Andrew Jackson kills Charles Dickinson in duel - May 30, 1806 - HISTORY.com Andrew Jackson kills Charles Dickinson in duel Share this: Andrew Jackson kills Charles Dickinson in duel Author Andrew Jackson kills Charles Dickinson in duel URL Publisher A+E Networks On this day in 1806, future President Andrew Jackson kills a man who accused him of cheating on a horse race bet and then insulted his wife, Rachel. Contemporaries described Jackson, who had already served in Tennessee’s Senate and was practicing law at the time of the duel, as argumentative, physically violent and fond of dueling to solve conflicts. Estimates of the number of duels in which Jackson participated ranged from five to 100. Jackson and Dickinson were rival horse breeders and southern plantation owners with a long-standing hatred of each other. Dickinson accused Jackson of reneging on a horse bet, calling Jackson a coward and an equivocator. Dickinson also called Rachel Jackson a bigamist. (Rachel had married Jackson not knowing her first husband had failed to finalize their divorce.) After the insult to Rachel and a statement published in the National Review in which Dickinson called Jackson a worthless scoundrel and, again, a coward, Jackson challenged Dickinson to a duel.

On May 30, 1806, Jackson and Dickinson met at Harrison’s Mills on the Red River in Logan, Kentucky. At the first signal from their seconds, Dickinson fired. Jackson received Dickinson’s first bullet in the chest next to his heart. Jackson put his hand over the wound to staunch the flow of blood and stayed standing long enough to fire his gun. Dickinson’s seconds claimed Jackson’s first shot misfired, which would have meant the duel was over, but, in a breach of etiquette, Jackson re-cocked the gun and shot again, this time killing his opponent. Although Jackson recovered, he suffered chronic pain from the wound for the remainder of his life. Jackson was not prosecuted for murder, and the duel had very little effect on his successful campaign for the presidency in 1829. Many American men in the early 1800s, particularly in the South, viewed dueling as a time-honored tradition. In 1804, Thomas Jefferson’s vice president Aaron Burr had also avoided murder charges after killing former Treasury secretary and founding father Alexander Hamilton in a duel. In fact, Rachel’s divorce raised more of a scandal in the press and in parlors than the killing of Dickinson.

Related Videos Which Presidents Have Killed A Man?Speaking For A Change Presidents Who Killed Someone: How Many Presidents Have Killed A Man? Posted on by Barry Bradford The men who’ve been president have certainly been a varied lot! From brilliant (Thomas Jefferson) to dopey (Warren G Harding) from unifying leader (Dwight Eisenhower) to divisive loner (Richard Nixon), our presidents have represented both the best and worst that America has to offer. During a recent college presentation , I was asked an intriguing question: “Have there been any presidents who killed someone?” I could come up with several off the top of my head, but I thought it would be interesting to see if I could put together a comprehensive list. In doing so, I excluded the those presidents who gave orders that ended in the deaths of others. Thus, Barack Obama, who ordered the killing of Osama bin Laden; and Lyndon B. Johnson, who ordered the bombing of North Vietnam are excluded. Here is my list of the Presidents who killed someone. If you find an oversight, please let me know in the comments section below! 1.

George Washington (probably) Washington, a career soldier, was involved in several engagements early in his career in which he fired his weapon in close order combat. As you might expect in such circumstances, it is difficult to know if Washington actually killed someone, but it would seem highly probable. 2. James Monroe. Monroe on the ground, shot and seriously wounded at Trenton. The Battle of Trenton was the turning point of the American Revolution and James Monroe was one of its greatest heroes. He was badly wounded while conducting an heroic act and would have died had his wound from being shot not been treated quickly and well. Many sources say that he killed one or more Hessians during the battle. 3. Andrew Jackson. Jackson in a duel. In addition to his controversial military career, we know that Jackson killed a man in a duel to defend the honor of Jackson’s wife. Jackson fought more than one duel–definitely not a man to make mad! 4. Many presidents served in command capacity during the Civil War. (A. Johnson, U.S. Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Harrison and McKinley) and others, most notably W. H.

Harrison and Zachary Taylor combat who saw heavy combat, served in other 19th century wars. It is impossible to know precisely when soldiers are firing rapidly in a battle who killed whom. 5. Grover Cleveland. Sheriff Grover Cleveland carried out the death sentence on 3 condemned prisoners. A man of staunch integrity, Cleveland , as Sheriff of Buffalo, carried out 3 orders of execution personally. While the law did not require the Sheriff to personally carry out the execution, Cleveland believed it was his duty. 6. Theodore Roosevelt. Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders TR claimed to have killed men during the Battle of San Juan Hill. One thing that distinguishes Theodore Roosevelt from the other presidents on the list is that he boasted proudly of his accomplishments. 7. Harry S Truman. Our only president to serve during World War I, Truman’s courage under fire saved the lives of many of his men. His biographer does not record any instance in which Truman was believed to have killed anyone, but, as with any soldier in combat during wartime, it is certainly possible. 8. Eisenhower, Kennedy , Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and George H. W. Bush all served during World War II.

