Weehawken, New Jersey, 11 July 1804

Two-hundred-fourteen years ago today, Alexander Hamilton was mortally wounded by Aaron Burr, in a wooden pistol duel that was the culmination of years of personal and political conflict. Hamilton succumbed to his wounds on July 12th. The incident helped to further legislation banning duels, and Burr was indicted for murder in the states of New York and New Jersey. Charges were dropped.

Incidentally, Alexander’s son, Philip Hamilton, was killed in a duel at age 19, in 1801, shot at the very same location where his father would also be fatally shot. Philip is pictured above, right.

First published in 1960, Wesleyan has reissued Interview in Weekhawken: The Burr-Hamilton Duel as Told in the Original Documents. The volume houses a closely annotated thread of documents, providing a riveting account of the lead-up to and aftermath of the disastrous duel. There is the fiery correspondence between Hamilton and Burr, notes and accounts from their seconds-in-command, and other documents that provide an immediate sense of the personalities and times. If the Broadway sensation Hamilton has left you wanting to learn more about this chapter in history, pick up a copy of Interview in Weehawken. It is a great resource for teachers of American history, and a perfect gift for a US history buff.

In the mean time, please enjoy these highlights from Drunk History‘s take on Alexander Hamilton, featuring Wesleyan’s own Lin-Manuel Miranda! Play Video.

Aubrey Plaza and Aliashawkat Hamilton, in “Drunk History”