The Portland daily press., 1896-05-16
ON BLADENSDURGs FIELD.
Perhaps the Most Famous Duelling
Spot in the World.


New Light on Some of the Historic Com
bats Fought on that Ground-A Fa-
vorite Resort of the Washington Hot
heads.
(From the Washington Evening Starr
Despite it's interest from romantic
and historical standpoint, none of the
several writers who have told of Bladens-
burg's notorious dusling ground has un-
dertaken to gather and weave into con-
neoted narrative accounts Of the many So
called affairs Of honor that have occurred
that attained prominence through the
standing Of the parties engaged. The
paucity of information on this subject is
doubtless owing to the delicaoy Of the
chroniclers Of the time to record events
that reflected no credit on the local COM
munity or the Union at large. Few
references to duels are made in the news
papers of Washington, Georgetown, and
Baltimore during the period when they
were of frequent occurrence, and when a
meeting was mentioned at all the
statement was coupled with homily on
the practice In general and an expression
of the hope that such affairs would ulti-
mately be prevented by the exercise of
public sentiment. The National Intelli-
gencor had a consistent rule not to give
any account of local or other duels, and
of the few that 1t felt called on to men
ton through their fatal endings, the
notice was in the briefest form.
A careful search, however, through
these journals, public records, and biog-
raphical and other published works, and
verbal accounts obtained from persons
familiar with the facts. have brought to
light the stories of many interesting
events enacted on Bladensburg's field Of
honor which the historian and average
chronioler have passed by, some Of them
for the reason, no doubt that the princi-
pals concerned were not of sufficient i'm
portance to deserve permanent notoriety
through the medium of the art preserva-
tive. Local interest. however, has been
a sufficient incentive in the present in
stance for an exercise of that patience re-
quireu in making search for all infor-
nation that could be obtained, and the
reward has been ample In securing much
material which. while 1t may not BIZ val
liable from historical standpoint, will
at least be worthy the perusal Of those
who find amusement and instruction in
studying the history of the District of
Columbia.
Statesmen, officers of the army and
navy, Government employees, and private
citizens have taken part in the affairs iof
the code dnello at Bladensburg. 1t was
the most celebrated duelling ground in
America, and it is said that more than
fifty hostile meetings occurred there.
However this may be, the records are
lacking as to the most of them, and there
is evidence of not more than a third Of
that number as having taken place on the
bloody field.
1t is not difficult to understnndshow the
ground came to be selected for such pur-
poses. Situated within easy access but
without the jurisictdion of the District Of
Columbia, and convenient Of escape from
the clutches of Maryland law-lax though
it vast afforded excellent opportunitie
for the hotbloods of Washington, In Con-
gress and to settle their differences
according to the code. The exact spot
where SO many duels occurred Is just off
the old stage route between Washington
and Baltimore, the present Bladensburg
Of tellgate pike, within a mile If the
village of Bladensbure and half miles
beyond the District Boundary. Turn to
Your right at a little stream which cross
es the road under n culvert at this point
and short walk will briug you tn the
place where Decatur, Mason, and other
men of lesser prominence living in the
first half Of the present century fell to
satisfy what they wers pleased to consider
claims Of honor that could be adjusted
only through the shedding of blood.
So far as I have been able to ascertain.
the first hostile meeting on the Bladens-
burg field took place in 1902 This was
nOOu tAltcT buo eSdu Ol NOV6fuulcuU uhu
been removed to Washington, and the
principals in the affair, Representative
Barent GARDENER OF New York and Rep
resentatiye George Washington Campbell
of Tennessee, appear to have established
the place as the favorite resort for the SET
Element Of private differences. GARDENER
fell with bullet from his opponents
pistol in his body. The attending physi-
clan decided that he could not recover
but he ultimately pulled through, AMI
was reelected to Congress by the Federal
lists of his district. Despite his wound,
he lived for twenty years, dying at King
ston, N. Y, in 1929.
GARDENER edited New York news.
paper for saveral years, and his daughter
married Theodore Fay, the journalist.
Campbell, after leaving Congress, served
the United States as Minister to Russia.
About this time Lisut-Col. Thomas
Flournoy of the army wounded his op-
ponent in q duel TT Bladansburg.
A very sad affair was that which took