Palace
Feature
у
jam
л.
jpaiai
“И
Heated exchange
by Sam K. Spalding
‘eated argument
leads to gunfire
-and death” - while
this information may sound ripped
from today’s headlines, it in fact
occurred over 200 years ago when
two New Bern politicians engaged
in a heated exchange of letters that
ultimately led to a duel. After the
smoke cleared late that September
afternoon in 1 802, Richards Dobbs
Spaight was mortally wounded and
John Stanly, Jr. found himself on the
wrong side of the law.
Although they were nearly 20 years
apart in age, Spaight and Stanly
were both successful politicians who,
at one time, were both members
of the Federalist Party. Over the
course of their political careers, they
had represented New Bern in the
state General Assembly and North
Carolina in the U.S. Congress.
Spaight also was the first native
bom North Carolinian to serve as
governor of the state.
Tire cause for the disagreement
started in 1798 when Spaight
switched his party allegiance over
his opposition to the Alien and
Sedition Acts and entered Congress
as a Democrat-Republican. Spaight’s
support of the repeal of the Acts
and of Ihomas Jefferson’s election
in 1800 no doubt earned him
the enmity of staunch Federalists
everywhere. Spaight, who lost
his sear in Congress to Stanly in
1800, ran for the State Senate in
1802. Spaight immediately fell
into disfavor with Stanly, who
actively tried to foil his opponent’s
of letters in 1802 led to Spaight- Stanly duel
A re-enactwent of /he Spaigbt-Stailly duel nil I take place at 4 p.m. Sept. 5 o/i the Academy Green.
campaign. Stanly, known tor his
stinging political attacks, referred
to Spaight as a renegade from
the Federalist Party and made
disparaging remarks about his
alliance with the Republicans.
On August 8, 1 802, on a New
Bern street corner, Stanly started
questioning Spaight’s voting record
and his Republican convictions.
Spaight heard about these remarks
and challenged Stanly to a duel.
While Stanly argued his way out
of the duel temporarily, what
ensued was a series of written
attacks in the form of letters,
newspaper publications and
handbills circulated around town.
F.ach vitriolic response served to
escalate the situation, bringing both
men closer to violence. Finally, on
Sunday morning, September 5, by
way of his friend, Attorney Edward
Graham, Stanly issued his own
challenge to Spaight for a duel.
I he challenge was accepted and
the two men’s “seconds,” Edward
Graham for Stanly and Dr. Edward
Pasteur for Spaight, arranged the
duel. It was set for the same day,
September 5, 1802, at 5:30 p.m.
behind the local Masonic Flail.
Duels were frowned upon in 1802,
but they were not yet illegal. The
duel itself attracted a large number
of spectators.
The rwo men fired a series of three
shots at one another. Neither was
hit on the first shot, but on the
second, Stanly’s coal was ripped by
Spaight’s bullet. Neither was hit on
the third shot, but on a fourth shot,
Spaight was wounded. 1 le was shot
in ihc side and carried oil the field.
Fie died the next day, September
6, 1 802, and was buried outside of
New Bern in the family sepulcher at
his Clermont estate.
Spaight’s influential friends
con turned on page 14
XT
Summer 2005
lace 3
