John Gwinn Also Commanded the Frigate USS Potomac

Last month I spent a lot of time writing about this naval officer's career.  He was a War of 1812 veteran and was commanding the frigate USS Constitution at the time of his death in 1849.

He also commanded the frigate USS Potomac from 1844 to 1845.

The frigate USS Potomac was constructed at the Washington Navy Yard between 1819 and 1822 and entered active service in 1831.  During the 1830s and early 1840s, the Potomac sailed to Asia where it participated in the shelling of  Qualla Battoo, Sumatra.

After its return to Boston in 1844. the ship traveled twice to Brazil

Captain John Gwinn of Maryland commanded the ship  between October 1844 and December 1845 as the Potomac sailed along the U.S. Atlantic coast and to ports om the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.

During the Mexican War, the Potomac landed troops at Port Isabel, Texas, and in the Siege of Vera Cruz.

From 1855 to 1856, it was the flagship of the Home Squadron and was part of the Union blockade of the Gulf Coast during the Civil War.

It remained in the service of the U.S. Navy until 1877 when it was sold.

--Brock-Perry

The USS Constitution to Reopen to the Public-- Part 1

From the May 11, 2021, WCVB ABC News.

The USS Constitution is scheduled to go underway from Charlestown Navy Yard on May 21 to celebrate its reopening to the public after the you-know-what.   

Commander John Benda, the 76th  commanding officer of the ship, said:  "So excited to share this beautiful and historic ship with visitors again.    We could not think of a better way to sound the reopening bell than with a 21-gun salute while underway  aboard Old Ironsides."

I wrote about one of the ship's commanders, John Gwinn quite a lot back in April min this blog.

The ship will reopen for public tours at 3 pm to 6 pm after the underway.  The underway itself, will be broadcast live on the U.S. Navy's Facebook page at 10 am on May 21 and will feature demonstrations on climbing, firing a 18th century 24-pound long gun and using shipboard weaponry.

It will conclude with a 21-gun salute viewable from Fort Independence on Castle Island  at 11:30 pm.

--Brock-Perry

Capt. Gwinn's Traveling Body-- Part 8: Finally Got It Right (Right Place and Right People)

It was decided that an upgrade with the USS Constitution name and the correct wife was needed.  Proof of marriage was also produced in the form of a marriage certificate between the good captain and one Caroline S. Lynch.  This came from the collection of the USS Constitution Museum.

Captain Creekman was able to convince  the National Cemetery office to "upgrade" John Gwinn's information and correct the name and death for Caroline.

This process is currently underway and it is hoped that this will soon put an end to the posthumous adventures of Captain Gwinn by dedicating his and Caroline's new gravestone.

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UPDATE

Captain Creekman visited Arlington National Cemetery in September 2016 on the 167th anniversary of Captain Gwinn's death and confirmed  that the new headstone for Captain Gwinn and Caroline is in place... AND CORRECT!!!!  

It now reads:

JOHN GWINN

Maryland

Capt

US Navy

June 11, 1797

Sep4, 1849

 Died Palermo Italy

In Command  USS Constitution

Finally.   --Brock-Perry

Capt. Gwinn's Traveling Body-- Part 7: Headstone Was Understated and Wrong Wife Shown

After all these  elaborate and generous actions, one would think Captain Gwinn's saga would finally, at long last, be at an end.  However, it wasn't.  There was still more to go.   For most, being buried twice and then dug up and moved two more times for a total of three burials that should have been end game.

But not so with the captain.

Photographs taken in 2010 by the Executive Director of the Naval Historical Foundation, Captain Charles T. Creekman, Jr.,  USN (Ret.),  brought attention to the new gravestone's understated words.

The engraving, as shown on the picture to the right of this, simply reads:  "John/ Gwinn/ Maryland/ Captain/ US Navy/ September 4, 1849," and makes no mention  of the USS Constitution.

An upgrade for the headstone was made.

Nothing came of that request,  until an error was discovered on the reverse of the headstone.  This is the side for his wife.

That inscription read:  "His Wife/ Elizabeth/Bruce/  September 4, 1849."

Gwinn's wife in actuality was Caroline S. Lynch and she died  on June 1, 1864.

Well....  --Brock-Perry

Traveling Body of Capt. Gwinn-- Part 6: About That Silver Plaque

In the following month of Captain John Gwinn and his wife Carline's bodies at the Arlington National Cemetery, September 1931, the USS Constitution made a scheduled  visit to the port of Philadelphia during its National Cruise, the silver plaque that was  mounted on the original Gwinn coffin was presented to the ship.  The plaque was displayed on board  until 1974, when it was transferred to the USS Constitution Museum.

