Andrew Jackson's Duel of Honor

sarina_cornelli — 2016-10-29 00:04:38 UTC

There has never been a president more concerned and obsessed with their honor than President Andrew Jackson. Even though Jackson was the kind of leader who was charismatic and appealing, he would quickly become defensive if he thought his honor was put in jeopardy. He especially was not one to have his name desecrated by anyone. This infuriation led Jackson to his infamous duels of honor. In fact, he was the only president to have ever fought in duels and to have killed his opponent (Wyatt-Brown). During that time, duels were considered an honorable way to settle a disagreement. Men would either fire their guns in the air or shoot their adversary. It is believed that Jackson was involved in up to a hundred duels. “Contemporaries described Jackson as argumentative, physically violent and fond of dueling to solve conflicts” (History). Many of his duels did not result in a near death experience, but there was at least two that did. In order to understand Jackson’s infatuation with honor, one must consider his most famous duel against Charles Henry Dickinson.
The aversion between Andrew Jackson and Charles Dickinson started from a disagreement over a horse race (Brammer). Horse racing in that society was more than just pure entertainment, but a way to boast about their power. They were both southern plantation proprietors and competing horse breeders with a persistent dislike towards each other. Dickinson accused Jackson of breaking his promise on a horse race. He called Jackson a “coward” and an “equivocator” and his wife, Rachel Jackson, a “bigamist” (History). Jackson became frustrated after the attack on Rachel’s integrity and Dickinson’s statement in the local paper describing Jackson as insignificant. Jackson would not allow his honor to be tarnished and so, in retaliation, he challenged Dickinson to a duel (History).
On May 30, 1806, Dickinson and Jackson came together at Harrison’s Mill in Logan, Kentucky to resolve their disparities in what would be one of the greatest duels of time. Dickinson was known as an impressive marksman. Jackson knew this and decided to form a plan to hold his fire, permitting Dickinson to shoot first. He also made the decision to wear a coat that was larger than himself and thought that by doing this it would cause Dickinson to miss his heart (Brammer). Once they heard the signal, Dickinson shot at Jackson first. Although it seemed like Jackson was not harmed, the bullet had gone through his coat and stopped just short of his heart. Dickinson was shocked by what had just happened and exclaimed, ‘Great God! Have I missed him?’ (Wyatt-Brown). While placing his hand over the opened wound to stop the blood flow, Jackson directed his gun at Dickinson and pulled the trigger, but it misfired. Evidently, the seconds discussed the incidence and agreed that Jackson should have another chance due to a mechanical failure. Jackson, the pain increasing in his chest, recocked his gun and shot again at Dickinson (History). At last, the bullet had gone through Dickinson’s stomach and out his back. After a few hours, Dickinson was pronounced dead at dusk (Wyatt-Brown).
One of the men had run over to Jackson proclaiming, “My God! General Jackson, are you hit?” (Wyatt-Brown). Jackson responded in a heroic way to the man that Dickinson barely got him, but he never meant for Dickinson to find out that he actually shot him. The bullet that now laid next to Jackson’s heart had broken two of his ribs. However, the bullet was so embedded in Jackson’s chest cavity that it could not be safely removed (Shi). On the other hand, Dickinson’s friends were disheartened by the outcome of the duel. They condemned Jackson for intentionally wearing a coat that did not fit him properly. They felt like Dickinson would not have been dead had he shot closer to his head rather than his heart (Wyatt-Brown). Jackson thought otherwise. Even though Jackson recuperated from the wound, he experienced great pain for the rest of his life (History). Usually, the duel would have come to an end if someone had been shot, but Jackson lived under different standards. Jackson managed pain the same way he managed every obstacle in life by refusing to allow it to control his life.
Duels created a separation between the morality of men and the remainder of society. A duel could determine the leadership qualities and integrity exhibited by an opponent. Some might say that Jackson’s decision to go ahead and fire at a defenseless challenger looked dishonorable (Wyatt-Brown). On the contrary, it can also be seen as Jackson trying to uphold his honor by going through with shooting Dickinson. Surprisingly, Jackson was not affected by the outcome of the duel when he decided to run for presidency in 1829. Rachel Jackson’s divorce caused more of an uproar than the execution of Dickinson (History). This conveys that the people still saw him as a man of worth and honor.
Disputes over honor obsessed Jackson’s life and presidency. There are certain events in his life where Jackson expresses his preoccupation with protecting his honor. He was outraged when he lost against John Quincy Adams in the election of 1824 because it was a corrupt bargain. He was made out to be a fool because he was cheated out of being president. The Indian Removal Act was Jackson’s way to demonstrate his duty towards the United States and that he knew how to exercise the power that was given to him (Shi). He had dismissed the majority of his cabinet after the Petticoat Affair. The Petticoat Affair would damage the honor of his entire administration and he did not want to be affiliated with those sort of people. Lastly, he absolutely would not allow South Carolina to secede on his account. He went as far as to threaten them with the Force Act. This stated that if South Carolina did not comply, he would bomb them (Shi). Furthermore, Jackson was the “man of the people” and saw it as his responsibility to protect and preserve the union. Though he was constantly in pain, Jackson was known to get the job done.
Even though Jackson may be seen as radical by today’s standards, he was always someone that would not hesitate to stand up for what he believed in. It has become more acceptable to merge politics with our emotions. Our country is fixated on political correctness in fear of retaliation from saying or doing the wrong thing. Jackson’s pursuit of defending his honor should be an example to how we preserve our own integrity.

