Philip Spencer
Encyclopedia
Philip Spencer a midshipman
aboard the USS Somers
, was hanged for mutiny
without a lawful court-martial
. He was the son of John C. Spencer, Secretary of War
in U.S. President
John Tyler
's administration, and the grandson of Ambrose Spencer
, a New York
politician and lawyer.
. He was described as handsome, despite a "wandering eye" (possibly strabismus
) which surgery was unable to correct. As a youth at Geneva College (now Hobart College
), he was considered wild and uncontrollable despite displaying signs of high intelligence. His favorite reading matter was pirate stories.
After an abortive stay at Union College
– where he was a founder of Chi Psi
Fraternity
– Spencer ran away and signed on a whaler
at Nantucket. His father located him and convinced him that if a life on the sea was what he wanted, to live it as "a gentleman"; in other words, as a commissioned officer.
As Secretary of War, it was easy for Spencer's father to procure his son a midshipman's commission. Unfortunately, Spencer proved to be just as intractable as ever, assaulting a superior officer aboard the USS North Carolina
twice while under the influence of alcohol. Reassigned to the USS John Adams
, he was involved in a drunken brawl with a Royal Navy
officer while on shore leave in Rio de Janeiro
. He was allowed to resign rather than face court-martial
, but due to his father's position in the Cabinet, his resignation was not accepted. Instead, he was posted to the Somers.
Aboard the Somers, Spencer gained favor with the rating
s – many of whom were boys – through his privileged access to tobacco and rum. He also exhibited an irreverent attitude toward the navy and his captain, Alexander Slidell Mackenzie
. In November 1842, during the return home from a voyage to Liberia
, suspicion arose that Spencer had formed a plan to seize the Somers and sail her as a pirate ship or slave ship
. His friendship with crew members Samuel Cromwell and Elisha Small
was cited as evidence, as both these men were rumored to have sailed aboard slavers in the past. Cromwell in particular was feared.
On 26 November, Spencer was shackled and detained on the Somers foredeck after a list of names was found in his razor case. The names had been written using Greek letters. The following day, Cromwell and Small were also detained on the foredeck. After a meeting of the ship's officers, all three men were hanged on the yardarm on December 1 (at 17°34′28"N 41°24′45"W). Spencer was nearly 20 years old.
, denounced the hangings as murder and criticized the Navy's handling of the matter as an example of what today could be called a "whitewash."
The circumstance of Spencer, Cromwell and Small's deaths is one reason the U.S. Navy stopped training boys at sea and founded the United States Naval Academy
. The event on the USS Somers may be the only mutiny on a warship in US Navy history. Philip Spencer and the USS Somers affair were almost certainly the model for much of the story Billy Budd
, by Herman Melville
, who was the first cousin of Lieutenant Guert Gansevoort
, an officer aboard the ship.
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
aboard the USS Somers
USS Somers (1842)
The second USS Somers was a brig in the United States Navy during the Mexican-American War, infamous for being the only U.S. Navy ship to undergo a mutiny which led to executions....
, was hanged for mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
without a lawful court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
. He was the son of John C. Spencer, Secretary of War
United States Secretary of War
The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...
in U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
John Tyler
John Tyler
John Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor...
's administration, and the grandson of Ambrose Spencer
Ambrose Spencer
Ambrose Spencer was an American lawyer and politician.-Life:He attended Yale College from 1779 to 1782, and graduated from Harvard University in 1783...
, a New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
politician and lawyer.
Background
Spencer was born in Canandaigua, New YorkCanandaigua (city), New York
Canandaigua is a city in Ontario County, New York, USA, of which it is the county seat. The population was 11,264 at the 2000 census...
. He was described as handsome, despite a "wandering eye" (possibly strabismus
Strabismus
Strabismus is a condition in which the eyes are not properly aligned with each other. It typically involves a lack of coordination between the extraocular muscles, which prevents bringing the gaze of each eye to the same point in space and preventing proper binocular vision, which may adversely...
) which surgery was unable to correct. As a youth at Geneva College (now Hobart College
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Hobart and William Smith Colleges, located in Geneva, New York, are together a liberal arts college offering Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees. In athletics, however, the two schools compete with separate teams, known as the Hobart Statesmen and the...
), he was considered wild and uncontrollable despite displaying signs of high intelligence. His favorite reading matter was pirate stories.
After an abortive stay at Union College
Union College
Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...
– where he was a founder of Chi Psi
Chi Psi
Chi Psi Fraternity is a fraternity and secret society consisting of 29 active chapters at American colleges and universities. It was founded on Thursday May 20, 1841, by 10 students at Union College with the idea of emphasizing the fraternal and social principles of a brotherhood...
Fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
– Spencer ran away and signed on a whaler
Whaler
A whaler is a specialized ship, designed for whaling, the catching and/or processing of whales. The former included the whale catcher, a steam or diesel-driven vessel with a harpoon gun mounted at its bows. The latter included such vessels as the sail or steam-driven whaleship of the 16th to early...
at Nantucket. His father located him and convinced him that if a life on the sea was what he wanted, to live it as "a gentleman"; in other words, as a commissioned officer.
As Secretary of War, it was easy for Spencer's father to procure his son a midshipman's commission. Unfortunately, Spencer proved to be just as intractable as ever, assaulting a superior officer aboard the USS North Carolina
USS North Carolina (1820)
The first USS North Carolina was a 74-gun ship of the line in the United States Navy.One of the "nine ships to rate not less than 74 guns each" authorized by Congress on 29 April 1816, she was laid down in 1818 by the Philadelphia Navy Yard, launched on 7 September 1820, and fitted out in the...
twice while under the influence of alcohol. Reassigned to the USS John Adams
USS John Adams (1799)
The first John Adams was originally built as a frigate in 1799, converted to a corvette in 1809 and later converted back to a frigate in 1830 for use in the United States Navy...
, he was involved in a drunken brawl with a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officer while on shore leave in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. He was allowed to resign rather than face court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
, but due to his father's position in the Cabinet, his resignation was not accepted. Instead, he was posted to the Somers.
Aboard the Somers, Spencer gained favor with the rating
Naval rating
A Naval Rating is an enlisted member of a country's Navy, subordinate to Warrant Officers and Officers hence not conferred by commission or warrant...
s – many of whom were boys – through his privileged access to tobacco and rum. He also exhibited an irreverent attitude toward the navy and his captain, Alexander Slidell Mackenzie
Alexander Slidell Mackenzie
Alexander Slidell Mackenzie Born in New York City, Mackenzie was a U.S. Navy officer who served during the first half of the 19th century. He was an accomplished author and writer who wrote several contemporary essays and biographies of notable US naval figures of the early 19th century. He was...
. In November 1842, during the return home from a voyage to Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, suspicion arose that Spencer had formed a plan to seize the Somers and sail her as a pirate ship or slave ship
Slave ship
Slave ships were large cargo ships specially converted for the purpose of transporting slaves, especially newly purchased African slaves to Americas....
. His friendship with crew members Samuel Cromwell and Elisha Small
Elisha Small
Elisha Small was an American sailor who was sailing with the rank of Seaman. He had served on several kinds of ships, including a slaver, before joining the United States Navy....
was cited as evidence, as both these men were rumored to have sailed aboard slavers in the past. Cromwell in particular was feared.
On 26 November, Spencer was shackled and detained on the Somers foredeck after a list of names was found in his razor case. The names had been written using Greek letters. The following day, Cromwell and Small were also detained on the foredeck. After a meeting of the ship's officers, all three men were hanged on the yardarm on December 1 (at 17°34′28"N 41°24′45"W). Spencer was nearly 20 years old.
Court of Inquiry
When the brig returned to New York, the Secretary of the Navy convened a court of flag officers to investigate the matter. Following a month of testimony, on 23 January 1843, the court of inquiry exonerated the captain and his officers, ruling the hangings fully justified. Although the commander was exonerated, public opinion was against him. Mackenzie requested that he be charged and tried by court martial. The court martial acquitted him on a split vote.Court of public opinion
The government accepted the court's decision, but the acquittal did not satisfy public concerns with the case. Many commentators, including James Fenimore CooperJames Fenimore Cooper
James Fenimore Cooper was a prolific and popular American writer of the early 19th century. He is best remembered as a novelist who wrote numerous sea-stories and the historical novels known as the Leatherstocking Tales, featuring frontiersman Natty Bumppo...
, denounced the hangings as murder and criticized the Navy's handling of the matter as an example of what today could be called a "whitewash."
The circumstance of Spencer, Cromwell and Small's deaths is one reason the U.S. Navy stopped training boys at sea and founded the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
. The event on the USS Somers may be the only mutiny on a warship in US Navy history. Philip Spencer and the USS Somers affair were almost certainly the model for much of the story Billy Budd
Billy Budd
Billy Budd is a short novel by Herman Melville.Billy Budd can also refer to:*Billy Budd , a 1962 film produced, directed, and co-written by Peter Ustinov, based on Melville's novel...
, by Herman Melville
Herman Melville
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....
, who was the first cousin of Lieutenant Guert Gansevoort
Guert Gansevoort
Commodore Guert Gansevoort was an officer in the United States Navy during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.-Biography:...
, an officer aboard the ship.