Nearly every student of naval history knows the story of John Paul Jones’ most famous engagement, 23 September 1779, when he engaged the British frigate Serapis while in command of a converted East Indiaman, the Bonhomme Richard. The Royal Navy ship was faster, more maneuverable, and more heavily armed, yet Jones not only took her on, but defeated her in a ferocious battle that lasted several hours, caused terrible casualties on both sides, and left the victorious Bonhomme Richard a sinking hulk.
The facts of this engagement are well-established but, oddly, one important element is not. In the days when American school children still studied military heroes, they learned that Jones, when asked by the British commander, Captain Richard Pearson—who clearly was winning the battle at that point—whether Jones wished to strike his colors in surrender, he defiantly replied “I have not yet begun to fight!” Yet this iconic quote has long been the subject of debate among scholars.
The problem arises because the first time the famous words appeared in print was 46 years after the battle, when Jones’ second -in-command, Richard Dale, recalled them in a biography by John Henry Sherburne, The Life and Character of John Paul Jones.
Earlier accounts quote Jones as having instead said (with some minor variations), “I may sink, but I’m damned if I’ll strike.” Another eyewitness, Ensign Nathaniel Fanning, later recalled Jones’ words to be, “Ay, ay, we’ll [strike our colors] when we can fight no longer, but we shall see yours come down first; for you must know, that Yankees do not haul down their colors till they are fairly beaten.” One can readily see why the latter rendition did not become legendary.
The debate over the correct version has raged for decades and is alive and well. The two most recent biographies of note (Joseph Callo’s John Paul Jones: America’s First Sea Warrior and Evan Thomas’ John Paul Jones: Sailor, Hero, and Father of the American Navy) take opposing views on this matter.
While all of this is good fodder for researchers and would-be biographers, the essential fact is that these are semantic debates about words, not deeds. The Naval History and Heritage Command’s website cuts to the chase by proclaiming “While observers do not agree on Jones’ exact words, all recall Jones’ determination to continue the struggle and the iron will he demonstrated at this crisis in the battle.” Callo concurs: “And when all is said and done, it is the idea, not the exact words, that has inspired generations of U.S. Navy sailors.” Indeed, even Thomas, who is among the doubting Thomases (pun intended), acknowledges in an interview about his book, “There was a gentlemanly code that you could throw in the towel if it was getting out of hand. To fight gunwale to gunwale for three hours and have that kind of casualty rate was unusual and ferocious.”
So whether the words are exactly right or not, John Paul Jones’ courage and tenacity set the bar high for those who would follow in his footsteps; when faced with daunting adversity, he said something that matched his demonstrated willingness to fight on. Navy sailors will not err if they tattoo upon their souls—if not their skins—the words, “I have not yet begun to fight.”