Given the nature of his assignment, it is very likely that George H. W. Bush killed numerous people while serving as a bomber pilot. He earned his wings as the youngest Navy pilot at the time and all tolled, he flew nearly 60 missions. He was shot down and then rescued and earned his Distinguished Flying Cross for his service. Due to the nature of their assignments, none of the others would have killed anyone. So what is the final total of Presidents who killed someone? Definitively: (6) Washington, Monroe, Jackson, Cleveland, T. Roosevelt, G. H. W. Bush Probably: (3) W. H. Harrison, Taylor, Grant A list of people associated with the presidency who killed others, outside of war situations, is quite fascinating and probably deserving of a separate post! Adlai E. Stevenson and Laura Bush are two of the more prominent names. Click here to read about JFK and the PT-109 – as close a brush with death as a future President would come.

Related Posts: Andrew Jackson | whitehouse.gov Air Force One Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States from 1829 to 1837, seeking to act as the direct representative of the common man. More nearly than any of his predecessors, Andrew Jackson was elected by popular vote; as President he sought to act as the direct representative of the common man. Born in a backwoods settlement in the Carolinas in 1767, he received sporadic education. But in his late teens he read law for about two years, and he became an outstanding young lawyer in Tennessee. Fiercely jealous of his honor, he engaged in brawls, and in a duel killed a man who cast an unjustified slur on his wife Rachel. Jackson prospered sufficiently to buy slaves and to build a mansion, the Hermitage, near Nashville. He was the first man elected from Tennessee to the House of Representatives, and he served briefly in the Senate. A major general in the War of 1812, Jackson became a national hero when he defeated the British at New Orleans.

In 1824 some state political factions rallied around Jackson; by 1828 enough had joined "Old Hickory" to win numerous state elections and control of the Federal administration in Washington. In his first Annual Message to Congress, Jackson recommended eliminating the Electoral College. He also tried to democratize Federal officeholding. Already state machines were being built on patronage, and a New York Senator openly proclaimed "that to the victors belong the spoils. . . . " Jackson took a milder view. Decrying officeholders who seemed to enjoy life tenure, he believed Government duties could be "so plain and simple" that offices should rotate among deserving applicants. As national politics polarized around Jackson and his opposition, two parties grew out of the old Republican Party--the Democratic Republicans, or Democrats, adhering to Jackson; and the National Republicans, or Whigs, opposing him. Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and other Whig leaders proclaimed themselves defenders of popular liberties against the usurpation of Jackson. Hostile cartoonists portrayed him as King Andrew I. Behind their accusations lay the fact that Jackson, unlike previous Presidents, did not defer to Congress in policy-making but used his power of the veto and his party leadership to assume command.

The greatest party battle centered around the Second Bank of the United States, a private corporation but virtually a Government-sponsored monopoly. When Jackson appeared hostile toward it, the Bank threw its power against him. Clay and Webster, who had acted as attorneys for the Bank, led the fight for its recharter in Congress. "The bank," Jackson told Martin Van Buren, "is trying to kill me, but I will kill it!" Jackson, in vetoing the recharter bill, charged the Bank with undue economic privilege. His views won approval from the American electorate; in 1832 he polled more than 56 percent of the popular vote and almost five times as many electoral votes as Clay. Jackson met head-on the challenge of John C. Calhoun, leader of forces trying to rid themselves of a high protective tariff. When South Carolina undertook to nullify the tariff, Jackson ordered armed forces to Charleston and privately threatened to hang Calhoun. Violence seemed imminent until Clay negotiated a compromise: tariffs were lowered and South Carolina dropped nullification.