**********************************

The plaque reads:

Died

September 4th 1849

U.S. Navy

In Command of the 

U.S, Frigate Constitution

At  Palermo, Sicily

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And, you something?  The saga wasn't yet over.

See Next Post.  --Brock-Perry

Traveling Body of Capt. John Gwinn of the USS Constitution-- Part 5: Leaving Philadelphia and Heading to D.C.

Continued from April 10, 2021.

Once the coffins were dug up, thousands of people lined the streets of Philadelphia as they were escorted to the railroad station.  Flags were lowered to half-mast, church bells rang, and a Navy band played the funeral march.

The procession was followed by  representatives from all military branches , members of multiple VFW posts, auxiliaries in white dresses and gold-lined capes.

There was even an attempt to have the coffins carried to Washington, D.C.,  board the USS Constitution, which had just begun its famed National Cruise at the time.  But the timing was not good and preparations to transport by train had already been made.

The bodies arrived by train on August 24, 1931,  and the coffin was carried to its new grave site at Arlington National Cemetery.  There the bodies of Captain John Gwinn and his wife Caroline, arrived at their final destination.

They were buried at Lot No. 2913, Section 4.

--Brock-Perry

Who Commanded the USS Dale (1839) When Commissioned?

The reason I came across the name of John Gwinn in the first place was that I when I was researching the Richard dale family of the U.S. Navy, I came across the name John Gwinn as being the commander of the USS Dale when she was launched in 1839 was this man (in Wikipedia).

When I posted the timeline of Gwinn's life in the last two entries, my source did not have him commanding the Dale at commissioning.  The Dale was built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and Gwinn was the commander of that facility from 1839 to 1842.

I then came across the name of Charles Stewart, another U.S. Navy man from that era, who also was a War of 1812 veteran and his Wikipedia article said he commanded the Philadelphia Navy Yard from  1838 to 1841.  

So, this leaves the question of who commanded the USS Dale in 1839 and who was in command of the Philadelphia Navy Yard?

Who?  Who?  Inquiring Minds Want To Know.  --Brock-Perry

Timeline of Capt. Gwinn's Life-- Part 2: A Varied Career

1823-1825   Duty at United States Navy Yard, Charlestown, Massachusetts

1826   Duty on the USS Macedonian (frigate)

1829-1832  Executive Officer, United States Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1837   Commanded USS Vandalia (sloop of war) Home Squadron

1839-1842   Master Commandant,  United States Navy Yard, Philadelphia. Pennsylvania.

1839   USS Dale (sloop of war) launched and commissioned at Philadelphia Navy Yard.  I saw no reference that he commanded the ship as shown in the USS Dale (1839)  entry in Wikipedia, but probably got his name as commander because he was in charge of the overall Navy Yard.

1842    Promoted to Captain

1844-1845   Commanded USS Potomac (frigate)   Home Squadron

1848   Commanded USS Constitution (frigate),  Mediterranean Squadron.

1849  , September 4    Died Palermo, Italy

--Brock-Perry

Timeline of Captain Gwinn's Life-- Part 1: 1791 to 1823

 From the John Gwinn Papers, Library of Congress.

1791, June 11  Born in Taneytown, Maryland

1809   Appointed midshipman

           Duty on John Adams (frigate)

1814   Duty on Frolic  (sloop of war), West India Squadron

           Prisoner of War, Halifax, Nova Scotia

1815   Duty on Boxer (brig), Mediterranean Squadron

1817   Duty on the Hornet (sloop of war), European Station

1819   Duty on the Independence (ship of the line) 

1823   Married  Caroline S. Lynch

--Brock-Perry

Captain Gwinn's Portrait-- Part 2

Thomas Sully painted the portrait of Captain John Gwinn and his wife Caroline.  By his count, during his lifetime he produced 2,631 paintings.  Besides portraits, he also did landscapes and historical pieces.

  His painting "Portrait of  Anna and Harriet Coleman, sold for $145,000 in 2013.

The paintings of Gwinn and his wife were sold from the private collection of a Southern diplomat.

Good news in that the USS Constitution Museum bought both paintings for $19,000.  They said it was acquired from the James Severs collection.

John Gwinn died of chronic gastritis.

