William Van Ness / Nathaniel Pendleton

 

William P. Van Ness

In the morning of July 11, 1804 at a site near Weehawken, New Jersey a duel was to be fought. By tradition, it was called an interview. The challenge was made by the Vice-President of the United States, Aaron Burr to the former head of the Federalist Party, Alexander Hamilton. Two skiffs with two oarsmen each made their way across the Hudson carrying the parties to a designated place. Colonel Burr arrived first and was followed shortly by General Hamilton and Doctor Hosack. The following scene takes place the next day between the seconds of the two duelists.


William Van Ness: How was he yesterday before the interview when you came across the river with him?

Nathaniel Pendleton: Quiet and pensive. Alex has always been taciturn when facing a problem he needed to solve. I had always hoped this matter would be resolved in a more felicitous way.

Van Ness: They are already beginning to imply that we failed to do our sworn duty.

Pendleton: Oh, it was bound to happen. The code duello is strict and we adhered to it religiously. I’ve already heard that they want to accuse Colonel Burr of murder.

Van Ness: He will be accused of everything until all the facts are known. Did Hamilton confide in you why he wanted people to know he would throw away his first shot?

Pendleton: You know that his son Peter was recently killed in a duel. Alex and Betsy were terribly distressed by that sad event. As long as I’ve known Alex he has been against what he called a barbarously savage custom. His throwing away the first shot was his way of protesting.

Van Ness: Maybe he hoped that Burr would do the same but he poorly knew the man. I have never heard him angrier than at Mr. Hamilton. For more than fifteen years, Burr has been vilified in public meetings and the newspapers by Hamilton using words like “despicable” and “not to be trusted,” making it difficult for Burr to compete favorably for the high positions he was interested in.  I don’t mean to speak unkindly of the dead but Alexander Hamilton abused his great power, at first in Washington’s cabinet and then as leader of the federalists by tarnishing many of the reputations of his enemies.

Pendleton:  I agree that he had many enemies, not just among his political rivals in the opposing party but in his own party as well. I still find it hard to see how he found the courage and the bile to attack John Adams while he was president, calling him insane and incompetent. And Adams was a Federalist, a progressive one granted, but a Federalist all the same.

Van Ness: Did I tell you that Burr wanted to speak to Hamilton after Burr saw him fall? I have no idea what he wanted to say. I was thinking just this morning that some duelist, not wanting to kill their opponents, aim for the legs to draw blood to satisfy their honor. I wonder if Burr wanted to say something about that.

Pendleton: When we appear before the authorities, we must be of one mind. I’m afraid with a death of such a prominent person, we’ll be in more public scrutiny than we bargained for. Do you agree that the first shot was fired by Hamilton?

Nathaniel Pendleton

Van Ness: That is indisputable.

Pendleton: Well, since you and I were the only ones to observe the interview, we have to make it clear that Hamilton aimed high and shot first.

Van Ness: If pressed on the matter, we can show them the broken tree branch above Burr’s head. They can verify that for themselves. Now the matter of the hair-trigger set.

Pendleton:  When I asked Hamilton if I should set the hair-trigger, he told me “not this time.”

Van Ness: Some might say that it was the hair-trigger set that caused Hamilton to shoot high.

Pendleton: Let them say what they will. The pistol is still available for inspection.

Van Ness: Why did you say earlier that Hamilton, when he opened his eyes on the return trip to
New York, didn’t think he had discharged his gun at all?

Pendleton: I don’t know if this should be told but Hamilton said we should be careful with the pistol in the skiff because it was still loaded. Apparently he was confused and believed he hadn’t fired his weapon.

Van Ness: Did David ever tell you the nature of the wound?

Pendleton: We should let the doctor speak for himself but strictly between us, I heard Alex say that it was a mortal wound before he lost consciousness. Only later in the skiff did he open his eyes and speak of the loaded pistol.

Van Ness: If the authorities wish to speak to Burr, they had better do it quickly; he has left in a hurry. Maybe he senses the outcry will make him into a villain. It’s curious how similar these two men were. Both were young for the positions they held and extremely ambitious. Both showed quick and badly controlled tempers.

Pendleton: Indeed, and while we are drawing comparisons, both were small men and close to the same age. Both had excellent educations. How strange they would allow themselves to be drawn to settling their differences in such a dangerous way. If I don’t miss my guess, the bullet that ended Hamilton’s life ended the career of Aaron Burr.