USS Princeton gun explosion on the Potomac

Background. USS Princeton, a screw steam warship, received its large guns Peacemaker and Oregon in New York in early 1844. The Tyler administration promoted the vessel for naval expansion, hosting a White House reception for Captain Stockton on 27 February. The ship had previously made trial trips down the Potomac, during which Peacemaker was fired multiple times.

The Cruise. Princeton departed Alexandria, Virginia, on 28 February for a demonstration cruise down the Potomac. President Tyler, his cabinet, former First Lady Dolley Madison, and several Senators were aboard. Peacemaker was fired three times during the journey downriver. As the ship approached Mount Vernon on the return trip, the gun was loaded to fire a salute to George Washington.

Aftermath. The explosion killed six people, including Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur, Secretary of the Navy Thomas Walker Gilmer, and David Gardiner, Julia Gardiner's father. A United States Senator and Captain Stockton were among those injured. President Tyler wrote to Congress the next day, characterizing the disaster as an unavoidable casualty of service rather than assigning individual responsibility.