--Brock-Perry

There Are Paintings of Captain Gwinn and His Wife and Were at Auction in 2020

A few posts ago, I wrote that there were no known paintings of Captain John Gwinn of the USS Constitution.  While looking up more information on him, I came across a source that said paintings of him and his wife Caroline had been up for auction on November 21, 2020.

They had an estimated price of between $20,000 and $30,000 and auctioneers were Wooten & Wooten.  The one of Capt. Gwinn was made in 1839 and his wife's a few years later.

Thomas Sully painted them.  He was a famous artist living in Philadelphia who painted such subjects as Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams and Marquis  de Lafayette.  Born in England in 1783 and emigrated with his family to Charleston, S.C.,  in 1792.  

Another of his subjects was Britain's Queen Victoria.    His Adams portrait hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.  Two of his Jefferson portraits are at the University of Virginia and at West Point.    

--Brock-Perry

The Traveling Body of Captain Gwinn-- Part 4: Getting the Captain Moved to a Better Burial Spot

Letters were written to the Philadelphia Record, the Naval Historical Foundation, the National Naval Liaison Officer of the VFW and the Philadelphia  County Committee of the VFW suggesting the exhumation of Captain Gwinn and his wife Caroline, and reburial at Arlington National Cemetery.

A new coffin was made  to hold the couple's remains.  During the transfer from the old coffin to the new one, 22 uniform buttons were removed from the which is a testament to the enduring  quality  of the U.S. Naval officer's garments. still intact uniform coat.

The moment of exhumation also afforded a closer look at Captain Gwinn himself, as no other images  are known to exist (which is why I just had a picture of his gravestone).  

The undertaker in charge of the project, Charles O'Neill, who was also commander of the Liberty Bell Post 1906, VFW, remarked "...never [have I seen] such large jaw bones as those of Captain Gwinn, also that there were four teeth missing, and in addition, that Captain Gwinn had red or auburn hair.  Might also add that when the grave digger took hold of the skull of Captain Gwinn [it] broke in half across the skull."

--Brock-Perry

Traveling Body of Capt. Gwinn-- Part 3: Need for Removal

From the June 26, 1931, Deseret News, Salt Lake City, Utah "Lost Grave of Old Ironsides' Master found."

Philadelphia, June 26.  AP.

In a tumbledown cemetery now being abandoned has been found the long forgotten grave of a man  who "served his country for forty years."

The grave -- obscured  for years by  tangled weeds -- is that of Captain John Gwinn, former commander of "Old Ironsides" -- soon to start on her post-restoration cruise.

Most of the bodies have been exhumed from the old cemetery, but no one has claimed  that of the man whose tombstone reads:  "In Memory of John Gwinn, United States Navy.  Born  June, 1791; Died Palermo, Sicily, Sept. 1849, While in Command of United States Frigate Constitution."

Members of the Private John McArthur  post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars hope to have the body  removed to the national cemetery  at Arlington.

The Traveling Body of Captain Gwinn-- Part 2: From Palermo to Philadelphia

A few crew members saw  the funeral as an opportunity  to spend a night on the town and 14 sailors deserted after the ceremony.  A number of them returned voluntarily and the remainder were caught.  The ship's new commander, James H. Rowan, continued in Captain Gwinn's harsh disciplinary  manner and meted out  severe punishments (12 lashes) to many of them.

Sometime in 1850, Captain Gwinn's remains were brought back to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the storeship USS Erie and were reinterred at the Glenwood Cemetery.  His wife, Caroline S, Lynch Gwinn, joined him upon her death in 1864, as did other family members over time.

The Gwinns remained there until 1931 when the Glenwood Cemetery was found to be  old and abandoned with plans to raze it.  Family members of persons buried at the cemetery were contacted, but no one in Capt. Gwinn's family could be reached.

Captain Gwinn and Caroline's graves were slated to be destroyed  until members of the Private John McArthur Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars discovered what was happening  and took steps to save the bodies.

--Brock-Perry

The Traveling Body of Capt. Gwinn-- Part 1

As varied as John Gwinn's naval career was before his death, his remains also had quite an interesting history as he was reburied two times after the initial time in 1849 in Italy.  He was next buried in Philadelphia then Arlington, Virginia.

From the USS Constitution Museum  "Memento Mori."

Most of the many captains of The USS Constitution are known for the adventures during their lifetime, there is one captain who made waves during his life and his death.

That would be John Gwinn, the first captain to die while in command of the USS Constitution.

Following a short illness, Gwinn died in Palermo, Sicily,  on September 4, 1849.  The day after his death, carpenters and armorers fabricated Gwinn's coffin from wood and lead.   The captain's internment in Palermo was supposed to be only a temporary one.

