# Alexander Hamilton DIDN'T Fire?????? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 23, 2009, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495 "2009-03-23T19:44:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495/1 "2009-03-23T19:44:20Z")
Saw this during the night on PBS!!! My OG! How noble is **that** , kids? (or am I missing something?;)) Quasi ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495/2 "2009-03-23T20:07:29Z")
I thought that he DID fire, but deliberately missed Burr by a mile. He seems to have hoped Burr’s sense of honor would be satisfied by that gesture. Needless to say, it WASN’T. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495/3 "2009-03-23T20:29:45Z")
**PBS** said he _didn’t_ **astorian**. I think it’s one of those DVD’S one can buy… What struck me as being so noble was the letter to his wife… My OG, what a MAN! Q ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495/4 "2009-03-23T20:36:11Z")
Hamilton fired first! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495/5 "2009-03-23T20:39:20Z")
Then WHY does PBS have it wrong?? Or maybe I **heard** it wrong. If so, my apologies, but the _letter_? Did I at least get THAT right??? Q ---
**Author:** ![Calatin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Calatin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calatin)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495/6 "2009-03-23T20:45:38Z")
According to [this documentary](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V_DsL1x1uY), he never fired. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495/7 "2009-03-23T20:52:24Z")
I’m sorry. I’m just trying to get things back to normal…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495/8 "2009-03-24T13:38:28Z")
I could swear that I read some time ago that…well, let me back up. Popular myth, apparently, was that Hamilton fired well over Burr’s head, after which Burr fired his fatal shot. Most folks, so the story goes, believe that Hamilton missed intentionally, hoping to end the duel honorably with no one injured, and that Burr took advantage and struck Hamilton down in cold blood. However, I recall reading some years back that the pistols used in the duel were examined, leading to a surprising discovery: Hamilton’s pistol (or possibly both, I can’t recall) had been modified. The trigger had been specially crafted to go off with something like a half pound of pressure, significantly less than the 10 or so pounds usually required for a trigger pull. In other words, Hamilton had intended to cheat. But because the trigger required such a light pull, it had gone off prematurely, which is why Hamilton’s bullet had whizzed over Burr’s head. And a quick search finds [this old article from Smithsonian magazine](http://www.aaronburrassociation.org/Smithsonian.htm) that backs me up. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495/9 "2009-03-24T16:43:29Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > The trigger had been specially crafted to go off with something like a half pound of pressure, significantly less than the 10 or so pounds usually required for a trigger pull. In other words, Hamilton had intended to cheat. But because the trigger required such a light pull, it had gone off prematurely, which is why Hamilton’s bullet had whizzed over Burr’s head. > > And a quick search finds [this old article from Smithsonian magazine](http://www.aaronburrassociation.org/Smithsonian.htm) that backs me up. I don’t understand how a hair trigger would be an advantage in a duel. It wasn’t a Hollywood-Western duel, where you draw and fire. It was a turn-taking exercise. According to _Founding Brothers_, Hamilton’s men insist Hamilton intended to miss; Burr’s men insisted he didn’t intend to miss. The simplest explanation is that both sides were telling the truth. Hamilton intended to miss, but didn’t make it as obvious as he could have, firing overhead instead of toward the river or something. Incidentally, Hamilton, delirious in the boat afterward, also warned his men to be careful with his pistol because he believed it was still loaded. Is it possible the hair-trigger surprised him too? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495/10 "2009-03-24T16:45:57Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Incidentally, Hamilton, delirious in the boat afterward, also warned his men to be careful with his pistol because he believed it was still loaded. Is it possible the hair-trigger surprised him too? If it’s “still loaded,” doesn’t that mean he didn’t fire? They didn’t have multi-shot pistols then, did they? ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495/11 "2009-03-24T16:48:48Z")
Well, yes, but he was delirious - he’d been shot. He was wrong (unless the PBS documentary is right, which I haven’t seen), but I wonder if some of his confusion was because the gun went off when he didn’t mean for it too. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495/12 "2009-03-24T16:58:36Z")
> [@bup](#): > > I don’t understand how a hair trigger would be an advantage in a duel. It wasn’t a Hollywood-Western duel, where you draw and fire. It was a turn-taking exercise. My assumption would be that a lighter trigger would be easier to fire quickly and more accurately - not in a cowboy draw-and-shoot sort of way, just holding your hand steady and applying pressure - less likely to move… ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495/13 "2009-03-24T22:32:04Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > My assumption would be that a lighter trigger would be easier to fire quickly and more accurately - not in a cowboy draw-and-shoot sort of way, just holding your hand steady and applying pressure - less likely to move… Yup. Competetive target shooters make this sort of modification often, for exactly that reason. The effort of pulling the trigger can cause your grip to flex which, in turn, moves the gun. Crazy-light trigger pulls effectively eliminate that effect. ---
**Author:** ![brownie55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f14d63/32.png) [@brownie55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brownie55)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495/14 "2009-03-24T23:07:42Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > My assumption would be that a lighter trigger would be easier to fire quickly and more accurately - not in a cowboy draw-and-shoot sort of way, just holding your hand steady and applying pressure - less likely to move… The more accurately part is correct. Almost all competitions have a minimum trigger pull to even the field and provide for safety. ETA: What Inigo said, how did I miss that? ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495/15 "2009-03-25T01:35:58Z")
I was of the understanding that one of the pistols involved was converted to percussion-fire sometime in the later 19th Century (according to my copy of _Fired In Anger: The Personal Handguns of American Heroes and Villains_, anyway- I see the linked article confirms that too), and no-one was sure which gun was whose. Certainly, I was of the belief that Hamilton had deloped (deliberately aimed off) but the “accidentally fired too soon” theory is just as plausible. There were multi-shot guns in 1804, but not pistols (with the exception of a few double-barrelled or Nock gun models) FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495/16 "2009-03-25T02:29:53Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > Hamilton fired first! 😃 So that would make Burr Greedo? But wait… Greedo died, so Burr must be Han Solo. Only Han Solo fired first, so Hamilton must be Solo. But Solo didn’t get dead; Greedo did! OK, now you’ve gotten me confused. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495/17 "2009-03-25T02:49:40Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#): > > My OG! > > How noble is **that** , kids? Depends on just what you think it means to be honorable, I suppose. From [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr-Hamilton_duel#Hamilton.27s_intentions): > [@](#): > > In _Statement on Impending Duel with Aaron Burr_, a letter that Hamilton wrote the night before the duel, Hamilton stated that he was “strongly opposed to the practice of dueling” for both religious and practical reasons and continued to state: > > “ I have resolved, if our interview is conducted in the usual manner, and it pleases God to give me the opportunity, to reserve and throw away my first fire, and I have thoughts even of reserving my second fire. ” > > When Burr later learned of this, he responded: “Contemptible, if true.” ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495/18 "2009-03-25T03:45:08Z")
I should mention for those of you following along at home that “Deloping” was considered an… undesirable practice in some circles as it basically said to your opponent _“You’re not worth the bullet.”_ There were, of course, many duels in which _both_ participants deloped by “Gentlemen’s Agreement”; honour was satisfied (as the duel had taken place), and no-one got hurt or killed. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495/19 "2009-03-25T03:55:07Z")
In the end though, Hamiliton really won. He is known as one of the founding brothers and held in esteem by the general public, and Aaron Burr is only known because he killed Hamilton, thanks to the milk commercial. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495/20 "2009-03-25T04:04:04Z")
Wait a minute. Your founding fathers duelled? Ours were just drunk. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-hamilton-didnt-fire/490495.md?page=2)