Give It Your Best Shot--Dueling Before the Civil War

 

The Code Duello

            Southern congressmen used the threat of dueling to bully Northern members into supporting—or, at least not opposing—pro slavery bills. It was one of several ways a wealthy minority could control the country’s governance against the clear sentiment of the majority. By the 1850s a Southern congressman refusing a duel   meant certain defeat at the next election. By contrast, a Northern member accepting a duel challenge could count of being defeated at the next election as the North’s repulsion against both slavery and duels grew.

25 Congressional Challenges

New York Herald August 31, 1856

            There have been 25 congressional challenges to fight duels since the organization of the First Congress, and the greater number of these originated in quarrels which, though political, had no reference to matters which occurred in Congress.

That number above nearly doubled in the following four years. 

History of Dueling 

July 26, 1858 New York Times

            The code duello as it was sometimes termed, lasted in the South barely a century from 1765 to 1865. Originating in the North it soon fell out of favor but became an iron clad part of Southern aristocratic behavior. Most states had laws against dueling which were seldom enforced. Fortunately, many if not most duels were settled with little or no bloodshed.

Lincoln’s Duel September 22, 1842

    Abraham Lincoln was challenged to a duel by James Shields, then the Illinois state auditor.  At the time, Lincoln was serving in the Illinois legislature. The financial panic of 1837 had pressed the Illinois government to near bankruptcy. Shields proposed using paper money to cover the deficit rather than silver and gold.  Under a pen name, “Aunt Becca,” Lincoln wrote a biting and flagrantly inflammatory satire of Shields published in the Springfield, Illinois newspaper the Sangamo Journal.  Several more stories from “Aunt Becca” followed, written, not by Lincoln, but by his wife Mary Todd. James Shields confronted Lincoln and challenged the future president to a duel.  On September 22, 1842, the men met on Bloody Island, a sand bar between Missouri and Illinois.  As the challenged party, Lincoln chose cavalry sabers, since Shields was known as a crack shot.  The duel did not occur. Whether seconds or the men themselves solved the matter is unknown.  Later Shields and Lincoln became fast friends and political allies. 

Pryor-Potter Duel

Dallas Herald April 25, 1860

Washington DC—April 13- Great excitement is prevailing throughout the city in regard to an affair of honor, which will probably take place shortly, between two prominent members of the House of Representatives. The recent colloquia between the Honorable Roger A. Pryor of Virginia and the honorable John F. Potter of Wisconsin, has caused the former to send a challenge to Mr. Potter to fight a duel outside the District of Columbia. Carl Lander, the friend of Mr. Potter, has accepted the challenge and named Bowie Knives as the weapons to be used on the occasion. He also offered to substitute himself for Potter as principal. The Friends of Mr. Pryor declined the use of dual weapons, saying that arms of that description were only used among Barbarians, they declined to accept the substitution. Mr. Pryor is still in Virginia and has as yet received no information as to the action of his friends, which was probably taken after a consultation with MSSRs, Miles, Keate, Mason and Hammond.

SECOND DISPATCH--Mr. Potter made his appearance in the House this afternoon and was greeted by his friends. Whether Mr. Pryor will sanction the action of his friends remains to be seen. The substitution of Bowie knives for the usual weapons between gentlemen on such occasions may be considered a ruse on the part of Mr. Potters friends to avoid placing Mr. Pryor on vantage ground knowing him to be a good shot. The choice of weapons desired devolves on the challenged party, but we conceive that the selection was in bad taste.

            Congress was not the only source of duels.  Young men dueled over young women. Newspaper editors frequently dueled. Politicians running for office might duel an opponent—easier to shoot him than beat him at the ballot box. Southern congressmen dueled Southern congressmen, famously Henry Clay of Kentucky and John Randolph of Virginia.  Senator Benjamin of Louisiana and Senator Jefferson Davis of Mississippi almost dueled in 1858 but the matter was settled without bloodshed.

            To refuse a duel in the South was unthinkable. It dishonored the challenged party whatever the justice or truth of the situation. Moreover, it justified being simply attacked on the street or even on the floor of Congress on the grounds that the victim was not a true gentleman. 

            Brutish behavior such as Representative Pickney of South Carolina beating Massachusetts Senator Sumner nearly to death on the Senate floor was considered acceptable in Southern eyes. In fact, Pickney received dozens of new canes when he mentioned he had broken his own cane on Sumner.

