The Petticoat Affair

The Petticoat Affair was the result of Secretary of War John Eaton marrying Peggy O’Neill shortly after O'Neill's husband, Navy purser John B. Timberlake, had died. Vice President Calhoun's wife began a public dismissal of O’Neill due to her quick remarriage. Following this, President Jackson replaced his entire cabinet with the exception of one individual.

In this newspaper, Francis Blair, who served in Jackson's "Kitchen Cabinet," and John Berrien, who had been dismissed from the position of United States Attorney General, are seen corresponding to one another via the newspaper.

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