John Tyler and the Princeton
The day was February 28, 1844, a Wednesday. By all accounts it was a beautiful, cloudless sky despite wintertime in Washington DC. The Potomac appeared motionless, beckoning travel.
Late February 1844 was a time of prospect for President John Tyler. He and his Secretary of State Abel Upshur had just received a verbal agreement that protected Texas from attack and other details that would help in Upshur's longtime goal of annexing Texas, though it was a new one for Tyler. Essentially Tyler went from true reluctance over anything regarding Texas to pure obsession over its annexation.
Upshur, while widely forgotten to most, worked intensely on matters ranging from working with Sam Houston on Texas to the Oregon territory to behind the scenes deal making in Congress
They had worked out the details over territory, state debts among other Texas matters. Tyler had reason to believe that the tide was changing in the US Senate to help him gain Texas, and perhaps a second term that no one, even Tyler at times, thought was possible.
On top of all this Tyler was reunited with his romantic interest, Julia Gardiner, who he had not seen in close to a year at that time. Tyler was 30 years her senior. Tyler had lost his first wife, Letitia, in his first year in the White House. Tyler thought Julia to be his fiancé and their marriage only a matter of formality as this point.
Personally and politically Tyler has reason to celebrate, and so he did on that fatal 28th.
Tyler, with Julia and her father, parts of his cabinet and other Washington dignitaries such as Dolley Madison and Thomas Hart Benton boarded the navy vessel, the USS Princeton for a trip down the Potomac. In all, around 400 guests were aboard the ship that day.
The Princeton had only been in service for a little under six months, but was widely considered one of the finest US naval ships. Initially devised by a Swedish inventor, John Ericcson, the ships Captain, Robert F. Stockton, took notice and went forward with designing this state of the art frigate for the US Navy. Ericcson and Stockton worked together on the boat up until the end. Stockton egotistical and proud tried to downplay Ericcson's role as much possible, often taking sole credit when talking with newspapers.
The ship carried the new naval gun, the Peacemaker, the longest and most powerful weapon built up until that time, also designed by Ericcson. The ship also carried the gun the Orator, or sometimes called the Oregon. That cannon was undergoing fixes and so Captain Robert Stockton decided to show off not only the Peacemaker, but also his ship as a whole. Those on board would witness its raw power firsthand.
The Presidential affair was a hit. Guests dined on ham and roast fowl with enough wine and champagne to go around. The ship was headed for Mount Vernon, George Washington's home along the Potomac River.
As the Princeton made its way though the calm waters the band aboard played "Hail to the Chief" for the 10th President, a song that Julia insisted on being played at Presidential events. The Princeton fired the Peacemaker several times to the delight of its passengers. The large and ringing explosions would draw "ooh's" and "ah's" until the cannon balls would land in the water, miles in the distance.
While it seemed the events above the deck took center stage, the real party was below deck. Both Upshur and Tyler made toasts and salutes. Upshur's included a call for more alcohol and Tyler is quoted as saying, "to the three great guns: the Princeton, her commander, and the Peacemaker."
Nearing mid-day as well as Mount Vernon Secretary of War James M. Porter made one final request for the Peacemaker to be fired. While Captain Stockton initially declined, he gave way to the pressure of Porter and passengers. A great number of passengers filed from below the deck. The site of the great cannon and Mount Vernon were too hard to resist.
As John Tyler rose to follow up the stairs, his son-in-law William Waller intercepted him. He and Waller decided to sing a bit of an old Revolutionary song and drink a bit more. As Waller belted the words to the tune, the Peacemaker fired once more, again drawing more applause until there were screams instead of cheers.
The Peacemaker was nowhere in sight as the deck billowed black smoke. It spread so quickly even the President lost visibility below deck. The scene was chaos.
The Peacemaker had misfired and exploded. This threw large portions of the cannon at those on deck.
People from below tried to rush upwards and people on the deck tried to find their way down. In the panic Julia Gardiner pushed through passengers frantically looking for her father who had been on deck to watch the firing. A passenger having seen what remained of her father after the explosion remarked to her, "my dear child, you can do no good, your father is in heaven." It is reported that Julia fainted. Julia’s father, David Gardiner, would die shortly after the explosion, bleeding to death after losing both his arms and legs.
The scene on deck looked more like a battlefield. Blood and limbs lay all over the deck, the smell of smoke and flesh filled the air. Spotted was Secretary of State Abel Upshur, his stomach torn apart. Also on the floor of the deck was Secretary of Navy Thomas Gilmer, whose head had been smashed in by part of the gun. The carnage was nauseating. Bodies of others were found; these included Beverly Kennon, the diplomat, Virgil Maxcy, and Armistead, Tyler's personal valet.
