Local conditions modified various aspects of the code of honor in the states below the Mason-Dixon line, and especially in South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee, where the practice of chivalric warfare flourished. Dueling involved a prearranged encounter between two antagonists who, armed with lethal weapons, usually a sword or pistol, met on the field of honor in the presence of seconds or other witnesses in order to resolve personal and familial disputes. A relic of feudalism, the duel was popularized among rank-conscious southern gentry by European officers who participated in the American Revolution. In this message, Hamilton explained that he would not fire on Burr (via National Archives).Dueling, defined as private combat governed by formal rules, was a manifestation of the romantic spirit that once existed in the South. He wrote a good-bye letter to his wife Eliza and a statement against duels that was published after his death. Hamilton's career was fading, and he was still grieving the loss of his son Philip. Some have said he went through with the duel to preserve his honor, while others have wondered whether he saw himself as a possible martyr (via HistoryNet).
Since this fateful day, there has been much speculation on why Hamilton didn't just refuse to duel. Burr never held an elected position again, and Hamilton was given a hero's send-off (via National Archives). Burr was soon charged with murder in New York and New Jersey, and he went into hiding for a time (via Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History). The wound Hamilton suffered proved to be fatal he died the following day. Burr, however, took his shot, striking Hamilton in the right side. Reports vary, but it is thought that Hamilton accidentally fired first, missing Burr by a wide margin (via HistoryNet).
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