In this segment, Les Sinclair talks with historian Rick Britton about THIS WEEK IN U.S. HISTORY: Two hundred and fifteen years ago yesterday, on July 11th, 1804, Vice President Aaron Burr mortally wounded Alexander Hamilton.

Realizing that Jefferson was going to dump him from the 1804 ticket, Burr ran for governor of New York and lost. Burr blamed the loss on a smear campaign launched by his Federalist rivals, one of whom was Alexander Hamilton (former secretary of the treasury). During an exchange of letters—it was rumored that Hamilton held a “despicable opinion” of the vice president—Burr demanded that Hamilton recant or deny any statement disparaging Burr’s honor over the past 15 years. Hamilton, already disgraced by an adultery scandal, refused, so Burr challenged him to a duel.

On July 11, 1804, the political enemies met outside Weehawken, New Jersey. Both men fired, and Hamilton was mortally wounded by a shot just above the hip.

Observers disagreed on who fired first. The evidence reveals that Hamilton spent time getting used to the feel of the pistol, and was determined to intentionally miss Burr. Historians have noted that “Hamilton brought the pistols, which had a larger barrel than regular dueling pistols, and a secret hair-trigger, and were therefore much more deadly,” and concluded that “Hamilton gave himself an unfair advantage in their duel, and got the worst of it anyway.”

Hamilton was evacuated to a friend’s home where he received visitors including a bishop who baptized him before he died July 12th. Burr was charged with multiple crimes, including murder, in New York and New Jersey, but was never tried in either jurisdiction. Burr fled to South Carolina, but soon returned to Washington to complete his term as vice president.

ALSO: Rick Britton has an OLLI class at Michie Tavern that starts August 1st. It’s called “Conversations in Albemarle County History” and features “Jefferson’s Greatest (Lesser Known) Accomplishments,” “Thrill-Seeker B. F. Ficklin” (one of the founders of the Pony Express), and “The 1864 Skirmish at Rio Hill” (this area’s only Civil War combat). Registration starts on Tuesday, July 16th. To sign up go to www.olliuva.org or call (434) 923-3600.