Outside of the six dead, over twenty others were badly wounded (including Senator of Missouri Thomas Hart Benton). The Captain of the ship had burns all over his head; he was heard screaming "my God! Would that I were dead, too!" Flags and blankets were placed over the bodies to conceal the horror as best as possible. It is said that as President Tyler took in the scene and saw the bodies of his two cabinet members he wept publicly.
As the ship made its way back to the dock, Tyler returned to and held Julia while she was unconscious. Tyler commented that, "Joy is turned into mourning. The morning so bright and cloudless, is succeeded by an evening of deep gloom and sorrow.” Within three years Tyler lost his President (William Harrison), wife, two cabinet members his Attorney General (Hugh Legare) and other personal acquaintances.
In fact, just four days after the incident, returning from a burial, the President escaped death yet again. The horses of his carriage had begun a full out sprint waving the carriage out of control. An unidentified citizen stepped out onto the street to slow the horses, seemingly saving Tyler's life.
Washington would be rattled by the events, never experiencing any tragedy like it. It was the worst peacetime disaster up until that point. The city mourned with black for over a week.
What seemed a time of great hope turned sour for Tyler. He would end up replacing Upshur with the famous John C. Calhoun, who would continue strong foreign negotiations. However, he would not win reelection, though, he did marry Julia and he would annex Texas a mere two days before departing, something Upshur would have been thrilled about.
Unfortunately we now know that the Peacemaker was not adequately tested before the display that day, perhaps only fired a mere five times. Captain Stockton had rushed along the Peacemaker in order to get credit for the gun (and not Ericcson).
"Stockton failed to grasp the importance of the hoop design and simply cast a large gun that was thicker around the breech. Fatally flawed, this error meant that the Peacemaker would most likely burst at some point" historians point out.
Stockton was able to avoid punishment for the disaster, and indeed blamed Ericcson for the result of the tragic explosion. Ericcson would be denied any pay for his work on the US ship despite his warnings to Stockton that the gun was not ready. Stockton would later serve under President Polk and assist in the Mexican-American War.
The Peacemaker had rattled Washington and Tyler. While the incident is almost forgotten by history all together, it is a captivating event.
On a separate note:
What if Tyler had died? He had just finished facing the controversy of whether a Vice President was the rightful successor of a President when Tyler died. Many called him "His Accidency,” saying that he was merely ”acting" President. While Tyler shaped history by brushing off the question and saying that the Vice President is rightful successor to the office, Tyler himself never appointed a Vice President, the first, but not the last, to do so. So then what? This I believe would have forced the issue of line of succession much earlier than the mid-twentieth century. Of course this is all hypothetical.
Late February 1844 was a time of prospect for President John Tyler. He and his Secretary of State Abel Upshur had just received a verbal agreement that protected Texas from attack and other details that would help in Upshur's longtime goal of annexing Texas, though it was a new one for Tyler. Essentially Tyler went from true reluctance over anything regarding Texas to pure obsession over its annexation.
Upshur, while widely forgotten to most, worked intensely on matters ranging from working with Sam Houston on Texas to the Oregon territory to behind the scenes deal making in Congress
They had worked out the details over territory, state debts among other Texas matters. Tyler had reason to believe that the tide was changing in the US Senate to help him gain Texas, and perhaps a second term that no one, even Tyler at times, thought was possible.
On top of all this Tyler was reunited with his romantic interest, Julia Gardiner, who he had not seen in close to a year at that time. Tyler was 30 years her senior. Tyler had lost his first wife, Letitia, in his first year in the White House. Tyler thought Julia to be his fiancé and their marriage only a matter of formality as this point.
Personally and politically Tyler has reason to celebrate, and so he did on that fatal 28th.
Tyler, with Julia and her father, parts of his cabinet and other Washington dignitaries such as Dolley Madison and Thomas Hart Benton boarded the navy vessel, the USS Princeton for a trip down the Potomac. In all, around 400 guests were aboard the ship that day.
The Princeton had only been in service for a little under six months, but was widely considered one of the finest US naval ships. Initially devised by a Swedish inventor, John Ericcson, the ships Captain, Robert F. Stockton, took notice and went forward with designing this state of the art frigate for the US Navy. Ericcson and Stockton worked together on the boat up until the end. Stockton egotistical and proud tried to downplay Ericcson's role as much possible, often taking sole credit when talking with newspapers.
The ship carried the new naval gun, the Peacemaker, the longest and most powerful weapon built up until that time, also designed by Ericcson. The ship also carried the gun the Orator, or sometimes called the Oregon. That cannon was undergoing fixes and so Captain Robert Stockton decided to show off not only the Peacemaker, but also his ship as a whole. Those on board would witness its raw power firsthand.
The Presidential affair was a hit. Guests dined on ham and roast fowl with enough wine and champagne to go around. The ship was headed for Mount Vernon, George Washington's home along the Potomac River.
