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Miscellany: My First Duel

Miscellany: My First Duel image
Parent Issue
Day
20
Month
November
Year
1843
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

I callea, a day or two ago, lo see my oíd friend, Colonel Webb, v!jo, I Jeaint, had arrived at his residence n Waverly Pímcc, from his late excursión to Brandy wine. He looked well, quite wel! - bis whiskers wpre as larpe and fierce as ever, wilh liere an'ü Uiero a few Eiipernumernry white hairs, nnd his spirit?, if' anything, were more baoyant and e'nislic, as if he had accomplished a ceriain specific and desirable object by the issue of the recent meeting. Over the elbow of his capacious trm-chair reposed a pair of significant crutch ei. I thought of Sir John Folslaff"There is honor for you." We talked over the adventure in detail, with congralulationa that it,was not the worst in it8 results. 8s it certainly might have beon. if the apostle of temporáneo and the Colonel htd both been the crack shots they were said tö be in the shooting galleries. Dueling at the present day has fallen into disrepule; it never did setlle any point of honor, and sensible men discard it es incompatible with the spirit of the age; yet, peculiar circumstances, as in the case of VVebb and Marshall, drive men to such hostile meetings, and it wouid be fortúnate to all purties concerned, if the issue were equally favornblp. It is niuch more agreeable to shake a man ffrtníy by the hand, than to attend his funeral; mid as to posthumous praises of courage, coolnefs, end gallantry, Stc, to such affaire, what are they worth? Who boasts of such honors? As Shakbpeare says, "He that died last Wcdaesday." It jesaid that the apostle of temperance is not satisfied wilh the result of the duel; he llnnks that Webb ought to have been killed, and hc is desirous of having another shot al hitn. IfMr. Murshall is eo fond of nVhtinjr, he can place himself at the head of the Affghanistans, in the Caboul country, or serve as aid to Ching Ling Cheesin, of Pekin, and ho will have fjghtir.g enoiigh for the oppetite of any moderate man; hut Col, Webb ought, to be permitted hereafter to eal his woodcock and toast in peace; tbougli wounded, he enjoye the best posiüon of the two, and he ehould not part with it to jeopardize it by another meeting. As Hoyle would sny, ';He has all the honors, hut has lost the odd trick." Talking of dueüng, I have always been satis-fieJ that it is moral and not physical courage Which is the actve agent in such matters, and snstnins a man m such trying positious, and this was made manifest, and strongly jmpressed on my mind,at my first duel. When a very young man, and in high party times, I fouud mygülf toking the lead 1:1 the Democratie ranks in Chnr'eston, South Carolina. ímpreseed wilh the belief thal a difference of political opinions warmly oxpressed and firmlycarnedout did not necessarily impair .thatgood personal feeling and . ntercourse which ehould exist bet ween citizen nnd citJzen, I wns in hopes to make converts and put down opponents in the most pacific monner; hut I soon discovered my error, und was given dis - tinct!y to understarid, that he who ventures to bring about important political revolntions in that ection of the Union, must be prepared to fight his way in the world-- he who is ambitjous to become a political leader must exhibit Bomething more substantial than mera oratory. He who would nfiueiice röq control af ty, must sustain his doctrines by meeting h ) opponent ín the wuy that gentlemen eelt) . aucli difieiences; he must understnnd and b understood. This. I presume was what wa called Southern cbivalry; it was all new an most exlraordinary lome, wlio came from pacific qtiarter of tho Union, and feit no l'te C position atalltocarry my politica! plans and objects into operatiou at the mouth of the pis, tol. But po it was. Being in Rome, I had to do what Romans did. So, having oñbndd a young sprig of Federnlism, by venturing res: pectfully to diflèr wilh iiim in retation to the war with iïngland, [ie gave me notice that he should cali me out. I feit no apprehension on the subject, convinced that explanations could readily be made, wbich would not fail to prove enlirely satisfactory to rensonable men. So I proceeded to ihe City Library, and while enjoying a very ogreeable book, in a cool and sequestered part of the ampio saloon, a handsome young gentleman, of engaging appearance and addres, came up to me. and after two or ihree forma!, yet grnceful bowf, placed in my hand a neatly folded note, written on vellum paper. The note introduced me to Mnjor Hamilton, since General Hamilton, and Governor of the State, by the gentleman I had most unfortunately offended by differing with hini at the public meeting, and informed me at the same time that Major Hamilton would make the necesfary arrarigemenls for the meeting, &c. On reading the note, I made several profound bovvs to the gentleman, finding that this was a business of very seriuus importnnce. We tookour seats near each other, talked of the 'veather, of war, palmet to forts, rice-birds, cotton crops, and several ogreeable subjects, for I was very happy to make lúa acquaintance - until the Mnjor, in