ANDREW JACKSON KILLS CHARLES DICKINSON

-
Andrew Jackson
  The Jackson and Dickinson duel of 1806 was the result of bickering over a horse racing bet. The whole story is kind of complicated to me but in essence a friend of Andrew Jackson did not like how Captain Joseph Ervin had reneged on a bet with Jackson. The friend of Jackson made disparaging remarks about Ervin and his son-in-law Charles Dickinson was infuriated. Dickinson and Jackson's friend started quarreling over the matter. Jackson eventually became involved in the argument which escalated over a period of days. During this time Dickinson called Jackson a "coward and equivicator". He also called Jackson's wife Rachel a bigamist. Jackson was very sensitive to any criticism of  Rachel. She had married Jackson supposedly not realizing that she was still legally married to her first husband. She thought that a divorce had been granted but Rachel's husband had only applied for a divorce to the North Carolina legislature. Dickinson apologized for this remark and Jackson accepted his apology but there were still hard feelings. Then things escalated to the point that a statement appeared in the Nashville Review in May 1806 by Dickinson calling Jackson a "worthless scoundrel,---poltroon and a coward". This was the last straw. Jackson challenged Dickinson to a duel. According to dueling rules of the time Dickerson chose pistols as weapons. This was because he was an expert shot.

  Dickinson had recently moved to the Nashville area from Maryland and like Jackson owned a local plantation. Jackson realized that he was no match for Dickinson. His plan was to allow Dickinson to fire first. If Jackson was still on his feet he would take deliberate aim and try to kill Dickinson. He later said that "I should have hit him if he had shot me through the brain". They met on the morning of May 30, 1806 near Adairville Kentucky, just across the Tennessee state line since dueling was illegal in Tennessee. Each man had their seconds. Dickinson fired first as planned striking Jackson square in the chest. The bullet broke two ribs and lodged within an inch or two of Jackson's heart. Jackson had purposely worn loose clothing to hopefully slow the bullet down and was standing sideways to make a smaller target. Dickinson was stunned because he had seen the bullet hit Jackson square in the heart and Jackson was still on his feet. Dickinson stepped back from the line and Jackson's second pointed his gun at Dickinson and ordered him back. 

 Jackson clutched his chest trying to keep pressure on the wound to slow the bleeding. He aimed at Dickinson and pulled the trigger. The gun misfired. Under dueling etiquette Jackson should have harmlessly pointed the gun in the air and fired. He coolly aimed at Dickinson, however; and pulled the trigger. This time the gun fired and the bullet hit Dickinson in the stomach, mortally wounding him. Dickinson bled to death a few hours later. Jackson's reputation suffered as a result of killing Dickinson. The public saw him as killing Dickinson in cold blood. Jackson survived his wound but it would cause him much pain and sickness for the rest of his life. The duel, however; did not prevent Jackson from winning the presidency in 1828. Dickinson was buried on his property in Nashville but at some point was disinterred and in 2010 his grave was discovered in Nashville's old City Cemetery.
Rachel Jackson

Add caption
       

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE DEATH OF JAYNE MANSFIELD

-
Image
Jayne Mansfield   Jayne Mansfield died way too young on June 29, 1967 at the age of 34 in a gruesome car wreck, She was killed instantly but contrary to urban legend she was not decapitated. Jayne was called the poor man's Marilyn Monroe. She had enjoyed about a four year stint of popularity on Broadway and in Hollywood from 1954 until 1958. Her career was in decline in the late 50's and early 60's but she was still popular in Europe and on the nightclub circuit. She took her last name from her high school sweetheart Paul Mansfield when she married him at the age of seventeen. Her second husband was a former Mr. Universe named Mickey Hargitay who was from Norway. The third and last husband was Matt Cimber. Mansfield was highly educated, attending Southern Methodist University, the University of Texas and U.C.L.A. She supposedly had an IQ of 163 and was called the smartest dumb blonde ever. Of course she couldn't be too smart. In 1966, a year before her death, while
Read more

NASHVILLE AND JESSE JAMES

-
Image
The James brothers with their mother Zerelda James   Most everyone has heard of the notorious outlaws Jesse and Frank James, however; did you know that they lived in Nashville from 1875 until March 1881? Jesse's oldest son Jesse James Jr. was born in Nashville along with his sister Mary. Jesse Jr. was born at 606 Boscobel Street on August 31, 1875. Mary was born on West Hamilton Road in Bordeaux on July 17, 1879. Jesse Jr. went by the name Tim and as far as he knew his last name was Howard. He and his sister would not know their real last names until after Jesse was killed in 1882. Jesse and his wife Zerelda would also lose two male twins in infancy.  Jesse's brother Frank lived on Clarksville Pike. While living there he and his wife Annie Ralston James gave birth to a son named Robert Franklin on February 6, 1877. For a time he would be dressed as a girl and go by the name of Mary. Why his parents did this I do not know.  The brothers were on the run. Nashville was
Read more

CHARLIE PARKHURST

-
Image
  Charlie Parkhurst aka One-eyed Charlie, Cockeyed Charlie, or Six Horse Charlie was born in 1812 in Vermont. Eventually he made his way out west to California where he became a teamster and one of the most skilled stagecoach drivers in history. He was small in stature but tough. Shortly after becoming a stagecoach driver for the California Stage Company he was kicked in the face by a horse and blinded in one eye. Charlie began his reputation as a tough driver when a robber named "Sugarfoot" held up his stage one day. Taken by surprise his only option was to give up his strong box. Six months later the Sugarfoot hit him again but Charlie was prepared this time. He blew him away with a shotgun at point blank range. Without blinking his good eye he rode off at a full gallop leaving the robber dead in the road.   He was an expert shot and an expert with a bull whip. Charlie could cut a cigar in half at fifteen paces while a man held it in his mouth. On one occasion he rolle
Read more