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To: hellbender
He was killed because he deliberately threw away his first shot at Burr, as he told his friends he would.

That's the story Hamilton's seconds told. Burr's seconds said differently.

8 posted on 06/09/2008 9:05:42 AM PDT by metesky ("Brethren, leave us go amongst them." Rev. Capt. Samuel Johnston Clayton - Ward Bond- The Searchers)
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To: metesky

Don’t the winners always get to write the history? :-)


10 posted on 06/09/2008 10:39:26 AM PDT by Hegemony Cricket (Friends with umbrellas are outstanding in the rain.)
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To: metesky

Jos. Ellis’ book Founding Brothers has a rather thorough discussion of the duel, but I can’t remember all the details. I think it concludes that Hamilton’s first shot went way over Burr’s head, breaking a tree branch, but Hamilton did fire twice. It also concludes that Burr may have been trying to wound H. in a non-lethal area. One positive effect of the duel is that it destroyed any remaining respect for Burr, who seems to have been an unprincipled political manipulator.


11 posted on 06/10/2008 4:27:56 AM PDT by hellbender
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