The Republican journal., 1877-02-22
General Jackson's Duel wit Ii Charles
Dickinson.
correspondence Cincinnati Commercial. /
i'D.,tN-, -Tn.- ~ Ian ~ -

|
! correspondence Cincinnati Commercial
CoyINoToN, kY, Jan 23. 1871
nucts ''to the death are not treQuen
| III THIS country. Affairs OF honor are llsu
ally conducted with a view to The satistac
! ton OF that feeling alone; and restora
| ton OF previous friendly relations nearly
invariably follows. There are some no
table exceptions however The (second,
| duel between Benton and Lucas, that be
tween Mason and Macarty, so graphically
| described in the Commercial Of the 10TH
| inst, and that oi General Jackson with
Charles Dickinson are especially eXcep
tional, from the prominence Of the par
TIES engaged. In each OF these affairs the
purpose 10 take lille was perfectly under
stood and undisguiscd They were EN-
Iphatical!y calnbats NtailaBcl.
The duel between jackson and piclsin-
sou took place on Friday. the 18th Of
May. 1906, on Red river. in Logan coun-
Ity, Kentucky. 1t grew ont Of 4 dispute
concerning = horse-race which had been
arranged between General Jackson and
Captain Joseph Erwin, the father-in-law
|0l Dickinson, who WAS also interested
All the parties resided in or about Nash
Ttie. Tennessee. For some reason the
race did not come OH and Erwin paid for
felt
Shorty aiterward General jackson heard
that Dickinson had. on tie day Of the ex-
pecte'l rtce indulged IN some disparaging
illusions toward Mrs. Jackson Parton.
in his account of the duel, in the Lite Of
jackson, does not explain the nature of
these alltEions, but have been informed
Ny q relative Of Mrs Jackson a gentleman
Of high character, still living. that she
was present in her carriage, on the track,
to witness the race, and when the forfeit
Was declalel she remarked with All air Of
pardonabie cNultation 10 some of her
friends, ttat " lruxton (the Generals
horse) would have lett plowboy Captain
Erwin's ho'se) out of sight" This was
repeated tC Dickinson, who, being some
what excited by his losses, and probably
under the influence of liquor. rejoined:
~ es, abolt rs far out ot sight as Mrs.
jackson LET her first husband when she
ran away with the General"
1t is here necessary to explain that Mrs
Jackson nef Doneson, had first married
4 Nh. RobA,0s Oh Mercer county, Ken
and a separation ensucd Mrs. Robartis
returning to her parental home in Ten
nessee. After some time it was reported
and generally believed that Robards had
applied to the Legislature Of Virginia, of
which Kentucky was then Il part for Q
divorce ON the ground of his wite's aban-
donment, and that it had been granted
Feeling at liberty to form another al
lance, Mrs. Robards married Jackson
then Il rising young lawyer of Nasty lie
1t subsequently transpired, however, that
the divorce had not been granted, but the
Virginia Legislature had merely passed a
bill empowering the kentucky courts, up
on proper proof, to grant it. Robards de-
Iayed any further action lor several wears,
and not until after the second marriage
ot Mrs Robarls. when he filed a petition
in the Mercer court, asking for a divorce
on the ground Of her ''liyinH in adultery
with Andrew Jackson" and upon this
thus aays the hlographer of Jackson,
t'thP moHt cltaste of women and one OF
the few imeproachable public men Of his
day, are recorded adulterers'
ludge bvorton OF Tennessee, in his mar
ratlNe ni tie matter published during the
presidential campaign OF 1928, when the
scandal had been revived by partisan
r. omaIHe9 IH9 .t!hJis7ia thin at2tementt. -
General Jackson and myself had started TO
Jones 1oro, in East Tennessee, 10 attend court
| learned for the first time that = divorce had
recently been granted capt. Robar,is, in Mercer
COUNTY, hentucky; that the legislature had not
absolutely Granted a decree, but left it tol the
rourts To DO + need not e.. press luy surprise
on leirning that The act Of the Virginia lcPisa-
turt. had not divorced Captain kobards in
formed General Jackson Of IT, VINO Waa equally
"l u;'ilils oui ro!'N
on VI reruru rel home. and ha,in@ the marriage
ceremony again performed, 90 az to prevent all
future ea1iln& upon the subject TO tins ruS-
&eSuoh ne It'"n VIZ t ' n'1 io,@ NIll,', n @ ''e
,l Z, ,,n, H., ,"i'tan,inr ~
person in lhe country. norwaa il without Clit-
rulty that he could lie Induced to believe other
wise. ON our return l"lne lrom J"neSboro IN
'annhn ~, !" E. ll,"' ''nT',e M'.I "-
@ md rn, With WIN ,lh mt,'.
nation wl- received i'll West Tennessee At That
irne wil not be surprising when we consider
It's i@otIled 'i''i nansFlnu~ su'llon Iuff9il'iGl
On r',9 n NY a',1 '' ~" a1 '''1 t ~ JS''' '
III l-n- n VIII 4. / ran r4mtmbrr.~ INK. ne-
culiar circumstances Of his marriage lna,ie
Jackson extremely sensitive upon the subject.
'lil' 'elnpef' saNT lailom' .Wl1h feSaTa 10
o',ar U',a.t to this if was ,ennnnwder iIis worst
onarrels arose from this cause. or were greatly
aggravated by it. Al the last, / think, he could
hardly hate any one very heartily without fan
tyihS t' , person ila'' SI'u n1';lJ
raHacto1 ~ the rharartar7 If Mrs Iacl,son
For the man who dared breathe her name ex-
ccpt in honor he kept pistols in perfect condl-
ton for thlrty-S1Feh years.
When Dickinson ; remark on the race
track was repeated to jackson. he lnlme-
diately called upon him and inquired II
he had ma ie 1t. Dickinson replied that
he might have done 50, but if he had he
must have been drunk, and apologlzed,
This removed al lll-teellng on the part OF
Jackson, and they separated IN friendly
manner
Unfortunately Dickinson was too much
in the habit OF getting drunk and losing
the control OF his tongue. Shortly alter
wards, III a tavern IN Nashville, he again
spoke sli- -htingly OF Mrs. jackson, and the
circumstance was duly conveyed to her
husband. There is the authority Of the