Nov 12

Nov 12 Dohickey Arundel Stubbornly Blows Himself Up

Dohickey Arundel was a French officer who joined the Continental Army but was killed under curious circumstances due to his own recklessness.

Dohickey Arundel

Dohickey Arundel was a Frenchman who had long served in his country’s artillery forces, primarily in Saint Domingue.

Also known by the name Louis O’hickey d’Arundel, he believed in the American Cause and went to Philadelphia to secure a commission in the Continental Army.

Though he spoke little English (he was fluent in French and German), his experience with artillery was deemed useful and the Continental Congress commissioned him as a Captain.

Captain of Artillery

Arundel briefly went north to assist Major General Philip Schyler in preparing heavy armaments before receiving a transfer to Virginia.

There, he took over command of artillery under Major General Charles Lee.

In this situation, he took place in the Battle of Gwinn’s Island.

Lord Dunmore, the last Royal Governor of Virginia, had removed to Gwinn’s Island after the Revolutionary War began. The Battle of Gwinn’s Island chased him out, making it the last time a Royal Governor set foot on Virginian soil.

The Battle of Gwinn’s Island

The Battle of Gwinn’s Island was an astounding success, with the Patriots not taking a single casualty.

Well, there was one casualty...Dohickey Arundel.

Arundel had created a mortar made out of wood, which he wished to fire at the British.

All of the men on his side knew this was a terrible idea and begged him to stop.

Unfortunately, Dohickey persisted and blew himself to pieces.

The whole ordeal was summed up nicely in a letter from John Page to Thomas Jefferson:

“...no one seems to regret the Loss of Arundel, who lost his Life by the bursting of a wooden Mortar which was foolishly constructed and he obstinately persisted in his Resolution to fire, though dissuaded from it by every one who saw it.”

Dohickey

In these articles, I generally do not like to make assumptions, but with this particular Founder I need to point something out that has been on my mind.

His name is Dohickey, and he made a strange contraption.

Is it possible this is the origin of the word doohickey to mean an unnamed gadget?

I looked into this for some time and the origins of the word doohickey are unknown. It first appeared in writing in 1914 though seems to have been used by sailors as far back as the 1860’s.

As I said, associating this event with the use of the phrase doohickey is an assumption on my part and should not be taken as fact. But, it certainly seems plausible...

Want another Founder story with an EXPLOSION?

We Should All Be Blown Up Together - Under the Sea with Ezra Lee

Arundel doesn’t have a biography but this gives me the chance to do something I rarely do…recommend a book on one of the Redcoats.

Lord Dunmore was an extremely interesting character so check out this fascinating book on his life.

If you’d like a copy you can get one through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).