Dueling in Territorial Tallahassee
Dueling has been a common way to settle disputes amongst men since around the Middle Ages. It was codified in Ireland in 1777 with a document called the Code Duello. This document lays out the 26 rules of a gentlemanly duel, such as who picks the weapons, the correct place and time, and how seconds were to behave. Duels were common amongst military officers (specifically the Navy) and in the American West (as common law was often absent).
The pistols used in the duel between Senator William White and Abraham Bellamy .
Image Source: Florida Memory
Most duels were fought over “honor.” A man who refused to duel, or who refused to show to the agreed location at the date was labeled a coward publicly. Oftentimes, duelists would fire into the ground or up into the air creating an easy way to satisfy their honor without killing their opponent. Sometimes, the duel would be fought to the death.
The earliest recorded duel in the United States occurred in 1621, just one year after the Pilgrims set foot in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It was unusual as it was between colony servants Edward Doty and Edward Lester. They fought with swords but only sustained minor wounds.
Dueling in Tallahassee, Florida
Dueling eventually fell out of favor in the more Northern states yet it persisted in the Southern states. This was because it was still heavily connected to “honor” and a Southern man’s honor established him in society. It helped him secure power, favor, and credit amongst his peers.
Tallahassee was a frontier town during the territorial period, more akin to the outlaw towns of the wild west than the more settled cities of Philadelphia or New York City. Men were often armed with guns and bowie knives.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, ca. 1857
Duels in Tallahassee during this time were usually amongst the lawyers of the area (who were also considered the “gentlemen” of the town). They often begun in the courtroom and then spilled into the streets. Many were linked to political power or money.
In response to the violence, the Florida Legislative Council passed a law that forbade dueling in 1832. Any person caught dueling were to be sent to jail for one year and fined $500. This was circumvented almost immediately by a proclamation that claimed any man who refused a challenge was a coward. Also, since many of the men comprising the Florida Legislative Council often dueled one another, the law was ignored.
“A grotesque place…rapidly settled by public officers, land speculators, and desperados.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson speaking on Tallahassee.
Still, the participants of duels often met in secrecy. Popular dueling spots were well-known, spectators to the duels were easily found. These spots were often right across state lines, in the middle of contested state borders, uninhabited islands, rivers, and if none of these spaces were applicable, then just a secluded spot. In Tallahassee, most duels were near the border as it was not too far.
After the fall out of the famed Alston-Read duel, Tallahassee residents were fed up. They elected Francis Eppes (the grandson of Thomas Jefferson, founder of FSU, and prominent landowner) as the city intendent (mayor) in 1841. Eppes began to clean up the lawlessness of the city and stopped the dueling in the area. Eppes also appointed six officers, who are considered the beginning of the city’s Police Department.
Some of the Notorious Duels in Tallahassee
Painted portrait of Prince Achille Murat
Image Source: Florida Memory
State of the Surveys of Territorial Florida, 1837. This map was created by Robert Butler, the Surveyor General of Territory Florida.
Image Source: Florida Memory
Prince Achille Murat vs. Judge David Betton Macomb, Sr. (1826)
Macomb moved to Tallahassee from Detroit while Murat arrived from Europe. The two had been feuding for some time, allegedly begun when Murat’s slaves stole hogs from Macomb’s property. The spats came to their zenith when Murat jumped on stage after a speech by Macomb and called him a “turncoat.” Macomb is said to have called Murat a “damned infernal liar.”
The duel was thus called. They met at Mannington, the traditional place to duel in town as the state line was disputed, giving duelists a gray area for legal purpose. Modern day, this location is about two miles from the current Georgia border, between Thomasville Road and Lake Iamonia.
Before Macomb arrived, Murat turned to his second and admitted he was at fault for the quarrel. He decided he would not shoot to kill and instead shot through Macomb’s clothes. Macomb’s shot hit Murat’s hand, severing Murat’s little finger. Honor had been restored to both men.
Later, Murat became the Justice of the Peace to Jefferson County and Macomb became a judge.
Thomas Baltzell vs. James Diament Westcott, Junior (1832)
While it is not known for sure why the two men dueled, it is presumed that it most likely was due to a political or banking conflict. At the time, Baltzell was a lawyer while Westcott was the Secretary of the Territory. Westcott was injured in the duel.
The duel occurred near the state line of Alabama. Both men ended on good terms, eventually attending the Florida State Constitutional Convention in 1838-1839.
Baltzell later became one of Florida’s Supreme Court Judges and eventually the Chief Justice (1853-1859). Baltzell also observed the financing of the 1845 Capitol Building (now the Historic Capitol Museum).
Westcott became a state senator. His son, James D. Westcott would become a Justice of the State Supreme Court at a later date.
