The SAR MAGAZINE is the official quarterly publication of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution published quarterly.
Issue link: http://sar.epubxp.com/i/132097
l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l When he entered the Russian service, the Turks were making headway against the Russians at sea. Commanding his squadron on the Black Sea, Jones soon reversed some of the Turkish gains. But his victories raised the hackles and the jealousy of some of those within the Russian navy. Prince Grigory Potemkin, admiral overseeing all of Russia's naval operations, seized the laurels for Jones' victories. This, the strong-willed Jones could not abide. Events further deteriorated, and he found himself at odds with the entire Russian military establishment. There are different versions as to how he parted company with the Russian Navy—one that he was in poor health and Catherine allowed him a leave of absence to convalesce, and another that the queen was dissatisfied with his service and relieved him of his command. At any rate, Jones breathed free air and put Russia behind him—again a captain without a ship. Jones set his sights west and traveled to Paris, his health continuing to deteriorate. On July 18, 1792, John Paul Jones, 45, was found face down on his bed, his death attributed to "dropsy of the chest." The American hero had the unfortunate fate of dying during the turmoil of the French Revolution. On July 20, 1792, he was buried hastily in the cemetery for foreign Protestants, St. Louis Cemetery, located northeast of Paris. More than a century passed before any concerns surfaced about Jones' burial site. Around 1900, Brig. Gen. Horace Porter, United States ambassador to France, made it his personal quest to return Jones' remains to American soil, which was no easy task. An August 1899 letter written by James G. Johnson of Randolph, Ky., to Secretary of State John Hay offered credible clues as to the site of Jones' burial. Although the funeral register for the cemetery was destroyed in 1871, Johnson cited a copy made Revolutionary War hero John Paul Jones is considered by many to be the father of the American Navy Robert Dodd's depiction of the confrontation between the Bonhomme Richard and the Serapis SPRING 2013 19