Dueling

What is dueling?   

In the old days, if you got mad at someone you might challenge them to a duel, which basically meant a fight to the death. There was a time, in Europe, when people generally dueled with swords. But by the time Tennessee was being settled people preferred pistols. The way it was generally done is that two men would come to a place together, each with a friend, or a “second.” The men would get out their pistols; stand beside each other (back to back); take a certain number of steps forward; and then turn and fire at each other once. In some duels, both men would be killed. In some, just one man would be killed. And sometimes both men would survive duels.   

How many times did Andrew Jackson get in a duel?   

By the strict definition of “duel,” only once. But he did have several fights with people.  

In 1797 Jackson accused Governor John Sevier of taking part in some fraudulent land deals, and of picking Knoxville to be the state capital so that he could make money from his real estate investments. This started a feud between the two men, and on one occasion in Knoxville Sevier insulted Jackson ’s wife. Jackson then challenged Sevier to a duel, which Sevier refused to take part in.  

In 1806 Jackson caned, or beat over the head with a stick, a man named Thomas Swann in a squabble related to horse racing.   

In 1806 a man named Charles Dickinson published a letter in a Nashville newspaper calling Jackson a “scoundrel” and a “coward.” Jackson challenged Dickinson to a duel. In the duel, Dickinson shot first and the bullet landed, breaking two of Jackson ’s ribs and lodging two inches from his heart. Jackson then raised his pistol and fired at Dickson, killing him.   

In 1813 Jackson got in a brawl with brothers Jesse and Thomas Hart Benton in the Nashville City Square and was shot in the arm in the process. All of the doctors on the scene advised Jackson to have his arm amputated, but he refused.