The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1860-04-18
DUEL BETWEEN IACKSoE
Iil ahfi AND DICKINSON. bog zoe

l'' ihs' AND DICKINSON Dog l5asiv
2 e--eas 45@a I'D suonazoxoo
The famous duel between JAcKsos apd pIoK1sy
SON is generally known, but PArRoss recent Life Of
the former gives excellent account Of the afairs
with some circumstances that are new:
DIcKINsoN's second won the choice of po-
sition, and JAcKsoN's the Office of giving the
word. Tho astute OvERToN considered thia
giving the word matter of great impertance, n
and he had already determined how he would
give it, if the lot fell to him. The eight PAGES
were measured off, and the men placed; both
were perfectly collected. Aslathe poiitenesa 8
OF such occasions was strictly and elegantly
performed. JACKSON was dressed in loose Z.
frock coat, buttoned carelessly over his chest,
and concealing in some degree the extreme
slenderness of his figure DICKINSON was e
the yonger and handsomer man of the two.--lT
But JAcKsoN's tall, erect figure, and the still l,r
intensity of his demeanor it is said, gave him
a most superior and commanding air, as he
stood, under the tall poplars on this bright
May morning, silently awaiting the moment Of 2
doom. ts-y szfr
care you ready?" said Overton.
"I am ready" said Dickinson.
81 am ready" said jackson. $500
The words were no sooner pronounced than -
Overton, with sudden shout, cried, using his -
old country pronunciation, "FIRE !" Il
Dickinson raised his pistol quickly and fired,
Overton who was looking with anxiety and
dread at Jackson, saw puff of dust fly from
the breast of his coat, and saw him raise his
left arm and place it tightly across his chest..af
"He is surely hit" thought Overton "and in =,
bad place, too, but he does not fall" Erect
and grim as fate he stood, his teeth clenched,
| raising his pistol. Overton glanced at Dickin-
son. Amazed at the unwonted failure Of his
aim and appalled, at the awful figure and face
before him, Dickinson had unconsciously re-5s
| coiled pace or two. eaI .5i 10 ssoio
.Great God p he faltered, "hxye missed
| him ?'
sfBack to the mark, p' thundered Over
ton, with his hand upon his pistol
Dickinson recovered his composure stepped
forward to the peg, and stood with his eyes "a
averted from his antagonist. All this was but 10
the work of a moment, though it requires many 81
words to tell it.
General Jackson took deliberate aim, and !.
pulled the trigger. The pistol neither snap-
ped nor went off. He looked at the trigger and p
discovered that it had stopped at half.cock.-
He drew it back to its place, and took aim n
hiond time. He fred, Dickinson's, face blanch-
ced he reeled; his friends rushed towards,
caught him in their arms and gently seated
sem on the grass, leaning against 9, ,bush.--,tt
clothes. The blood was gushing from his side v
! in torrent. And. alasl here is the ball not -
near the wound but above the opposite hip,
! Just under the skin? The ball had passed 70
through the body, below the ribs Such q 81
wound could not but be fatal -,f f.4es-E -E,ss5,,
Overton went forward and learned the con-,
diton Of the wounded man. Rejoirine his J,
principal he said: "He won't want aaything
more of you, General, and conducted him .
! from the ground. They had gone an hundred8s
yards, Oyerton Walking on one side of jackson,
the surgeon on the other, and neither speaking 4,
a word when the surgeon observed that one Of ,
Jackson's shoes was full of blood. i-d saH
lsn1 hol, ~ 1os.v nrol lskkl~ Ia
Let's look at it. But say nothing about it a
there, pointing to the house. "a .5,,f.f,
He opened his coat Dickinson's aim had I,
been perfect. He had sent the ball precisely
where he supposed Jacksons heart was beating.
But the thinness of his body and the loose4 <
ness of his coat combining to deceive Dickin. T.
son, the ball had only broken a rib or two, and
raked the breast-bone. 1t was a painful, bad
looking wound, but neither severe nor danger-
Gus, and he was able to ride to the tavern with
out much Inconvenience. Upon approachingng
the house, he went up to one of the negro
woman who was churning, and asked her if =
the butter had come. She said it was Just
coming. He asked for some buttermilk -
While she was getting it for him. she observed 81
him furtively open his coat and look within it.5g
She saw that his shirt was soaked With
blood, and she stood gazing with blank horror
at the sight, dipper in hand. He caught her
eye, and hastily buttoned up his coat again. q
She dipped out quart measure full of butter :
milk, and gave it to him. He drank it off at
daught, then went in, took off his coat and
had his wound carefully dressed. That done,
he dispatched one of his retinue TO DIR. Callet,
to inquire respecting the condition of Diekin- 81
son, and to say that the surgeon attending
himself would be glad to contribute his aid to-
wards Mr.. Dickinson's relief. Polite reply =,
was returned that Mr.. Dickinsons case was >
past surgery. Tn the course of the day Gen,
Jackson sent bottle of wine to DR.. gCallet
for the use of his patient. -1..i, Es,,.s s.e;Int
But there was one qualification which Jack. a
SON could not, even in such circumstances, }
grant him. A very old friend of General
Jackson's writes to me thus: "Although the
General had been wounded, he did not desire }
it to be known until he had left the neighbor-
hood, and therefore had concealed it at first
from his own friends. His reasons for dong Z
this, as he once stated to me, was, that as II,
Dickinson considered himself the best shot in r.
the world, and was certain of killing him the -
first fire. he did not want him TO have the :
qualification of knowing that he had touched
him. .;,f