Evening star., 1960-07-31
Contributing Writers

To most Americans, dueling seems European
custom Yet from the late 18th century until the Civil
War; duels were commonplace in the United States
especially from New York City throughout the South
During this period, American duels approached
ferocitv uneouaed elsewhere in the world and they
resulted in the greatest number Of fatalities
An Englishman Andrew Steinmetz writing about
dueng in 1853 said I'm most countries, the duel is
sort of ohand diversion, but when men fight in the
States they fight in earnest. Killing is the word.
I'm the hotels at Washington and elsewhere you
may see marks of bullets in the walls, shots that
missed fortunately, went through a man, leaving
him dead on the floor"
Many of the prominent men of the day, however,
strongly opposed dueling. Benjamin Franklin said,
"A duel decides nothing" and George Washington not
only condemned dueling but once pardOned blow
rather than issue challenge STILL dueling persisted
Bladensburg was natural selection for dueling
site District law forbade duels and the affairs were
difficult keep secret in the busy National Capital
While Maryland fined the principals caught them
-Bladensburg was small village amid sparsey set
tied farmland and nearby Indian Queen Tavern (now
George Washington Inn) was a convenient hostelry.
Participants who had travelled some distance could
spend the night there engage in the duels early next
morning and wounded parties could retire to the inn
for treatment.
The dueling SITE in those days, was hidden from
the BaItimore-Wa ashington pike by tange of trees
and undergrowth Carriages could be left on the pike
while the dueling party made its to large grassy
meadow at the bottom of a steep ravine.
The earliest recorded victim of Bladensburg duel
was Ensign Edward Hopkins, who was killed on May
g. 1914 The of his opponent and the reason for
the duel are not known.
The first duel that attracted widespread attention
to the took place February s. 1873, when Gen.
Armistead T. Mason of Virginia and his cousin, Col
John McCarty met in a driving snowstorm Mason had
questioned McCarys right to vote in local election
McCarty challenged him to duel They chose musketS
the long muzzes almost touching as they aimed them
Both men fired and fell Mason dead McCary seriously
wounded
Bladensburg's most famous duel occurred on Tues
day March %, 1920, between Naval hero Commodore
Stephen Decatur and Commodore James Barron. Both
men we're wounded, but Barron lived, while Decatur
died that night
The press of the day considered duels private mat
ters and seldom reported them However that evening
the Washington Gazette briefly noted on an inner
page I'VE regret to learn that meeting took place TINS
morning near Bladensburgh between Commodore De-
catur and Commodore Barron and they were both
severely wounded the difference we understand
had its origin in an old quarrel"
The following day. the paper printed a short death
notice and listed the order of the procession for Deca
turs funeral 1t included the President, cabinet mem
bers members of the House and Senate, judges Navy
and Marine Corps officers and foreign ministers In
ALL 10000 persons attended the funeral and the Gazette
moved to write editorial stating I'm order to
put stop to these sacrifices which the predominant