The Battle of Flamborough Head, an eye witness account of the battle of Flamborough Head by John Paul Jones's Midshipman Nathaniel Fanning of Conneticut (part g)

I was given command of the main top with fifteen marines and four sailors.  In substance we had to first silence the ememies tops to have the fairer opportunity of clearing their decks.  We drew up into the tops a double allowance of grog for the men.  By this time we were near our antagonist when she hoisted the red flag with the union on the upper corner of it, which the captain with his own hands nailed to the flag staff.  At quarter past eight, just as the moon was rising with majestic appearance, the weather being clear, the surface of the great deep perfectly smooth, even as in a mill pond, the enemy hailed us "What ship is that?"  The answer "Come a little nearer and I will tell you".  "What are you laden with?"  Our reply "Round, grape and double headed shot".  Instantly Serapis poured her range of upper and quarter deck guns into us.  We returned the ememies fire and thus the battle began.   At this first fire, three of our starboard lower deck guns burst and killed most of the men stationed at them, ten men per gun.  As soon as Captain Jones heard of this, he gave orders not to fire the other three eighteen pounders but to abandon them.  Soon after this we perceived the ememy, by their lanthorns, busy in running out their guns between decks, which convinced us that Serapis was a two decker, and more than our match.