In January of 1832, while the President was dining with friends at the White House, someone whispered to him that the Senate had rejected the nomination of Martin Van Buren as Minister to England. Jackson jumped to his feet and exclaimed, "By the Eternal! I'll smash them!" So he did. His favorite, Van Buren, became Vice President, and succeeded to the Presidency when "Old Hickory" retired to the Hermitage, where he died in June 1845. The Presidential biographies on WhiteHouse.gov are from “The Presidents of the United States of America,” by Frank Freidel and Hugh Sidey. Copyright 2006 by the White House Historical Association. Learn more about Andrew Jackson 's spouse, Rachel Donelson Jackson . The 5 Most Badass Presidents of All-Time The 5 Most Badass Presidents of All-Time NFL Reviewing Touchdown Celebration Penalty Rules As we all prepare to spend a long weekend enjoying Presidential Savings on mattresses and used Toyotas, we could take time to thank some of the presidents who passed bills that protect some of the freedoms your enjoy daily. Or we could spend the day celebrating the presidents who are decidedly more Action Movie Heroes than diplomats.

Anyway, guess which kind of president this website decided to focus on? Advertisement 5 Andrew Jackson When the 1828 election rolled around, a lot of people were terrified when they heard Andrew "Old Hickory" Jackson was running. If you're wondering how a guy we're calling a bad ass got such a lame nickname, it's because he used to carry a hickory cane around and beat people senseless with it, and if you're wondering why he did that, it's because he was a fucking lunatic. Former Democratic Senator and Secretary of the Treasurey Albert Gallatin feared a Jackson presidency because of his "habitual disregard of laws and constitutional provisions." Or in other words, the man was a loose canon--17th Century Washigton's answer to Martin Riggs. Sure, he probably didn't have an irate black lieutenant to answer to, or a weary partner who was too old for this shit, but he most certainly had a death wish. How do we know? Well, despite everyone's best efforts, Jackson was elected to the top office, and when he wasn't busy shaping the Presidency as we know it today, you could find him out back dueling.

In case you haven't been to the 18th century lately, this unmanly sounding activity actually involves standing across from an armed man and shooting at him while he in turn shoots at you. The number of duels that Jackson took part in varies depending on what source you consult; some say 13, while others rank the number somewhere in the 100's, both of which are entirely too many times for a reasonable human being to stand in front of someone who is trying to kill them with a loaded gun. On one occasion, he challenged a man named Charles Dickinson to a duel, (the reason behind it wasn't important, not to us and certainly not to Jackson), and Jackson was even kind enough to give Dickinson the first shot. We're gonna go ahead and repeat that: In a duel with pistols, Jackson politely volunteers to be shot at first. Dickinson happily obliged and shot Jackson, who proceeded to shake it off like it was a bee sting. When Jackson returned the favor, Dickinson was not so lucky, and that's why his face isn't on the twenty.

The bullet, by the by, remained in Jackson's body for 19 years because, we assume, Jackson knew that time spent removing the bullets would just fall under the general category of "time not dueling," Jackson's least favorite category. Andrew Jackson may have been the first master of Gun Kata Greatest Display of Badassedry: Andrew Jackson was the first president on whom an assassination attempt was made. A man named Richard Lawrence approached Jackson with two pistols both of which, for some reason, misfired. With the possibility of an assassination taken off the table, Jackson proceeded to beat Lawrence near death with his cane until Jackson's aides pulled him off the assassin. The guns were inspected afterward and it was discovered that they were in perfect working order, leading some historians to believe that it was an odds-defying "miracle" that Jackson survived, while we're pretty sure that the bullets, like everyone else, were simply scared of Jackson. Most Badass Quote: "I have only two regrets: I didn't shoot Henry Clay and I didn't hang John C. Calhoun." That's right. In a life rich with murdering people for little-to-no reason, Jackson's only regret was that he didn't kill quite enough people.

People like Calhoun who, it should be noted, was Jackson's vice president. 4 John F Kennedy Nowadays, John F. Kennedy is remembered mostly for getting shot in the head which, while admittedly badass, barely makes the top ten of badass things he's ever done. Plagued with a bad back his entire life, Kennedy was disqualified from service in the army. Instead of using this as an excuse to pursue the decidedly more sane strategy of staying the fuck away from explody things, Kennedy had his dad pull a few strings so he could sneak his way into the navy, where he eventually became a lieutenant. Just to get some perspective, Bill Clinton dodged the draft, Grover Cleveland paid someone else to go in his place when he was drafted, but Kennedy beat the system by forcing his way into the navy. Once there he handled himself like a gravel eating shit-miner, instead of the rich Boston pretty boy he actually was. Today, he's got his own damned aircraft carrier named after him. The USS John F Kennedy can launch 80 planes and can single-handedly win a war with most countries on Earth Upon leaving the Navy, he took up boning on a near full-time basis.