Painted portrait of Florida Supreme Court Justice Thomas Baltzell
Image Source: Florida Memory
The Alston Duels: Colonel Augustus Alston vs. George Taliaferro Ward
The Alston duels are the arguably the most famous duels in Tallahassee history. Alston, the central figure, was the son of Robert West Alston (a cotton planter). In his own right he was leader of the Florida Whig Party.
George Taliaferro Ward moved to Tallahassee as a young boy around 1825. Once he reached adulthood, he inherited Southwood Plantation and married into the Chaires family. He was a member of the Territorial Council (1837-38) and was a delegate to Florida’s Constitutional Convention of 1838. He also was a supervisor at Union Bank since its founding.
The cause of the duel was Ward’s fury over the death of his nephew at Alston’s command. Ward’s nephew confronted Alston during the Second Seminole War, causing his arrest and then death. After Alston returned to town, Ward arrived at a meeting at the Union Bank and horsewhipped Alston by slapping him across the face with a riding crop. This was considered a huge insult as gentlemen did not horsewhip one another, so Ward was implying Alston inferior and not a true gentleman. Alston accepted the challenge.
They chose a spot east of Tallahassee at Houston Hill, near Lake Lafayette. Prince Achille Murat was Ward’s second. First to shoot was Alston, who managed to hit Ward in his leg and arm (breaking them). Ward missed Alston. Since all the bullets had been used (four pistols each, eight bullets total), the men decided to meet later and continue the duel.
Before they could meet up, Alston would duel with Florida Militia Brigadier General Leigh Read while Ward joined the Civil War for the Confederacy. He commanded the Second Florida Infantry Regiment of the Confederate Army and was killed at the Battle of Williamsburg.
The Alston Duels: Colonel Augustus Alston vs. Florida Militia Brigadier General Leigh Read
(12 December 1839)
Leigh Read was on the opposite side of the political spectrum than Alston. Read was the leader of the Florida Democrat party. James Mahon wrote that “Major Read habitually dwelt in a medium of violence…not long before (one war campaign) he had engaged in a duel, which began with pistols and ended in a hand-to-hand fight with knives.”
A political difference was the most likely cause of the duel. The Whigs are thought to have used duels to target political opponents, destroy any rival newcomers, and to retain control of power. The Whig Party of Florida decided to target Leigh Read, placing placards in prominent locations throughout town, accusing Read of dishonor. In response, Read agreed to a duel with Alston.
William Tradewell pronounces General Leigh Read to be a scoundrel and coward (1839) in this circular letter
Image Source: Florida Memory
Florida territorial Governor Richard Keith Call in 1836
Image Source: Florida Memory
Around the same time, Florida’s Governor, Richard Call (a Whig) was replaced by U.S. President Martin Van Buren. Call was replaced by Robert Raymond Reid (a Democrat). The two parties were fighting locally over control over banking. The Whigs wanted to keep backing bank bonds that offered loans to powerful and wealthy planters; They wanted to form a central bank for the territory and use state bonds to bail out any troubled banks. The Democrats had challenged the legalities of the use of credit by the state to back the bank bonds and opposed the Whig’s scheme.
The duel took place at Mannington, with rifles at fifteen places. Alston’s shot went wide which gave Read all the opportunity. Read shot Alston dead. The legend states that Augustus Alston’s sister dug the bullet from his body and mailed it to her other brother, Willis Alston. That does not seem to be able to be proven, but nevertheless, Willis Alston returned to Florida from Texas in order to avenge his brother’s death. It did not matter to Willis that the duel was considered fair and conducted accurately.
The next year, 1840, Leigh Read was expected to be named as Speaker of the State House. Before that could happen, Willis Alston entered the Tallahassee City Hotel (the former Brown’s Inn) in January 1840 and discovered Leigh Read sitting in the lobby. Willis Alston shot Leigh Read in the hotel, in front of many witnesses. He escaped but quickly returned during all the disorder to stab the still alive Read with a bowie knife. Willis Alston was then arrested by two Justice of the Peace officers, Samuel Sibley (the editor of The Floridian newspaper) and Turbott Betton. Willis Alston managed to escape jail and leave the city. Leigh Read recovered but was too unwell to become Speaker.
Next year, Willis Alston slipped back into the city. He was staying with Michael Ledwith on Monroe Street, waiting for an opportunity. On 26 April 1841, Leigh Read was walking on Monroe Street, towards Park Avenue when Willis Alston confronted him. Willis Alston shot Leigh Read with a shotgun. This time, Read died. Willis Alston was unable to escape, he spent two months in jail waiting to see a judge.
Alston was released from jail by a visiting judge, prominent friends and family vouching for him, and a lack of strong federal authority in the territory. He returned to Texas, where he would die one year later after killing Dr. John McNeil Stewart. Stewart’s friends and family killed Alston in revenge.
