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He served without pay or allowance, and made advances out of his private fortune to the cause of independence. He was wounded many times in his “twenty-three battles and solemn rencounters by sea,” as he expressed it. Yet there is not one word of his wounds in any line of his official correspondence, although the wounds of others are frequently called to the attention of the Congress. He fought whenever he had a chance, and he was never defeated. The two British war-ships he captured were taken in the face of enormous odds and within sight of the three kingdoms, when both seas and shores were swarming with his enemies. The captain who surrendered to him was made a baronet for the defense of the British ship. What, then, must have been the splendor of the attack! Truly, Paul Jones deserved well of his country, and he was not without proof of its gratitude. He was unanimously elected the ranking officer of the American navy by the Continental Congress, which also gave him a gold medal and the thanks of Congress. France showed her appreciation of his services by awarding him the cross of the order of Military Merit, never before given a foreigner, and a gold sword. Thus was the splendid roll of American sea officers made lustrous from the beginning by the name of Paul Jones.