Thomas ap Catesby Jones
Thomas ap Catesby Jones (
1790 -
1858) was a
U.S. Navy officer during the
War of 1812 and the
Mexican-American War.
Jones was born in
Westmoreland County,
Virginia.
Thomas ap C. Jones began his naval career during the
War of 1812, receiving honors for bravery at
Lake Borgne,
Louisiana, delaying the British before the
Battle of New Orleans. In
1826 he signed a treaty with
King Kamehameha III of the
Sandwich Islands.
Commodore Jones commanded the United States
Pacific Squadron from
1841 to
1844 and again from
1848 to
1850. In
1842, mistakenly thinking that war had begun between the U.S.A. and
Mexico, he seized
Monterey,
California, for one day before returning control. In
1848 Jones arrived in
Mazatlán just at the end of the
Mexican-American War, maintaining order until he could transport those who had aided the United States in that war to
Monterey,
California. For the next two years, during the chaotic
gold rush days, Jones provided a U.S. Navy presence in the
San Francisco area while the United States debated what to do with the newly acquired
California Territory.
In
1843, Jones returned a young deserter,
Herman Melville, from the
Sandwich Islands to the United States. Later, Melville modelled "Commodore J" in
Moby-Dick and the commodore in
White-Jacket after Jones. As Jones had a ship severely damaged in an attack by a whale in 1827,
Moby-Dick may have been partially inspired by stories told of Jones.
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.
Jones' brother,
Roger Jones, was
Adjutant General of the United States Army from
1824 to
1852.
Note: "ap" is a Welsh indication for "son of". Thomas ap Catesby Jones is Thomas, son of Catesby Jones.* Gene A. Smith,
Thomas ap Catesby Jones, Commodore of Manifest Destiny (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2000) ISBN 1-55750-848-8
