Archibald gracie biography of michael j

Gracie survived the sinking of the Titanic by climbing aboard an overturned collapsible lifeboat and wrote a popular book about the disaster. He was a namesake and direct descendant of Archibald Gracie , who had built Gracie Mansion , the current official residence of the mayor of New York City , in In , the elder Gracie served at the Battle of Chickamauga ; he was killed in action during the Siege of Petersburg in In that same year, Archibald IV attended St.

Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire.

Colonel archibald gracie

He later attended the United States Military Academy though he did not graduate and eventually became a colonel of the 7th New York Militia. Gracie was an amateur historian and had a particular interest in the Battle of Chickamauga, in which his father had served. He spent a number of years researching the battle and eventually wrote a book titled The Truth about Chickamauga , which was published in Gracie boarded the Titanic at Southampton on April 10, , and was assigned first-class cabin C Gracie socialized with a group he called "our coterie", joined by Candee, his friend J.

Clinch Smith, and several others. Gracie was known among the other first-class passengers as a tireless raconteur who had an inexhaustible supply of stories about Chickamauga and the Civil War in general. On April 14, Gracie decided that he had neglected his health and spent some time in physical exercise on the squash courts and in the ship's swimming pool.

He then attended church services, had an early lunch, and spent the rest of the day reading and socializing. He went to bed early, intending on an early start the next morning on the ship's squash courts. At about pm ship's time Gracie was jarred awake by a jolt. He sat up, realized the ship's engines were no longer moving, and partially dressed, putting on a Norfolk jacket over his regular clothes.