Sure, he dabbled in being a Senator and a President or whatever, but his full-time job was Pimping. In fact, if boning-your-girlfriend-right-in-front-of-you was a business, you can bet your cuckolded ass that Kennedy would have been its District Manager. While almost no two sources are in agreement as to just how much tail Kennedy snagged, historian John Richard Stephens says that "Kennedy confided with friends that he could only be satisfied with three women a day." It's amazing that, with all this boning, Kennedy didn't lose focus and make any colossal screw-ups while in office, and-...What? Bay of what? Moving on. JFK's sexual conquests allegedly include Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Jayne Mansfield, Angie Dickenson, Brazilian actress Florinda Bolkan, famous burlesque stripper, and rap name pioneer Blaze Starr. There are even rumors that he also had sex with his insanely hot wife once in a while too. Greatest Display of Badassedry: In August of 1943, while serving as skipper of the PT-109, Kennedy's boat was ripped in two by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri.

Kennedy and his crew were tossed into the water and surrounded by flames. Kennedy, despite a chronic back injury and an even more chronic boning-induced-exhaustion, managed to swim four hours to safety while towing an injured crewman by the life jacket strap with his teeth. His fucking teeth! Most Badass Quote: "Jack could be shameless in his sexuality, simply pull girls' dresses up and so forth. He would corner them at White House dinner parties and ask them to step into the next room away from the noise, where they could hold a 'serious discussion.'" That quote comes from Kennedy's closest friend, Lem Billings. For proof that you will never be as badass and pimpsational as Kennedy, go ahead and try that "Hey baby, let's go have a serious discussion" line on any girl and then come back and tell us how much sex you didn't have. ↓ Continue Reading Below Bang! Vice President Kills Political Foe in Famous US Duel « All About America Why Small US Towns Embrace Their Weirdness Americans politics can sometimes be a cut-throat business, but modern-day political feuds pale in comparison to the animosity between sitting U.S.

Vice President Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, one of America’s founding fathers and a close ally of George Washington, the first U.S. president. This month marks the 211th anniversary of the 1804 duel between the two men. They met on the fields of Weehawken, New Jersey, overlooking New York City. Hamilton shot first, but he missed. Burr then fired the deadly shot, making Hamilton the most famous American ever to be killed in a duel. Hamilton, former secretary of the U.S. treasury, was 49 when he died. It was not either man’s first involvement in a duel. Some accounts have Hamilton taking part in 11 previous affairs of honor. And, four years earlier, Burr dueled with Hamilton’s brother in law, but neither man was injured. Portrait of Alexander Hamilton by John Trumbull, 1806 (Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons) When thinking of old-time gunfights, most people might think of cowboy gunslingers in the American West, but the truth is that formal duels were not unusual in the United States.

Many respectable men — senators, congressman, local legislators and even, in the case of Burr, the vice president of the United States — took part in these bouts. The practice of dueling in the United States began during the Revolution and occurred most often in the South. Duels were fought to defend a gentleman’s personal honor and although the bouts were illegal, few people involved were ever arrested and even fewer were convicted. Dueling was common in Europe, but duels in America were unique in that they were usually the result of some political insult and were fought to defend one’s political honor. Burr and Hamilton had a long history of political and personal animosity leading up to their deadly final encounter. Both fought for General George Washington against the British during the American War of Independence. Hamilton, a favorite of the general’s, was promoted, while Burr’s request to be made a general was denied by Washington. The two men also butted heads in New York where Hamilton was once a prominent politician. However, Burr managed to defeat Philip Schuyler, Hamilton’s father in law, in an election for a U.S. Senate seat.

Burr’s rise in New York politics looked to have surpassed Hamilton’s, but six years later, Burr lost reelection to Schuyler and blamed Hamilton for the defeat. “Aaron Burr-2” from the New York Historical Society – The World Book of Knowledge. (Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons) The deepest cut of all was probably Hamilton’s political interference during the hotly-contested election of 1800 that played a role in Burr becoming vice president rather than president. Thomas Jefferson and Burr were running mates, but Burr decided to go after the top job after the two men tied in the Electoral College (a body of delegates representing the U.S. states that officially casts the votes to elect the president and vice president). Hamilton campaigned heavily to see Jefferson installed as president. It probably didn’t help matters that, as commander in chief, Jefferson pretty much ignored Vice President Burr. Things came to a head after a newspaper article quoted Hamilton disparaging Burr and his character. Burr demanded an apology. When Hamilton declined to offer one, Burr challenged him to a duel. Hamilton died of his wounds 36 hours after being shot. His supporters accused Burr of killing Hamilton in cold blood, when he’d had a chance to spare his life.

