Aaron Burr Alexander Hamilton duel

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A 20th century artistic rendering of the July 11, 1804 duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton by J. Mund. Duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr After the painting by J. Mund. From Beacon Lights of History, Volume XI, by John Lord

Location: Weehawken, New Jersey. Date: July 11, 1804. Target: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr. Attack type: Duel. Weapon(s): Wogdon pistols. Deaths: (Hamilton). Injured: (non-fatal). None: Perpetrators: Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton.

This Image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1923 are copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923, in this case 1902, are now in the public domain.

In the early morning hours of July 11, 1804, Burr and Hamilton departed by separate boats from Manhattan and rowed across the Hudson River to a spot known as the Heights of Weehawken in New Jersey, a popular dueling ground below the towering cliffs of the Palisades. Hamilton and Burr agreed to take the duel to Weehawken because although dueling had been prohibited in both states,

image edited by sookietex. Unedited image: Aaron Burr Alexander Hamilton duel

New York more aggressively prosecuted the crime (the same site was used for 18 known duels between 1700 and 1845). In an attempt to prevent the participants from being prosecuted, procedures were implemented to give all witnesses plausible deniability. For example, the pistols were transported to the island in a portmanteau, enabling the rowers (who also stood with their backs to the duelists) to say under oath that they had not seen any pistols.