As the Princeton made its way though the calm waters the band aboard played "Hail to the Chief" for the 10th President, a song that Julia insisted on being played at Presidential events. The Princeton fired the Peacemaker several times to the delight of its passengers. The large and ringing explosions would draw "ooh's" and "ah's" until the cannon balls would land in the water, miles in the distance.
While it seemed the events above the deck took center stage, the real party was below deck. Both Upshur and Tyler made toasts and salutes. Upshur's included a call for more alcohol and Tyler is quoted as saying, "to the three great guns: the Princeton, her commander, and the Peacemaker."
Nearing mid-day as well as Mount Vernon Secretary of War James M. Porter made one final request for the Peacemaker to be fired. While Captain Stockton initially declined, he gave way to the pressure of Porter and passengers. A great number of passengers filed from below the deck. The site of the great cannon and Mount Vernon were too hard to resist.
As John Tyler rose to follow up the stairs, his son-in-law William Waller intercepted him. He and Waller decided to sing a bit of an old Revolutionary song and drink a bit more. As Waller belted the words to the tune, the Peacemaker fired once more, again drawing more applause until there were screams instead of cheers.
The Peacemaker was nowhere in sight as the deck billowed black smoke. It spread so quickly even the President lost visibility below deck. The scene was chaos.
The Peacemaker had misfired and exploded. This threw large portions of the cannon at those on deck.
People from below tried to rush upwards and people on the deck tried to find their way down. In the panic Julia Gardiner pushed through passengers frantically looking for her father who had been on deck to watch the firing. A passenger having seen what remained of her father after the explosion remarked to her, "my dear child, you can do no good, your father is in heaven." It is reported that Julia fainted. Julia’s father, David Gardiner, would die shortly after the explosion, bleeding to death after losing both his arms and legs.
The scene on deck looked more like a battlefield. Blood and limbs lay all over the deck, the smell of smoke and flesh filled the air. Spotted was Secretary of State Abel Upshur, his stomach torn apart. Also on the floor of the deck was Secretary of Navy Thomas Gilmer, whose head had been smashed in by part of the gun. The carnage was nauseating. Bodies of others were found; these included Beverly Kennon, the diplomat, Virgil Maxcy, and Armistead, Tyler's personal valet.
Outside of the six dead, over twenty others were badly wounded (including Senator of Missouri Thomas Hart Benton). The Captain of the ship had burns all over his head; he was heard screaming "my God! Would that I were dead, too!" Flags and blankets were placed over the bodies to conceal the horror as best as possible. It is said that as President Tyler took in the scene and saw the bodies of his two cabinet members he wept publicly.
As the ship made its way back to the dock, Tyler returned to and held Julia while she was unconscious. Tyler commented that, "Joy is turned into mourning. The morning so bright and cloudless, is succeeded by an evening of deep gloom and sorrow.” Within three years Tyler lost his President (William Harrison), wife, two cabinet members his Attorney General (Hugh Legare) and other personal acquaintances.
In fact, just four days after the incident, returning from a burial, the President escaped death yet again. The horses of his carriage had begun a full out sprint waving the carriage out of control. An unidentified citizen stepped out onto the street to slow the horses, seemingly saving Tyler's life.
Washington would be rattled by the events, never experiencing any tragedy like it. It was the worst peacetime disaster up until that point. The city mourned with black for over a week.
What seemed a time of great hope turned sour for Tyler. He would end up replacing Upshur with the famous John C. Calhoun, who would continue strong foreign negotiations. However, he would not win reelection, though, he did marry Julia and he would annex Texas a mere two days before departing, something Upshur would have been thrilled about.
Unfortunately we now know that the Peacemaker was not adequately tested before the display that day, perhaps only fired a mere five times. Captain Stockton had rushed along the Peacemaker in order to get credit for the gun (and not Ericcson).
"Stockton failed to grasp the importance of the hoop design and simply cast a large gun that was thicker around the breech. Fatally flawed, this error meant that the Peacemaker would most likely burst at some point" historians point out.
Stockton was able to avoid punishment for the disaster, and indeed blamed Ericcson for the result of the tragic explosion. Ericcson would be denied any pay for his work on the US ship despite his warnings to Stockton that the gun was not ready. Stockton would later serve under President Polk and assist in the Mexican-American War.
The Peacemaker had rattled Washington and Tyler. While the incident is almost forgotten by history all together, it is a captivating event.
On a separate note:
What if Tyler had died? He had just finished facing the controversy of whether a Vice President was the rightful successor of a President when Tyler died. Many called him "His Accidency,” saying that he was merely ”acting" President. While Tyler shaped history by brushing off the question and saying that the Vice President is rightful successor to the office, Tyler himself never appointed a Vice President, the first, but not the last, to do so. So then what? This I believe would have forced the issue of line of succession much earlier than the mid-twentieth century. Of course this is all hypothetical.
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