            Middle class—or aspiring middle class--men dueled, frequently over women or unsettled gambling debts.

October 7, 1852 New York Times

Wilson -Gwen Duel

June 19, 1858 Harper’s Magazine

Two days afterward, Mr. Wilson had made a speech in reference to the expenditures of the Government of California. Mr. Gwen, in reply, said that he had heard a great del of demagogism in connection with the expenditures in California. Mr. Wilson asked if he intended to apply the word demagogism to him. Mr. Gwen declined to explain or reply.

            Mr. Wilson said: “The Senator declines to answer. Very well. I say to him demagogism is better than thieving. I had rather be a demagogue than a thief.”

            Mr. Gwen inquired if the Senator meant to apply his language to him, or to the officers of revenue in California.

            Mr. Wilson said he had no explanations to give to the Senator from California. Mr. Gwen then said: “If the Senator means to apply the term to me, he is a calumniator and a coward.”

            The President called both gentlemen to order, when Mr. Wilson remarked that what the Senator from California said did not change the record.

            Senator Gwen has challenged Senator Wilson. He sent him a note by Mr. Fitch of Indiana, asking for a meeting outside the District. Mr. Wilson replied by citing to him his reply to Mr. Brooks, to the effect that dueling was forbidden by the laws and by the matured convictions of his whole life. Mr. Seward and other Senators are arriving to arrange the difficulty, and will doubtless succeed.

September 7, 1854 New York Times

            Southern blindness to the world’s contempt for the custom was demonstrated when Confederate President Jefferson Davis appointed Pierre Soulé as a representative of the Confederacy to encourage European powers to aid the South.  Only 8 years before as newly appointed American ambassador to Spain, Soulé and his son had fought duels with both the Spanish Duke of Alba and the French ambassador to Spain.  The son challenged the Duke of Alba over a supposed insult to his mother, and his father challenged the French ambassador solely on the grounds that an insult to his wife had been uttered at the French ambassador’s residence.

            Dueling had a strict code of behavior.  An aggrieved party would “send a card” to the challenged man detailing the insult and demanding apology or satisfaction by way of a friend, “a second.”  The challenged party would send a reply via their own chosen “second.” Future communication was handled between the seconds.  The seconds were first to attempt to come up with a solution to satisfy honor for each party. Failing that, they negotiated the time and place of the duel. The challenged party chose the weapons--flintlock pistols, swords, or Bowie knives. And there was getting away from it, even if in Europe or elsewhere.

Duel Between Americans

April 24, 1858 Harper’s Magazine

The Commercial gives the following extract from its Paris correspondence letter.; “A duel took place here three days ago between Mr. Calhoun of South Carolina, the Secretary of the American Legation in this city, and Mr. Brevoort of New York. They exchanged shots with pistols; and then, on account of an informality,  the seconds stopped the fight for explanations. No meeting has since taken place, and I believe the affair is to be published.

Duels in SC

Augusta, GA Constitutional June 4, 1857

            THE DUELS YESTERDAY MORNING—Two duels were fought yesterday morning, at half-past four o'clock, on the South Carolina side of the river, a few 100 yards above Heinberg. The first took place between Mr. Phillips and Mr. Moorfield, and the second between Mr. Prather and Dr. Appleby. Messrs. Phillips and Prather are the editors of the Lafayette (Alabama) Tribune and Mr. Moorfield and Dr Appleby, editors of the Lafayette Herald. The distance was 10 paces, and pistols the weapons used. After the first fire in each duel mutual friends succeeded in adjusting the difficulties between the parties. Fortunately, neither duel was attended with any injury.

            Early flintlock pistols were so inaccurate at 20 or 40 paces that several rounds of firing might happen with no result.  (This writer can attest, having fired such a pistol repeatedly. It might well be easier to throw it more accurately.)After each round of firing, the seconds were to attempt once more to negotiate an agreement.  If subsequent rounds of firing produced no result, the seconds could declare honor satisfied for both parties and the matter closed. The same was true of a sword fight lasting more than 30 minutes with each party unharmed. Bowie knives were serious. Many gentlemen considered Bowie knives beneath consideration.

    A very detailed history of Congressional dueling is Prof. Joanne B. Freeman's 2018 book "The Field of Blood--Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War"