the most polite manner imaginable, reminded me of the delicate object of his mission, and the necessity of a reply to the note he had just delivered. Novice as I was in such matters, I was still aware that etiquette required a prompt -eply, nnd I assured him thaf he should receive an answer ot an early hour. I forthwith called the leaders of our party together, to consult and determine what was to be done in the premises. They were unanimously of opinión that I must fight - there was no uvoiding the rosponsibiüty; the lionor of the Democratie party required that l should fight; it was the usage of the country, and no leader of a party of such high and patriotic preiensions, could evo.de an invitation in which the dignity of the party was so vilally concernod. As this was, therefore, a bono fide point of honor, upon t!ie result of which it was impossible to foresee what might be Ihe deslinies of ourcountry, it was resolved that I should give him n meeting, and a high functionary of great courage and diserction wns fixod lij on for my seeond; and I answered the ncte in tlio most polite mnnnrr imaginable, accepting the invitation, and leaving the preliminaries to be settted by the plenipolentiaries of the high comracting partios. Ear1 in the afternoon, a carriage drove to the door, containing two of my particular friends, with a teqnest to take a ride. Supposing it was mtended to talk over matlers, and nrrange for eon;iiirencie?, the weather beingingly plensant, 1 sprang in, ond away we went as fust ae tvvo spanking grnys could carry lis. In the bottom of the cnrringe a case of pistols ]ay very cómfortably, and my f rienda informed me that we were goinnr out of town to fire at a mark, supposing that I was rather out of practico, which was really the case, never havintr fired i pistol in the courso of my life. We aüghted in the centre of a field, and a caril was pinncd to a tree, and the pistol loaded aud plnced in my hand, at the distance of ten pne?s. Not hing daunled, J raised my pistol caütiogsly and firmly, and hit the card. "Bravo! Capital! Ty it agam,'' sp.id my friends; and I went on firing and hitting the m;irk, with all imaginable coolness, iientm atqne ilerum. "You are a first rnle sho!,'' said one. Poor devil, he will be killed," said the other; "there is no escape for him." "No standing sucli shotjs:" "Pray," said I to my friends, "what sort of a person is this, whom I am f o meet?" "A very clever fellow, of great promise - a gentleman of fortune and character, of a large "and ancient family esteemed and respected." "And I arn to kill himv' soid I to myself. "Good Heavens! a man who never wrongcd me, nnd to wl;oii), of course, I entertain no ill will - but the honor of my partv was m plicated, and he mu$t die.' I could not recuncile myself lo the. moral ty or philosophy of Hiis issue, but I saw that_ I hands of my party and of rigln honorable men as? friendf, and it was my duty, 1 suppose to suhmit. The city was alive with the projecled duel - we were both the Iions of the day. I bad not the honor of knowing my brother lion whom Í was to kill thenextday'; 1 was quite stiro Ihatl had no ill will toward him, and if the honor of our respective parties had not been a question at issue, I feit confident that we both could have adjusted the difficulty over a bottïii of south side Maderia, in the :nos", pacific manner imaginable. The pólice, with a si riet eye to thcir duty, iook special care to nform al! sporting characters, tlint the affair was to come off at ihe race course, at four o'clock. and all the gigs in town were eijgnged to witness the e.xhibition. The ladies fiighed, and thouyht it a pity that two sucíi young fcllows should run the risk of killing each other; but finally they en'ered into the spirit of the conteat, and both of us stood a chance of representing thedying gladiator, ibr the amusement of the audience in tlis Coliseum. Just at the very nick of time, when ihe negotiation had been nearly exhausted, my fnend. E. S. Thomas, the editor of the City Gnzette, believing that no good political results were lo g.row out of this duel, at a moment of great political excitcmèut,' and wben the country, at war witha great power, requued unión, concert in action, nnd Iriencily feelings among citizens lic c.illed, cariy in llio morning, on Keating Lewis Simmon?, Esq., tlien at the bead of the Federa! party, and submitted variouüs considernlions v)iy tbis hostile meeting was uncalled for, and the politicnl as wel! as the personal consequences which raight grow out of it. It wns finally arranged lo cali the high cohtracting powers togetber m council, and escertain what could be done in the premiees. After a meeting and deliberation offour hours, it was finally agrecd that there sliould be no meel ing- that mutual explanations ehould be made- and the affair was hí?norably arrang-ed, according to the most npprved principies of dueling and the mos pnpjjíar requirements of etiquete. I was entirely 6atisfied wilh the issue, having no desire to kill my antagonist, who, by the way, was a very worthy person jy the name of Toomer, since deud; nor had I any wish to be killed myself. But the dear public, itseems, vvasnoí so well satisfied witb the result - there was to be no fight after all. Pompey had harnessed the bays to thebuggy; whips, spurs, and trotling horses were all ready for the race couise, to sce two promising vounr fellows shoot each other; and so the ififair is sett]ed,thepistols are returr.ed, and the doctor was not ealled upon to prepare lint, probestick, and piaster. This humane disapjointment, however, was coupled withstrong suspicions, protty loudly expressed, that I, ïke all vaporing Democrats, would lather eat than fight. 