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
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