Somers Affair

The brig USS Somers had been newly constructed for a naval "apprentice program" aimed at resolving a serious shortage of manpower for the Navy.

It was intended to take children considered “the sweepings of the street,” including orphans and the poor of a nation ravaged by a long economic depression and train them as Navy personnel.

Under Captain Mackenzie, they were constantly flogged for "infractions" such as not being fast enough, being "disorderly", not being clean or neat enough, disobeying orders, and engaging in masturbation.

Captain Mackenzie and the other officers, by contrast, held him in contempt for modeling poor behavior to the crew, thus impeding the primary mission of the Somers's voyage.

On 26 November, Captain Mackenzie was informed by his first lieutenant, Guert Gansevoort, that the Somers's purser, H.M. Heiskill, had learned from ship's steward J.W.

The lieutenant later reported to Mackenzie that Spencer had been observed taking part in secret nightly conferences with Seaman Elisha Small and Boatswain's Mate Samuel Cromwell.

The timing and circumstances were regarded as suspicious by Captain Mackenzie, and Cromwell, the largest man on the crew, was questioned about his alleged meetings with Spencer.

Sailmaker's Mate Charles A. Wilson was caught attempting to break into the ship's armory that afternoon, and two crewmen, McKinley and Green, missed muster when their watch was called at midnight.

[7] On 1 December, the officers reported that they had "come to a cool, decided, and unanimous opinion" that Spencer, Cromwell, and Small were "guilty of a full and determined intention to commit a mutiny;" and recommended that the three be summarily executed.

In response to others stating that they were only thirteen days to home port and could have just waited to try them at shore, the captain noted the fatigue of his officers, the smallness of the vessel, and the inadequacies of the shipboard confinement to justify the executions.

Mackenzie remained on active service until his death from heart disease several years later, while Lt. Gansevoort became a captain in his own right and was promoted to the rank of Commodore during the Mexican American War.