Hamilton’s death by duel triggered a public outcry, but Burr kept a low profile and managed to complete his term as vice president. It was not the first time Hamilton’s family was devastated by a duel. Three years earlier, Hamilton’s son, Philip, 19, died on the same dueling ground defending his father’s honor in a bout with a Burr ally. Hamilton’s daughter, Angelica, suffered a nervous breakdown after her brother’s death and never fully recovered. Hamilton, one of the framers of the U.S. Constitution, which established America’s national government and fundamental laws, is probably America’s most notorious dueling casualty. But other prominent Americans have also met at dawn to settle matters of honor. The Duel. Andrew Jackson killing Charles Dickinson. A print of a woodcut, circa 1834. (Library of Congress) In 1806, long before he became president, Andrew Jackson was shot and wounded before killing a man in a duel for insulting Jackson’s wife. As an Illinois state legislator, Abraham Lincoln was challenged to a duel for allegedly insulting a fellow state official. However, the affair was settled before any shots were exchanged.

By the 1850s, duels had become less formal confrontations as they moved westward and, while affairs of honor were still fought in the South, the American public started to lose its taste for this particular brand of violence. Anti-dueling laws were enforced and men’s honor became less important than how much cash they had in the bank. These days, grievous insults are not settled on a field of honor, but rather in an official courtroom in the form of a libel or slander suit. There’s no telling what Hamilton or Burr would have thought of that. 5 Famous Duels From American History | The Art of Manliness Share The United States currently finds itself in a rancorous political moment, with partisan name-calling on the one hand and much hand-wringing about the classless nature of the debate on the other. Those in the latter camp seem to think that politics has devolved from an unspecified golden age in which politicians sipped tea and talked about their issues with solemn decorum. In truth, politics has always been a rowdy arena, and if one looks to our founding period for a bastion of politeness, they will not find it there.

“Men in public life called each other, not just the traditional ‘liar,’ ‘poltroon,’ ‘coward,’ and ‘puppy,’ but also ‘fornicator,’ ‘madman,’ and ‘bastard;’ they accused each other of incest, treason, and consorting with the devil.” – Gentlemen’s Blood: A History of Dueling Political tensions ran especially high in the 19th century because men found it difficult to separate political disagreement from personal insults: “In our early years a man’s political opinions were inseparable from the self, from personal character and reputation, and as central to his honor as a seventeenth-century Frenchman’s courage was to his. He called his opinions “principles,” and he was willing, almost eager, to die or to kill for them. Joanne B. Freeman, in Affairs of Honor , writes that dueling politcos ‘were men of public duty and private ambition who identified so closely with their public roles that they often could not distinguish between their identity as gentlemen and their status as political leaders.

Longtime political opponents almost expected duels, for there was no way that constant opposition to a man’s political career could leave his personal identity unaffected.’” –GB Refusing a challenge to duel would effectively end a man’s political career. Dueling proved to a man’s constituents that he had the requisite honor, courage, and leadership to represent them in Washington. And thus you had governors and legislators, Congressman and judges squaring off not through bumper stickers and robo-calls, but on the field of honor. Here are a few of the most famous of these single combats in American history: The Burr-Hamilton Duel The most famous duel in American history is unquestionably that which occurred between Vice President Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, who greatly influenced the founding of America’s economy and was possibly on track to become President himself. Burr and Hamilton had long been political enemies by the time they met on the field of honor. Hamilton had been instrumental in preventing Burr from winning the Presidency when Burr tied Thomas Jefferson’s vote count, leading to Burr’s eventual appointment as VP. The two men continued to square off politically until rumors that Hamilton had been saying “despicable” things about Burr led the slandered veep to issue a formal challenge to duel.

The two men met on the field of honor in Weehawken, New Jersey on the morning of July 11, 1804. Interestingly enough, Hamilton’s son had fallen to a mortal blow in a duel at the very same place just two years before. The same guns used in his duel were also used in his father’s. The accounts of precisely what happened are conflicting, but it is generally thought that Hamilton fired first, aiming high and missing Burr completely. Burr then aimed squarely at Hamilton’s torso and returned fire. Hamilton fell, the bullet lodged in his spine, and he died the following morning. Whether Hamilton’s miss was intentional or not is debatable. Hamilton had recorded in a letter the previous night that he intended to purposefully miss Burr in an effort to end the confrontation without bloodshed. Still, other believe that Hamilton so detested Burr that he shared this sentiment simply to paint Burr as the villainous shedder of innocent blood, thus forever besmirching his character. If that truly was his wish, it was certainly granted. Though murder charges were levied against Burr, he was never brought to trial. But the ensuing political fallout undermined Burr’s political clout and brought a swift end to his career.

