Thomas ap Catesby Jones
Thomas ap Catesby Jones | |
---|---|
Born | [1] Westmoreland County, Virginia, U.S. | April 24, 1790
Died | May 30, 1858[2] Sharon, Virginia, U.S. | (aged 68)
Buried | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1805–1858 |
Rank | Commodore |
Commands held | USS Peacock Pacific Squadron |
Battles/wars |
Thomas ap Catesby Jones (24 April 1790 – 30 May 1858) was an American naval officer who served during the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War.
Early life
Thomas ap Catesby Jones was born on 24 April 1790 in Westmoreland County, Virginia, to Catesby and Lettice (Turberville) Jones. The Jones family had originated in Wales and the middle name "ap Catesby" was a gesture to the patronymic surnames traditionally used in Wales; Thomas ap Catesby in Welsh means "Thomas, son of Catesby".[1]
Jones' father died on 23 September 1801 leaving the family destitute. Jones and his older brother,
War of 1812
Jones was appointed a midshipman in the United States Navy on 22 November 1805 at the age of fifteen. Owing to a lack of openings for midshipmen he was not ordered to active duty. He was furloughed home and advised to study geography, navigation, and surveying so that his chances of getting an active assignment would improve. After the Chesapeake–Leopard affair, the Navy mobilized its gunboats and Jones was ordered to report to Norfolk, Virginia, where he was assigned to gunboat No. 10, reporting the first week of August 1807.[5] Jones received honors for bravery at the 1814 Battle of Lake Borgne in Louisiana, where despite being defeated, he succeeded in delaying the British advance prior to the Battle of New Orleans.[6]
Between wars
In 1826,
In May 1836, an act of Congress authorized the President to establish the five year United States Exploring Expedition "to the Pacific Ocean and South Seas", the first extra-continental American scientific exploration. Jones was appointed Commander of the Expedition. Delays in Expedition departure dates, and various other disagreements, led to Jones (and certain scientists, including botanist Asa Gray) declining the position in December 1837. The position was subsequently offered to Charles Wilkes. From 1841 to 1844, Jones commanded the United States Pacific Squadron, and again from 1848 to 1850. In 1842, four years before the start of the Mexican–American War, Jones mistakenly thought that war had begun. He seized the California port of Monterey and held it for one day before returning control to Mexico.[13]
Hearing that
Later career
In 1848, Jones arrived in
In 1850, in a politically charged court-martial shortly after White-Jacket was published, Jones was found guilty on three counts mostly related to "oppression" of junior officers and relieved of command for two-and-a-half years. In 1853, President Millard Fillmore reinstated him and in 1858, the United States Congress restored his pay.[19]
See also
Notes
Citations
- ^ a b Smith, p 3
- ^ Smith, p 161
- ^ Smith, pp 6–8
- ^ Smith, p 45
- ^ Smith, p 11
- ^ Smith, pp 29–32
- ^ Stauffer, pp 41–42
- ^ Kuykendall 1965, pp. 435–436
- ^ Newbury 1980, p. 70
- ^ Pritchard 1983, p. 53
- ^ a b Smith, p 68
- ^ Stanton, pp 35-66
- ^ Stauffer, p 42
- ^ a b Gapp, pp 101–121
- ^ Stauffer, pp 42–43
- ^ Smith, p 151
- ^ Bauer, p 232
- ^ Smith, pp 132–147
- ^ Smith, pp 159–160
Bibliography
- Bauer, K. Jack (1969). Surfboats and Horse Marines: U.S. Naval Operations in the Mexican War, 1846–48. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute.
- Gapp, Frank W. (1985). "The Kind-Eyed Chief: Forgotten Champion of Hawaii's Freedom". Hawaiian Journal of History. 19. Hawaii Historical Society: 101–121. hdl:10524/235.
- OCLC 47008868.
- Maxwell, Richard T. (1955). Visit to Monterey in 1842. Los Angeles: Glen Dawson. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
- Newbury, Colin W. (1980). Tahiti Nui: Change and Survival in French Polynesia, 1767–1945 (PDF). Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii. OCLC 1053883377. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2019-11-10. Retrieved 2019-11-28.
- OCLC 10470657.
- ISBN 978-1-55750-848-5.
- Stanton, William (1975). The Great United States Exploring Expedition. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 0520025571.
- Stauffer, Robert H. (2009). "The Hawai'i-United States Treaty of 1826" (PDF). eVols. University of Hawaii at Manoa. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
External links
- Media related to Thomas ap Catesby Jones at Wikimedia Commons