February 28, 1844 started out as an exciting day for U.S. President John Tyler and the 400 other passengers aboard the USS Princeton. The U.S. Navy vessel symbolized a new ambition for the American president and his cabinet as they hoped that the warship would elevate the United States’ naval prowess to the same level as the British navy. Now they had all gathered for a pleasure cruise on the Potomac River, just outside the nation’s capital, in celebration of the most technologically advanced warship the United States had ever seen.

The ship was commanded by Captain Robert F. Stockton, the man who had convinced President Tyler of the need for such a domineering vessel. Captain Stockton himself was a veteran of the War of 1812 and was familiar with the tense relationship between the U.S. and Britain. He had been advocating for the creation of a major warship since 1838, but would finally get his wish in 1841 when construction on the USS Princeton began in Philadelphia.

But who exactly was President John Tyler? And why did he share Captain Stockton’s concern for building up the American navy against the British?

John Tyler is admittedly a president that not many Americans recall. In fact, Tyler was even dubbed the “Accidental President” due to the fact that he took office following the famous passing of his predecessor, William Henry Harrison, who died after only 31 days in office. Harrison’s death prompted Tyler to become the first ever vice president to assume the office of president.

Tyler had been born into a wealthy slave-owning family in 1790 and grew up on his family plantation in Charles County, Virginia. When the Whig party nominated Harrison for president, Tyler was added to the ticket as his vice president in order to appeal to Southern voters, seeing as Tyler was a Virginian and prominent slave-owner himself. In fact, Tyler believed that Congress had no authority to regulate slavery and that the decision on whether a state should be a slave state or a free state was up to the state itself. Following Harrison’s death, Tyler’s assumption of the presidency sparked a constitutional crisis (he was also openly loathed by many fellow politicians, but Tyler’s unpopularity is a subject for another time).

A lithograph of the USS Princeton — A lithograph of the USS *Princeton*

In the 1840s, the Civil War just over the horizon. Slavery informed every issue in American politics and foreign policy -- especially after Great Britiain had abolished the practice in 1807. At the time, Texas had just become an independent republic and Oregon was ruled by both the U.S. and Britain in what was at best, a very tense partnership. Tyler feared that British takeover of either Texas or Oregon would create free territories on the continental United States and influence the slavery issue in the favor of abolition. He wished to bring both Texas and Oregon into the sphere of American influence without war. Thus, to strengthen the America’s diplomatic hand, the idea for the USS Princeton was born.

Captain Stockton designed the ship in collaboration with John Ericcson, the Swedish-American inventor of the screw propellor, and together the men created what author Kelly Walters called “a state of the art killing machine.” The crown jewels of the USS Princeton were its two massive naval guns -- the Oregon and the Peacemaker. Additionally, the ship bore three boilers in addition to being fully equipped with a set of sails making it the fastest steamship created for the American navy. However, the events of February 28, 1844 revolve around the largest naval gun in the world at that time, the Peacemaker.

Julia Gardiner, the object of President Tyler’s affection

When the crowds piled onto the USS Princeton on that sunny and warmer-than-usual-day, no one had any inkling of the tragedy that was to come. Among the guests were former first lady, Dolly Madison, who stood out on the deck in her brightly colored clothing as well as many diplomats and congressmen, most of whom were accompanied by their families. For President Tyler, the event not only carried political but romantic importance as well. The recently widowed 54-year-old president had his eyes set on the 21-year-old Julia Gardiner, who was on board that day with her father, former New York state senator David Gardiner. The president had proposed marriage to the young woman, but her mother had shut down the idea on the basis of their age difference. Despite this, Tyler still had hopes for a future union with Julia.

As the Princeton set sail from Alexandria, Virginia headed towards the residence of former president George Washington (Mount Vernon) the Peacemaker was fired again and again to the delight of onlookers. Prior to February 28, Ericsson had argued with Captain Stockton over whether the Peacemaker should be fired or not, claiming that the gun had not undergone sufficient testing to determine if it was safe to use. However, Ericsson was not present on deck that day.

As the event wore on, most of the guests went below deck to partake in feasting and toasts while the ship began to head back towards Alexandria. Some reports say it was the Secretary of the Navy, Thomas Walker Gilmer, who asked for another firing of the Peacemaker but accounts differ. However, Captain Stockton initially refused before finally giving into the request and ordering that the gun be fired once more.

Suddenly, the cannon exploded.

A lithograph showing the explosion of the Peacemaker

In an instant, six men were killed. They were Julia’s father David Gardiner, Secretary of State Abel Upshur, Secretary of the Navy Thomas Gilmer, Captain Beverley Kennon, attorney Virgil Maxcy, and President Tyler’s valet -- an enslaved man whose name was either Henry or Armistead, although it is possible that his name was Henry Armistead. Several more were injured.

President Tyler himself had been heading up the steps when he had paused to partake in a toast, at which point the explosion had rung out. Julia Gardiner had fainted when she heard of her father’s passing which prompted President Tyler to carry her off the ship when it docked. Julia and her mother would spend the next few nights in the President’s Mansion, recuperating from the trauma. Julia and the president would go on to marry later that year. Dolly Madison did her best to comfort the injured and those who had just witnessed the deaths of their family members. Her niece, Mary Cutts, later told of Dolly’s reaction to the horror:

“She came in quietly, with her usual grace, spoke scarcely a word—smiled benignly—but those who knew her perceived her faltering voice and inability to stand without support. Of the horrible scene she dared not trust herself to speak, nor did she ever hear it referred to without a shudder.”

President Tyler moved quickly to absolve Captain Stockton of any blame, writing to Congress that the tragedy itself was not the captain’s fault but one that was “invariably incident to the temporal affairs of mankind.” Basically, to put it another way: stuff happens. The captain’s career wasn’t affected by the incident. However another navy official, Commodore William M. Crane, killed himself by slitting his own throat at his office in the Navy Department in March 1846. Although his own career had not suffered as a result of the incident, Commodore Crane felt responsible for not preventing the tragedy. He is often regarded as the final victim of the USS Princeton disaster.

The USS Princeton and the Disaster You've Never Heard Of