The Jackson-Dickinson Duel Prior to his presidential career, Andrew Jackson was known for his inclination to invoke violence in defense of his honor; he was the veteran of at least 13 duels. These showdowns left his body so filled with lead that people said he “rattled like a bag of marbles.” The most famous of Jackson’s affairs of honor was his confrontation with prominent duelist Charles Dickinson. Dickinson, rumored to be the best shot in the country, had insulted the future President by alleging that he cheated in a horse racing bet between Jackson and Dickinson’s father-in-law. Insults were exchanged, culminating with Dickinson insulting Jackson’s wife. Slandering Jackson’s wife was “like sinning against the Holy Ghost: unpardonable.” Biographer James Parton claimed that Jackson “kept pistols in perfect condition for thirty-seven years” to use whenever someone “dared breathe her name except in honor.” Jackson had no choice but to issue a challenge to duel. Jackson and Dickinson met at Harrison’s Mill on the Red River in Kentucky on May 30, 1806. The men were to stand at eight paces and then turn and fire.

Dickinson was a well-known sharpshooter and Jackson felt his only chance to kill him would be to allow himself enough time to take an accurate shot. Thus he calmly allowed Dickinson to fire into his chest. The bullet lodged in his ribs, but Jackson hardly quivered, calmly leveling his pistol at Dickinson. But when the trigger was pulled the hammer of his gun only fell to the half-cocked position and did not fire. According to dueling etiquette, this should have been the end of the duel. Jackson, however, was not finished with Dickinson. Re-cocking his pistol, he aimed and fired, striking Dickinson dead. It was only then that Jackson took heed of the fact that blood was dripping into his boot. Dickinson’s musket ball was too close to his heart to be removed and forever remained lodged in Jackson’s chest. The wound would lend him a perpetual hacking cough, cause him persistent pain, and compound the many health problems that would beleaguer him throughout life. But Jackson never regretted the decision. “If he had shot me through the brain, sir, I should still have killed him,” he said. The Clay-Randolph Duel John Randolph was quite a character.

He fought his first duel at 18, seriously wounding a fellow student over his mispronunciation of a word. His volatility continued as a Congressman; “he called Daniel Webster “a vile slanderer,” President Adams a “traitor,” and Edward Livingston “the most contemptible and degraded of beings, whom no man ought to touch, unless with a pair of tongs.” When he wasn’t hurling insults at his associates, he was challenging them to duels. Following a slanderous speech on the Senate floor in which he accused sitting Secretary of State Henry Clay of “crucifying the Constitution and cheating at cards,” Senator John Randolph found himself the recipient of a formal challenge to duel. While comfortable with assailing the man’s character, Randolph, an experienced marksman, had no intention of robbing Clay’s family of their patriarch (and suffering the political fallout of slaying the Secretary of State). Several days before the duel took place, Randolph confided in Senator Thomas Hart Benton that he was unwilling to kill Clay, but did not want to sacrifice his personal honor either, so he would instead purposefully aim high when the time came to fire.

When the day of the duel arrived on April 8, 1826, both men met on the field of honor. As preparations for the start of the duel were still being made, Randolph accidentally fired his gun, which was pointed at the ground. Clay accepted that the misfire was an accident and allowed the duel to proceed. Marching the agreed upon number of steps in opposite directions, both men turned and fired. Randolph, apparently motivated by the humiliation of his misfire (and his missed chance to come off as the magnanimous one), made no effort to aim high, although he still just missed his intended target, the bullet perforating Clay’s coat. Clay also missed, and having gained no satisfaction, demanded another go around. This time Clay missed again, and Randolph followed through on his promise to Benton by firing into the air. Moved by the sentiment, Randolph met Clay at midfield for a handshake to end the duel, noting to his opponent that he owed him a new coat. Clay simply replied “I am glad the debt is no greater.” A Couple of Close Calls Not every challenge to duel ended with gunfire. Here are a couple of noteworthy near misses.

The Lincoln-Shields Duel As an elected official in the Illinois State Legislature, future President Abraham Lincoln was sharply critical of James Shields’ performance as Illinois State Auditor. Lincoln even resorted to adopting various pseudonyms and publishing many satirical letters criticizing Shields (a common tactic at the time). In an unfortunate twist of fate, Lincoln’s future wife Mary Todd and a friend also wrote several letters. But the women got carried away, changing the tone from satirical criticism to insult. Shields, upon discovering that Lincoln was behind the letters in one form or another, issued an immediate challenge. Lincoln, unwilling to accept the public disgrace that came with refusing a duel, and eager to impress his future wife Mary, accepted. As the challenged party, Lincoln set the parameters for the duel. It was to be fought with large cavalry broadswords in a deep pit divided by a board which no man could step over. In creating such parameters, Lincoln aimed to disarm his opponent using his superior reach advantage and avoid bloodshed on either side. Furthermore, Lincoln hoped that such ridiculous conditions would force Shields’ withdrawal. But initially, they did not. On September 22, 1842, the two men met on the field of honor.

