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The "Peacemaker" Cannon 1842

Captain Stockton of the USS Princeton wanted his ship to carry two long guns (instead of the one that had already been built) , so he designed and directed the construction of "Peacemaker", another 12 in (300 mm) muzzleloader, by Hogg and DeLamater of New York City. "Peacemaker" was built with older forging technology, creating a larger gun of more impressive appearance but lower strength. Stockton rushed "Peacemaker" and mounted it without much testing. According to Kilner, "Peacemaker" was "fired only five times before certifying it as accurate and fully proofed."

Attempting to copy the "Oregon gun," but not understanding the importance of Ericsson's hoop construction, Stockton instead heavily reinforced it at the breech simply by making the metal of the gun thicker, ending up with a weight of more than 27,000 lb (12,000 kg), more than half again as heavy as the Oregon gun. This produced a gun with the typical weakness of a wrought iron gun, the breech unable to withstand the transverse forces of the charge. This meant it was almost certain to burst at some point. President Tyler hosted a public reception for Stockton in the White House on February 27, 1844. On February 28, USS Princeton departed Alexandria, Virginia, on a demonstration cruise down the Potomac with Tyler, members of his cabinet, former First Lady Dolley Madison, Senators Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri, Nathaniel P. Tallmadge of New York, William Cabell Rives of Virginia, Samuel S. Phelps of Vermont, Spencer Jarnagin of Tennessee, Edward A. Hannegan of Indiana, and about 400 guests. Captain Stockton decided to fire the larger of the ship's two long guns, Peacemaker, to impress his guests. Peacemaker was fired three times on the trip downriver and was loaded to fire a salute to George Washington as the ship passed Mount Vernon on the return trip. The guests aboard viewed the first set of firings and then retired below decks for lunch and refreshments.

Secretary Gilmer urged those aboard to view a final shot with the Peacemaker. When Captain Stockton pulled the firing lanyard, the gun burst. Its left side failed, spraying hot metal across the deck and fragmentation into the crowd.

Six men were instantly killed:

Secretary of State Abel Upshur
Secretary of the Navy Thomas Walker Gilmer
Captain Beverley Kennon, Chief of the Bureau of Construction, Equipment and Repairs
Armistead, an enslaved African-American who worked as President Tyler's valet
David Gardiner, a New York lawyer and politician
Virgil Maxcy, a Maryland attorney with decades of experience as a state and federal officeholder
Another 16 to 20 people were injured, including several members of the ship's crew, Senator Benton, and Captain Stockton. The president was below decks and not injured.