The Burr–Hamilton duel was a duel between two prominent American politicians, the former Secretary of the TreasuryAlexander Hamilton and sitting Vice President Aaron Burr, on July 11, 1804. At Weehawken in New Jersey, Burr shot and mortally wounded Hamilton. Hamilton was carried to the home of William Bayard on the Manhattan shore, where he died at 2:00 p.m. the next day.
Alexander Hamilton
Aaron Burr
The Wogdon duelling pistols, both of which survive today, incorporated a hair-trigger feature that could be pre-set by the user. "Hamilton brought the pistols, which had a larger barrel than regular dueling pistols, and a secret hair-trigger, and were therefore much more deadly." They conclude that "Hamilton gave himself an unfair advantage in their duel, and got the worst of it anyway."
The mortally wounded Hamilton died the following day and was buried in the Trinity Churchyard Cemetery in Manhattan. Burr was charged with murder in New York and New Jersey, but neither charge reached trial. In Bergen County, New Jersey, a grand jury indicted Burr for murder in November 1804, but the New Jersey Supreme Court quashed the indictment on a motion from Colonel Ogden. Burr fled to South Carolina, where his daughter lived with her family, but soon returned to Washington, D.C. to complete his term of service as Vice President.
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