DUELING PISTOLS

AIRED: Season 2, Episode 5
THE DETECTIVE: Elyse Luray
THE PLACE: San Francisco, California

THE CASE:

A San Francisco bank owns two antique pistols, allegedly used in the last great duel on U.S. soil.

Fought in 1856, the duel was between abolitionist Senator David Broderick and then California Supreme Court Justice, David Terry.

150 years later, a bank employee wants to know if these guns are authentic—and more about the duel.

History Detectives are on the case to find out what really happened.

Was it about slavery or honor? Did the duel influence the outcome of the Civil War?

More Leads

Links

United States Senate - Duel by the Lake
The United States Senate has an account.

Unite States Congress - David Broderick
The United States Congress official biography of Broderick.

Broderick-Terry dueling place
See where the duel was fought.

Abraham Lincoln and Dueling
Learn more about the sixteenth president's almost-duel.

Dueling in America
This eclectic site has a range of links to related content, includes links to primary source material available online.

"Bang! Bang! You're Dead!", from Smithsonian magazine
A thorough and fascinating excerpt from a book about the history of dueling.

Book

Gentlemen's Blood: A Thousand Years of Sword and Pistol. Barbara Holland. New York: Bloomsbury USA, 2003.