The Alston-Read duel, and the fall out that happened after, enraged the citizenry. They elected Francis Eppes in order to clean up the violence in the city. The election of 1840 ushered in the new U.S. President (William Henry Harrison) who promptly replaced the Democrat Robert Raymond Reid with the Whig Richard Call as Governor. Five years later, Florida entered the United States officially as a state and could elect their own Governor.
Tallahassee City Hotel around 1870
Image Source: Florida Memory
Other Duels in the United States
Button Gwinnett and Lachlan McIntosh (1777): On 16 May, Gwinnett (a Declaration of Independence signer) met his political opponent McIntosh. They were both wounded but only Gwinnett died from his wounds.
Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr (1804): Hamilton, the former Secretary of the Treasury and Burr, the current U.S. Vice President met on 11 July in Weehauken, New Jersey. The duel was over political disagreements and personal insults. Hamilton was mortally wounded.
Andrew Jackson and everybody: Jackson fought many duels over his wife and other disagreements. Jackson is the only U.S. President to kill a man in a duel (Charles Dickinson on 30 May 1806).
Representative (Kentucky) William J. Graves and Representative (Maine) Jonathan Cilley (1838): The duel occurred on 24 February and Cilley was killed. This duel was the catalyst for Congress to pass a law making it illegal to issue or accept any duel challenged in Washington D.C.
Abraham Lincoln and James Shields (1842): Both men were members of the Illinois State legislature. This almost duel occurred when Lincoln printed commentary at the expense of Shields in a Springfield newspaper. Enraged, Shields demanded to a duel with Lincoln and Lincoln accepted. Their seconds negotiated a truce between the two men which led the duel to be called off.
Benjamin Gratz Brown and Thomas C. Reynolds (1856): The duel between these two men in known as the “Duel of the Governors.” On 26 August, the two men met on Bloody Island. Brown (later Governor of Missouri) was a Unionist and abolitionist while Reynolds (Governor of Missouri) was a Confederate and slaver. The duel ended with Brown being shot in the leg.
“Wild Bill” Hickok and Davis Tutt (1865): This is the first known instance of a “quick draw” duel. It occurred on 21 July in Springfield, Missouri over a card game and disputed pocket watch. Davis Tutt died.
Further Reading:
Dueling in America: An interactive map of many of the duels between 1790 and 1850. It includes both of Augustus Alston’s duels.
Bloody Island History: The infamous dueling spot’s history is detailed here, including the Lincoln non-duel.
PBS – Code Duello: This details the 26 rules of Dueling that were drawn up in Ireland in 1777. These rules were followed (more or less) in the UK, Ireland, and the North American Continent.
Pamela Chase Hain’s book, Murder in the State Capitol: The Biography of Lt. Col. Robert Augustus Alston: This book explores the life of Alston and the duel that ended his life (and the fallout afterwards).
Citations:
Bair, Cinnamon. “Leigh Read had a shot at History”. 2006. The Ledger.
Denham, James M. “The Read-Alston Duel and Politics in Territorial Florida.” The Florida Historical Quarterly, vol. 68, no. 4, 1990, pp. 427–446. The Publication of Archival Library and Museum Materials.
Dueling in America. “Dueling in the United States 1790-1850.”
Find-A-Grave. ADM David B. Macomb, Jr.
Find-A-Grave. Gen Leigh Read.
Florida Court History. “Justice Thomas Baltzell.”
Florida Department of State. “Robert Raymond Reid.” Florida Department of State. Florida History – Florida Governors.
Florida Supreme Court. “Justice Thomas Baltzell.” Florida Supreme Court.
Hare, Julianne. Tallahassee: A Capital City History. Arcadia 2002. Pages. 42-44.
Henley, Jeffrey. “Southwood Community.” Clio: Your Guide to History.
Maynard, Jr., Jackson W. “According to Their Capacities and Talents: Frontier Attorneys in Tallahassee during the Territorial Period.” FSU thesis. 2004.
My Florida History. “Anti-dueling law repealed on this date.” My Florida History.
PBS. “The History of Dueling in America.”
Robison, Jim. “Deadly Game of Politics Stole Read’s Immortality.” The Orlando Sentinel. 1999.
Robison, Jim. “Tallahassee’s Summer of 1840 Proved A Bloody End of Duels.” The Orlando Sentinel.
University of Richmond. The History Engine: “The Alston-Ward Duel.”
Viva Florida. “Tallahassee.”
Wikipedia. “Francis W. Eppes.”
Wikipedia. “List of Duels”
Wikipedia. “Richard K. Call.” Wikipedia.
Wikipedia. “Robert W. Alston.” Wikipedia
Womack, Marlene. “Out of the Past: Duels Once A Common Way to Settle Disputes”. The News Herald. 2013.