I Have Not Yet Begun to Fight!
Defiant response delivered by Naval Captain John Paul Jones during the bloody battle between the Bonhomme Richard and HMS Serapis on September 23, 1779.
Full Transcript
The battle raged off Flamborough Head under the night sky. The American vessel, Bonhomme Richard, was battered, leaking heavily, and on fire in multiple compartments.
Captain Richard Pearson of the British warship HMS Serapis, seeing the shattered condition of the American ship, shouted across the smoke and carnage: ‘Has your ship struck? Do you ask for quarter?’
Naval Captain John Paul Jones, standing firm on his quarterdeck amidst falling timber and smoke, shouted back across the water with unyielding determination:
‘I have not yet begun to fight!’
With those words, Jones rallied his exhausted crew, lashed his ship to the enemy vessel, and fought on until the British captain struck his colors.
Defining Key Excerpts
"I have not yet begun to fight!"
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