Jackson-Dickinson Duel Site
Adairville, Logan County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Jackson-Dickinson Duel. On the Jeff Burr farm in second "Poplar Bottom" is the site of the duel fought May 30, 1806. Andrew Jackson was wounded. Half mile west of site is Will Tyler farm where Charles Dickinson died. Miller's "Buttermilk Spring" is south on highway 75 two miles, on Old Burr farm.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
On May 30, 1806, future president Andrew Jackson met Charles Dickinson on the field of honor here near the Kentucky-Tennessee line, in a quarrel that had grown out of horse racing and wounded pride. Jackson took a ball near his heart—a wound he carried for the rest of his life—but held his fire, then killed his opponent. Dickinson died a half mile away at a nearby farm.
Why it matters
The duel captures the violent honor culture of the early frontier and the fierce, unyielding temperament of a man who would go on to reshape the presidency itself.
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Related people
- · Andrew Jackson
- · Charles Dickinson
Related events
- · Jackson–Dickinson duel (1806)
Themes & tags
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