'This unworthy insinuation,which aroused my indignation, did not alJay the political iëver, and in a few days afterwards [ got into a newspapcr controverey wilh a gentleman, I beüeve, by the name ofCrafts, and I received another bületdoux to meet lim at the race course. To use a familiar phrase of a knight of the Ihimble-rig, I rcally did not know how to head off this invitation, when my antagonist feil sick, and the afluir, lilte the other, was honorablj adjusted. Let it be dÍ6tncrly understood, gentle reader, thnt in these challcnges to blootly conflicls, there was really and in trulh, not the least cause or ground for a. hostile It was the fashinn of thut day to adjust all such disputes at the rnuzzie of the piátol. Public opinión, since that time, togelher with the provisions of the law, have frowned upon thesn gangumary exhibí tions, and now reason, g-ood sense, and good principies, have erected barriera against dueling, wbicb, except on extraordinary occasion?, are suffieiendy power'ui agiiinst such outbreaks. Still, there wns a h;rking suspinion in the public mlnd that I would not fïght. That I lind not the least nclination to shoot or to be shot, was an undoubled fact; but that under any circumstances I would not fighi at all, was not truc. WiUiout being what was ealled constituionally brave, and never willingly rushing nto danger - without, in the most distant manner, being either a bully or a braggadocio - I, neverthelessjfelt ihat Í had moral courage enough to resent a positive jnsiilt, and was ready, in a good c.iuse, to submit to what society considered an honorable mode of redressins an injury. Slill I labored under suslicion; unt il at length, a person who was not a politician, determinod lo ascertain whether hcre was good and sufficient ground for this opinión, picked up a small quarrel with me ipon Borne frifling cause, and sent me achalenge to meet him, coupled wilh the very cheering irrt'éïügènce thot he could neithercept explanation nor opoJogy. go here was a challenge of the most positivo charucter; there wns no evadí nrg il undèr exieüng circumstances; the challenger was ö. person of do conse_ quence, still he was of a good farnily, and possessed a good character. AU those who waníed a fignt. nssured me he was a gentleman, -illhough I Wished from the bottom of my ïenrf, that nature and habit had made hirri a oaferof the first water; neilher the cause nor he man were of sufficient importance for the riek; no political eclat could pos.=ibly arise frorn such a meeting. Still there was no getting rid of it, and I accepted the invitaion. The dear public was agogagain; there was o be a fight after all. My friends who had ufherto stood sponsers to my bravery, surounded me with nnabated confidence. My opponents sneered and prognostieated that I hould f ét "creep "out of it." I feit cool and letermined; I would submU to no insinualions of6uch a character,and made all thenecessnry preporations. ] waa rather indifferent to the esult. I had no property to leave, no wii! o muke. no fumily to provide for; I might be ut off, it is truc, at an early period, and full f promie, but it wus not of ni) seeking.- Come wlmt might, th:s meeting wns to tak'e lace. My friend, Gov. Geddes, lont me his arriage and horses, and a case of fine hair nggers. My surgeon was engnged. and ihe vhole city was ontheft vive for the duel. slept Jhat night at the house of a frienil, and everal acquaintances had assembled l.here to it up with sne and talk over the matter, and make anangements for the moming. Sitting p with a person about to fight a duel, is omething like silting up with a dead man; all vas solemn and grave; no witticisms, no atempt to keep up fictiüous spirits. They all alked as if some important event was on the apis. 1 threw myeelf on the bed to take a hort repose, and feil into a perturbed sleep. was resiless and uneusy, tossed to and fro; ideous dreams and speet res floated in my imgination. I was awakened by hearing the ei-vant below grinding cofíbe. My friends vere whispering together in the alcove. l 'elt wretched- my lips were parched, and my ead feverish and contused. I arosë at dawn, nd took a cup of strong coffee, and all things einji ready, we got. into the carriage and set ff for the field of honor. It was a bcautiful moming - the air was pure and balsamic- - the astern sky was etreakcd with orange tinte,and the mist was fading from the hiJIs the birds were singing, and the tall pines were wuving gently n the morning breeze. The world nevcr looked more beautiful: "Tlie morn, in russet mnntle ciad, Walked o'er the dew of yon high Eastern hill." SlIAKSPKAKE And I was probably about to quit this world, so frtfsh, nnd gay, and beauieous - in the seau son of ■youth, with