a different tack. Jones, warts and all, was ultimately
a patriot, dedicated to the American cause, and a sailor who pledged
his life and sacred honor in pursuit of American independence. This makes the last chapter of the
book, dealing with the strange post mortem story of Jones corpse, all
the more poignant.
Callo’s biography is an
excellent starting point for those interested in the life of America’s
first great naval hero, chock full of good information. The detailed appendices are also
welcome, as they offer a nice “period flavor” to the work as a whole.
This is altogether a fine effort, and one that should grace the shelf
of anyone interested in the Continental Navy.
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