Primary Source: Newspaper Picture called The Duel This demonstrates the duel between Andrew Jackson and Charles Dickinson. It gives a great picture of what Jackson's oversize coat would have looked like and how would have been easy to miss his heart.

sarina_cornelli — 2016-11-15 22:06:18 UTC

From the Library of Congress

Bibliography

sarina_cornelli — 2016-11-21 23:25:19 UTC

           "Andrew Jackson Kills Man to Defend Wife - CNN Video." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2016.
           Brammer, By Robert. “Frontier Racing and Injured Pride: The Duel Between Andrew Jackson and Charles Dickinson.” In Custodia Legis: Law Librarians of Congress, Library of Congress, 15 Apr. 2015, blogs.loc.gov/law/2015/04/frontier-racing-and-injured-pride-the-duel-between-andrew-jackson-and-charles-dickinson/.
           Buttre, John Chester, Engraver. Mrs. Andrew Jackson / engd. by J.C. Buttre. ca. 1883. Image. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, .
           History.com Staff. “Andre Jackson Kills Charles Dickinson in Duel.” History.com, A+E Networks, 2009, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/andrew-jackson-kills-charles-dickinson-in-duel.
          Shi, David Emory, and George Brown Tindall. America: A Narrative History. 10th ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2016. Print.
           The Duel. [1834] Image. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, .
           Wyatt-Brown, Bertram. “Andrew Jackson's Honor.” Journal of the Early Republic, vol. 17, no. 1, 1997, pp. 1–36. www.jstor.org/stable/3124641.

Primary Source: Letter from Charles Dickinson to Andrew Jackson This letter shows the anger displayed by Dickinson over the horse race. Dickinson calls Jackson a "coward" and expresses his feelings towards him

sarina_cornelli — 2016-11-21 23:32:35 UTC

From the Library of Congress

Andrew Jackson Killing Charles Dickinson in Duel: This video gives a visual representation that includes a brief summary of the duel between Jackson and Dickinson and what caused the dispute.

sarina_cornelli — 2016-11-21 23:50:59 UTC

From CNN

Grace Stockman With President Andrew Jackson's Dueling Pistols: Jackson's pistols are a symbol of how he defended his honor and how important his honor was to him.

sarina_cornelli — 2016-11-22 00:03:06 UTC

From Library of Congress

Engraving of Rachel Jackson: Rachel Jackson was one of the reasons why Andrew Jackson became so frustrated towards Charles Dickinson. Dickinson had called her a bigamist.

sarina_cornelli — 2016-11-22 00:16:00 UTC

From the Library of Congress

The Andrew Jackson Duel by

Andrew Jackson's Duel of Honor

Primary Source: Newspaper Picture called The Duel This demonstrates the duel between Andrew Jackson and Charles Dickinson. It gives a great picture of what Jackson's oversize coat would have looked like and how would have been easy to miss his heart.

Bibliography

Primary Source: Letter from Charles Dickinson to Andrew Jackson This letter shows the anger displayed by Dickinson over the horse race. Dickinson calls Jackson a "coward" and expresses his feelings towards him

Andrew Jackson Killing Charles Dickinson in Duel: This video gives a visual representation that includes a brief summary of the duel between Jackson and Dickinson and what caused the dispute.

Grace Stockman With President Andrew Jackson's Dueling Pistols: Jackson's pistols are a symbol of how he defended his honor and how important his honor was to him.

Engraving of Rachel Jackson: Rachel Jackson was one of the reasons why Andrew Jackson became so frustrated towards Charles Dickinson. Dickinson had called her a bigamist.