John Paul Jones was born John Paul in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland, in 1747. At about 12 years old, he joined the British mercantile marine and made several voyages to North America. Paul eventually settled in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He later added Jones to his name. At the start of the Revolutionary War, Jones joined the American navy and was commissioned senior lieutenant. In 1778 Jones made a successful cruise as commander of the Ranger in waters around the British Isles. With the aid of France, Jones organized a fleet to attack the British. In 1779 he commanded the flagship Bonhomme Richard. Before narrowly defeating the British ship Serapis in 1779, he supposedly said, “I have not yet begun to fight.” In 1787 Jones was awarded a gold medal by Congress. He served in the Russian navy from 1788 to 1789 and lived in Paris from 1790 until his death in 1792. His body lay in an unmarked grave until 1905, when his remains were discovered and returned to the United States. John Paul Jones is now buried at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
