| Shortly before eight bells on a bone-cold December night in 1842, the USN Somers quietly cut its way through the fog as it entered New York Harbor. Almost before the anchor touched the sandy bottom, rumors of mutiny, bloodshed, and massive hangings began rippling across the nation. One man hanged from the yardarm was Midshipman Philip Spencer, the son of Secretary of War John Spencer, an influential member of President John Tyler’s cabinet. The harrowing days on the high seas were no… |
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