The funeral took place on September 6, 1849, and "his remains  were followed to the tomb by the officers and men of [Constitution], as well as by officers of all the foreign ships in port  and by the civil and military authorities of this city," as noted in a letter from Assistant Surgeon Phineas Jonathan  Horwitz to Gwinn's widow.

--Brock-Perry

John M. Dale Sponsored the USS Dale's Launching

From Ships of the U.S. Navy and Their Sponsors.

USS Dale Sloop of War

Named for Commodore Richard Dale, U.S. Navy

675 tons, 8 guns

Launched November 8, 1839 at Philadelphia Navy Yard.

SPONSOR:  Commander John M. Dale, son of Commodore Richard Dale, U.S. Navy, of Revolutionary fame.

John Gwinn was the ship's first commander.

"On the occasion of the launching, Commander Dale wore the sword presented to John Paul Jones by Louis XVI of France.

"The sword came into possession of Commodore Richard Dale after the death of John Paul Jones."

--Brock-Perry

John Gwinn Papers-- Part 2: His Navy Career

John Gwinn's Life

1791, June 11   Born in Taneytown, Maryland

1809   Appointed midshipman.  Duty on frigate John Adams

1814   Duty in sloop-of-war Frolic, West India Squadron  Prisoner of war, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

1815   Duty  on Boxer (brig) Mediterranean Squadron. 

1817  Duty on the USS Hornet (sloop-of-war)   European Squadron

1819  Duty on USS  Independence (ship of the line)

1823   Married Caroline S. Lynch

--Brock-Perry

The John Gwinn Papers-- Part 1

The John Gwinn papers are at the Library of Congress, Manuscript Division.

Spans dates  1815 to 1864 with most dates from 1825 to 1849.

It includes 900 items.

Official correspondence includes  orders to duty, general orders, circulars, regulations,  as well as letters received and drafts of letters sent.

The letters document the Navy's peacetime mission of protecting American commerce and interests at home and overseas.

Gwinn commanded the Vandalia (sloop-of-war),  and Potomac (frigate), Home Squadron and the Pensacola, Fl., Navy Base, 

At home he protected American commerce from aggression and piratical acts.  Abroad, he commanded the USS Constitution, the Mediterranean Squadron and, again protected American interests.  Because of political unrest in Italy,  the American consul wrote him asking for  protection of American citizens and their interests.

--Brock-Perry

John Gwinn's Many Burials

From the September 1, 2016, Naval Historical Foundation "Who was John Gwinn?"

167 years ago this Labor Day  weekend, U.S. Navy Captain John Gwinn died and was buried -- for the first time!  His third burial came 85 years ago in Arlington National Cemetery, marked by a benign headstone.

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It reads: 

John Gwinn

Maryland

Captain

US Navy

September 4, 1849

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Who was he and what was the story behind his grave-hopping  odyssey?    Stay tuned to the Naval Historical Foundation as we untangle  this mystery in the coming months.

--Brock-Perry

John Gwinn-- Part 7: The USS Constitution and Death

An ailing John Gwinn placed the USS Constitution back into commission early in October 1848.  The ship sailed for the Mediterranean Sea in December and made directly for Algiers, where she took on board Consul David Smith McCauley and his family for a transfer to Egypt.

As they entered the port of Alexandria, Egypt,  McCauley's wife, Frances Ann, gave birth to a son who they named Constitution Stewart McCauley in Captain Gwinn's cabin.

From there, the ship  returned west  to Italian waters  to join the rest of the squadron protecting American interests in revolution-torn Italy.  despite an injunction any action that might  indicate American bias, on August 1, 1949,  Gwinn hosted a visit by Pope Pius IX and the fugitive King of Two Sicilies, Ferdinand II, while anchored off  Gaeta, Italy.

Because a commissioned warship is considered U.S. territory,  this is considered the first visit by  a Roman Catholic pope to American territory.

Shortly thereafter, Gwinn's health deteriorated  to the point he was bed-ridden and suffered periods of delirium and mania.  He died  of chronic gastritis on September 4, 1849 while the ship was at Palermo, Italy.

Gwinn was buried with full military honors at Palermo, but the proceedings were  disrupted bu disaffected crew members who got roaring drunk along the route to the cemetery.  As a result,  at least 32 men were flogged in the days that followed.   He was reinterred in Arlington National Cemetery in 1931.

--Brock-Perry