As the seconds desperately tried to sway Shields’ determination, he looked over and saw Lincoln chopping at the branches of a nearby tree that would be far out of his own reach. Realizing that he was outmatched, Shields agreed to attempt to talk it out with Lincoln. Lincoln’s second convinced Shields that Lincoln had not written the letters, and Lincoln offered an apology for the misunderstanding, which Shields fortunately accepted. Shields went on to become a prominent United States Senator, and Abraham Lincoln went on to become, well, Abraham Lincoln. The Twain-Laird Duel Finally, we end in a duel that neither came to fruition nor is invested with any great historical significance. But it is quite funny. While living in Virginia City, Nevada, sharp-witted satirist Mark Twain was up to his usual pot stirring, writing such outrageous editorials for The Territorial Enterprise that locals dubbed him “The Incorrigible.” When Twain wrote a piece erroneously accusing a rival paper, The Virginia City Union, of reneging on a promised pledge to charity, the publisher of the paper, James Laird, made such a stink over the false accusation that Twain challenged him to a duel.

Twain’s second, Steve Gillis, took Twain to practice his shooting, only to find that the man’s pen was truly mightier than his pistol; Twain couldn’t hit the side of a barn. Filled with fear, Twain collapsed. As Laird and his men were making their way over, Gillis grabbed a bird, shot his head off, and stood admiring the corpse. Laird’s second asked, “Who did that?” and Gillis responded that Twain had shot the bird’s head off from a good distance and was capable of doing it with every shot. Then he gravely intoned, “You don’t want to fight that man. It’s just like suicide. You better settle this thing, now.” The creative ploy worked, and the men reconciled. Tom Sawyer would have been proud.

If you missed it, read part 1 of this series: Man Knowledge: An Affair of Honor – The Duel Last updated: December 4, 2015 Andrew Jackson Was a Crazy Person, and You Need to Read About the Time He Killed a Guy in a Duel :: Politics :: Features :: Paste Andrew Jackson Was a Crazy Person, and You Need to Read About the Time He Killed a Guy in a Duel By Shane Ryan | April 21, 2016 | 1:30pm Share Tweet Submit Pin Soon, Paste will be running a feature on why former U.S. president Andrew Jackson was a pretty awful guy, and why it’s awesome that Harriet Tubman will be the new front face of the $20 bill (contrary to earlier reports Jackson’s image will remain on the reverse side). That is not the purpose of this post, so Jackson haters be warned—this post is about the time he killed a man in a duel, and how f***ing crazy it was.

I came across this story last night while doing some cursory research on Jackson, who I always vaguely knew was kind of a dick, but who also stood up to the big banks and can be seen as an economic predecessor to future, less dickish presidents like FDR. None of that matters now, because like a good American journalist, I was immediately distracted by a story that I still can’t quite believe—the May 1806 duel between Andrew Jackson and Charles Dickinson. The Beginning For those who aren’t familiar with dueling culture, the practice was a tried-and-true method of resolving disputes of honor. Basically, if you pissed someone off, he could challenge you to a duel, at which point you could choose the weapon, and the two of you would meet with a bunch of assistants called “seconds,” stand a few feet apart, and shoot at each other with pistols, or have a sword fight, or something. Sometimes the duel was mostly symbolic, and both parties would shoot their guns into the air, and everyone would go home happy. Other times, they killed each other. You know—basic brutal madness. The most famous duel in American history, of course, was between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr.

Those two men, lifelong political rivals, went to New Jersey (where authorities still turned a blind eye to dueling), and Hamilton intentionally fired a shot over Burr’s head. Burr, apparently thinking Hamilton had aimed at his head, shot and killed Hamilton in response. Andrew Jackson’s duel with Charles Dickinson didn’t result from a serious political conflict, but from a weird argument about a horse race. The details are byzantine, but basically Jackson—a Tennessee plantation owner and horse breeder still 23 years away from the presidency, at the time—and a man named Joseph Erwin got into a small fight about a forfeit fee they’d negotiated when a horse was unable to race. As it happens, Erwin was Dickinson’s father-in-law, and when Dickinson heard a friend of Jackson’s insult Erwin, he became furious and started a fight that quickly involved Jackson. Insults were exchanged, and Dickinson eventually published a piece in the Nashville Review calling Jackson a “poultroon” (sick old-timey insult) and a “coward.” (This was apparently a time in U.S.

