Editing John Paul Jones (section)

====Early command====
Jones sailed from the [[Delaware River]] in February 1776 aboard ''Alfred'' on the Continental Navy's maiden cruise. It was aboard this vessel that Jones took the honour of hoisting the first U.S. ensign, the [[Continental Union Flag]], over a naval vessel.<ref name="Balderston1969">{{cite journal| last1=Balderston| first1=Marion| title=The Flag John Paul Jones Really Fought Under| journal=Huntington Library Quarterly| volume=33| issue=1| year=1969| pages=77–83| issn=0018-7895| doi=10.2307/3817016| jstor=3817016}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author-link=Francis Wharton |last=Wharton |first=Francis |title=Chapter XIX John Paul Jones-Sayre ~ John Paul Jones Public Services & Effect of his Cruises |url=http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=lldc&fileName=001/lldc001.db&recNum=642 |journal=Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789 |trans-title=The Revolutionary Diplomatic Correspondence of the United States |volume=1 |issue=August 13, 1888 |pages=611–614}}</ref>

The fleet had been expected to cruise along the coast but was ordered instead by Commodore [[Esek Hopkins]] to sail for The Bahamas, where [[Raid of Nassau|Nassau was raided]] for military supplies. The fleet had an [[Battle of Block Island|unsuccessful encounter]] with a British [[Packet boat|packet ship]] on their return voyage. Jones was then assigned command of the [[sloop-of-war|sloop]] {{ship|USS|Providence|1775|6}}. Congress had recently ordered the construction of thirteen frigates for the American Navy, one of which was to be commanded by Jones. In exchange for this prestigious command, Jones accepted his commission aboard the smaller ''Providence''. Over the summer of 1776 as commander of ''Providence'', Jones performed various services for the Continental Navy and Congress. These services included the transport of troops, the movement of supplies, and the escort of convoys. During this time, Jones was able to assist a 'brig from Hispaniola' that was being chased by [[HMS Cerberus (1758)|HMS ''Cerberus'']] and laden with military stores. The brig was then purchased by Congress and put in commission as {{USS|Hampden}} with Captain Hoysted Hacker commanding.<ref>Naval Documents of the American Revolution, vol 6, p. 210</ref> During a later six-week voyage to Nova Scotia, Jones captured sixteen [[Prize (law)|prizes]] and inflicted significant damage in the [[Raid on Canso (1776)|Raid on Canso]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/unitedstatesnava00gold_0|title=The United States' Naval Chronicle. Vol. 1|first=Charles W. (Charles Washington)|last=Goldsborough|date=May 21, 1824|publisher=Printed by James Wilson|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

Jones's next command came as a result of Commodore Hopkins's orders to liberate hundreds of American prisoners forced to labour in coal mines in Nova Scotia, and also to raid British shipping. On November 1, 1776, Jones set sail in command of ''Alfred'' to carry out this mission. Winter conditions prevented freeing the prisoners, but the mission did result in the capture of ''Mellish'', a vessel carrying a vital supply of winter clothing intended for General [[John Burgoyne]]'s troops in Canada.<ref>{{cite book| title=John Paul Jones: A Sailor's Biography| edition=1964| last1=Morison| first1=Samuel Eliot| publisher=Time| location=New York| page=78| year=1959| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L4twAAAAMAAJ&q=mellish}}</ref>