Existing comment:
First Foreign Salute to the Stars and Stripes, February 14, 1778
Howard B. French (1906-1987)
On November 1, 1777, Capt. John Paul Jones sailed to Europe in the Continental Navy ship Ranger intent on taking the American war for independence to the British Isles. In Quiberon Bay, France, Jones fired a 13-gun salute to the French admiral's flagship and received a 9-gun salute in return. It was the first foreign recognition of the flag of the new independent nation. |