history when newspapers would print your insulting letters just for the hell of it.) He also insulted Jackson to his face by calling his wife a bigamist, which was a sore spot with Jackson because it was true—without knowing it, he had married his wife before she had divorced her old husband, and back then this was a big deal that threatened to hurt Jackson professionally and politically. He spent a good amount of time defending her honor, and suffering the consequences. So, Jackson did the only thing he could think of—he challenged Dickinson to a duel, writing: Your conduct and expressions relative to me of late have been of such a nature and so insulting that requires, and shall have my notice…I hope Sir your courage will be an ample security to me, that I will obtain speedily that satisfaction due me for the insults offered. Dickinson quickly accepted, and chose pistols as fighting weapon. Who was Charles Dickinson? This will only illustrate how nuts Jackson was: Dickinson, a lawyer, was considered an expert marksman, “probably one of the best in the state.” At age 26, one source claims that he had already killed 26 people in duels .

Jackson, on the other hand, was considered a “terrible” marksman and had never killed anyone in a duel. And let me remind you, Jackson was the one who challenged Dickinson, which by rule allowed Dickinson to choose his favorite weapon! The whole challenge was essentially suicide, and the only kind of person who would issue such a challenge and expect to live is a ridiculous force of nature whose explosive, righteous fury overrules all sense of self-preservation. Such a man was Andrew Jackson. Jackson’s Strategy If you’re going to fight a seasoned murderer on his own turf, you might as well have a plan, right? Jackson knew he was pretty much boned from the start, so he and his seconds hit on a strategy that only a batshit person who didn’t care if he lived or died would ever conceive: Let Dicksinson shoot him first. Yup! Jackson’s big plan was to wear a huge overcoat that disguised his body, let Dickinson fire first in the duel, and hope that in his haste, he missed his shot. Again, this was the best shooter in the state, standing 24 feet away. Spoiler: Not a good plan.

It was essentially like pouring out a glass of water and hoping it doesn’t hit the ground. The Duel On the banks of the Red River in Kentucky on the morning of May 6—dueling was illegal in Tennessee, so they had to cross the border—they paced 20 feet away, and waited for one of the seconds to yell “Fire!” Dickinson shot first, and—remember how he was an excellent marskman?—hit Jackson right in the damn chest, inches from his heart. Which should have ended the duel, because again, the dude got hit with a bullet in the chest. Did it End the Duel? Nope! You forgot one thing—Andrew Jackson was a certified lunatic. In fact, he didn’t even fall over. He just stood up straight, gasping with the pain of two broken ribs, with smoke actually coming out of his chest, to the point that Dickinson said, “My God! Have I missed him?” The bullet was so close to his heart, in fact, that doctors thought it was too dangerous to operate on, and so it stayed in Jackson’s chest for the rest of his life.

It caused serious health issues, including abscesses and lung issues that had him coughing up blood in his later years. By dueling rules, Dickinson now had to stand there while Jackson slowly took aim and attempted to kill him. Jackson fired once, but the hammer malfunctioned, so he got to try again (this may have been cheating—sources are in disagreement). This time, he took careful aim and hit Dickinson in the abdomen. Dickinson fell, and died that night from blood loss. Did Andrew Jackson Feel Bad? Haha! Good one! Did Andrew Jackson Have a Batshit Closing Line? Oh, you bet. When a doctor expressed surprise that he had managed to stay on his feet and fire the fatal shot, here was Jackson’s reply: “I would have stood up long enough to kill him if he had put a bullet in my brain.” Was that the end of Jackson’s days of violence? Haha! Again with the jokes! Jackson fought more than 100 duels in his life, and almost died when he got shot twice in the arm, rupturing an artery, when he tried to horsewhip a man who later became his good friend and top ally in the Senate.

And at this point, that sentence shouldn’t surprise you at all. Reasonable Conclusions What did we learn today? That history is really strange, and Andrew Jackson was a raving maniac who allowed himself to get shot by the 1806 equivalent of a military sniper because of an insult about a horse, and then killed the guy with a bullet in his chest. And while I’m fully in support of him getting the boot from the $20 bill in favor of Harriet Tubman, I still feel like this one event in his life deserves a certain amount of awe. Not respect, not approval, but just a quiet acknowledgement that this was an extreme mind we can’t begin to comprehend, and which can only be summed up with the words, “damn, dude…damn.”

Question: Which U.S. President once killed a man in a duel?
Answer: Andrew Jackson