every brig-ht and encouraging prospect before me; not by feil disease, or decay of nature, or sudden visitación of Providence - but a victim to what was called honor. I was either to kill a man who had never wronged me, or meet deaih at his hands, without heving ever wronged him. What mad ness, folly,and infatuation! Yet tyrant custom had Ftijmped the impresa of chivalry upon such nppea1s,and they could not bé evaded. I puffed from me several heavy sighs, as these and similar thoughts passed ihrough my mind. - I feit no ieor; I feit sorry for myself; Í feit the same regret that I should have feit for another person in my situation. The carriage drove on rapidly, and my friends regarrled me with an interest that was quite painful, and I wished that the affair was At lenglh we reached the appointed epot: it was a beautifu] valley, on a fine, level piece of ground, in the neighborhood of two or thrce cottages; every thing looked green, and fresh, and beautiful. On alightinor from tho carriage, I found a large party of gentlemen present; some had airived in gigs, and some on horseback. and some as pedestrians, together with a few colored gentlemen, and many miscellaneous persons drawn from the neghboring cottages, having undeistood thal something of importance was going on. In a few miuntes my antagonist and his friends made their appearance,&i. the ne( essary preparations commenced. As I was the challenged person, I had the choice of weapons, distance, and position. - I chose ten paces, to stand back to back at that distance, and wheel and fire al the word. I chose this method for several reasons; it was in consonance with the rulea of honor, which did not n-ecessarily claim a victim by a direct and deadly a-jm; it a!so gave a chance for b h, or either to escape; besides, T did not wish to incur the stern gaze of my antagonist - a deadly scowl, tossinfif off the hat, and some melodramatic action for effect, to throiv me off iny guard, op shake my nerves, as Marshal tried in the case of Webb. Not seeing my man, till brought face to face by the word jW, the sudden wheeling gave no advantage to either, and wasdeemed by al!, consideriug the slighi cause of offence, as proper and expedient. One of iny secunda stepped over the ground; Jie had short legs, and I imaginec that ten paces had actualiy dvvindled down to six. We took our stond back to back; I looked round, and found that my man was not in a direct line with me, and 1 moved a step to the right to bring bim on a level. All things were ready - the spectators looked on silently and anxiously; the question was asked, "Gentlemen, are you ready?" We both answered, with a clear, strong voice, " Ready. n' "Whee; and fire!" At the word, I wheeled, with an action and position which wouid have done no di.scredit to Hamlet on seeing his father's ghost; both pistols went off siinultaneously. - In wheeling, I had a broad front view of my man, before touching the trigger; I looked at him - saw him reel, and rail. I was transfixed to the spot; I lost all sense of my own dangefj'I had killed him! The blood of the first Cain was on my head. I awoke t a sense of my own conditition; my knees smote together, and I shuddered with horror. Tliere was considerable bustle and running among the spectators, who had crowded a round the fallen man. I walked towards him; hc lay on his back, with his eyes open, and to my great joy nnd salisfactióh, I heord him say, 'TH have another short" He wasonly woundcd; the ball entered below the knee, and penetrated through the cal f of the left leg, which was bleedingcopiously.. I brêathed freely ; I was not only uninjured myself, but 1 had not killed my ■antagonist.- As he could not stand to take anotljer shot, the affair was considered as honorabiy ended. My surgeon extracted the bail, and 1 loaned my carriage to the injured man, and my conduct was pronoünceü superfine throughout. - Al! doubt of my courage 'iad vanished; fnendí and foes shook hands with me, the ofricerF, who came to see, not to prevent the fight, mounted their nags- the carriages, chaises, and buggies befrun to move from the field: and thus ended the whole huinbug, as it really was, and with il my first 1 had no more challenges aAtr that affair; and I presume no one wijl challenge my friend, in order to test his courage, afterhis Iateencounter with the apostle of temperance. Had Marshall killed Webb, I have no doubt he wou ld .ave taken to the bottlë again in order to drown his grief for so uncalled for a sacrifice. "Thus conscience inakes cowanls of us all." As lo duelling, I am satisfied that while it seltles no principie, it very seldom redresses a vrong or preserves the injuied, and that it r;ire)y, if ever involves personal courage. - ■iine out of ten who behave well in the field ire susluined by moral courage - the apprehen'on of the world's opinión - the sneers oï the )ase - the doubts of the utnvelconie - the dis rust and suspicion of your enem:es. The practice, were it not for the folly, rashness, and hot blood in Congrese,vould fall into general disrepute, as it should fall a monument of folly and false honor.

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Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News