The Princeton was about 2 miles below Alexandria when the gun
was fired. Sykes later wrote, “The
report was not so loud as at the previous discharges,” but the smoke was heavy,
“the deck was completely enveloped in smoke for some moments…” Sykes, whose attention was directed down
river in order to watch the ball strike the water, said “I observed some ten or
a dozen hats and various pieces of canvass floating on the water at which I was
surprized – being utterly unconscious that the gun had burst.”
In fact, the gun had burst as
soon as
Stockton
had pulled the lanyard to the trigger the gun’s lock.
The whole ship shook with the force of the
great explosion, with almost everyone on board believing it to be the result of
the gun blast.
As the smoke cleared the
scene that revealed itself was one of carnage.
“A solemn deathlike and dreadfully awful silence prevailed at the moment
neither sigh, groan or shriek being heard.”
The scene upon the deck may more easily be imagined than
described . . . what words can adequately depict a scene like this?
|
The “Peacemaker” had burst along its
left side, shattering into flying fragments of over several thousand pounds of
iron. Stockton lay on the deck, luckily only
stunned, with a big peace of metal lying on his chest. Others were not as fortunate as Stockton,
Secretary of the Navy Gilmer, Secretary of State Upshur, along with two members
of the gun crew were killed instantly. Sykes recorded the grisly state of Captain
Kennon and Virgil Maxcy, who were killed instantly as well, “Kennon was mangled
in the most dreadful manner his breast was completely mashed in, both legs and
both arms were broken in several places and one of his feet came off in
attempting to get his boot off. Maxcy’s
arm came off about halfway between his arm and wrist as a gentleman took hold
of the hand to assist in laying him out…”
His other severed arm struck a lady in the head, covering her face with
blood and knocking off her bonnet.
President Tyler’s servant, who had been leaning against the gun, was
killed by the concussion as “neither surgeon of the Princeton could discover
the slightest wound or injury about him.”
In addition, nine seaman who were around the gun had some of their limbs
or bones broken (one had both legs broken).
Ms. Gardiner’s father was also among those who were killed during the
accident.
Many other
guests suffered serious bruises and lacerations. Unconscious guests with open head wounds
seeping dark, venous blood lay near the destroyed gun. Senator Thomas Hart Benton, who had been
seated on another gun six feet away, felt a blast to the face, and knew nothing
more until he woke up a few minutes after the explosion, suffering from shock
and a burst ear drum. The woman who had
been holding his arm was blown into the rigging, although amazingly, she was
unhurt. After his initial shock, Stockton brought everything under control and had the ship
steaming under full-speed for Alexandria
in a very short time. Surgeons worked on
the wounded while crew members laid the dead on mattresses and shrouded them
with flags. The excursion that had begun
so joyfully ended with sobs, hushed commiserations, and hysterics.
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