The Rest Is History

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685. Hamilton: Duel to the Death (Part 3)

Explore episode Jul 5, 2026
History
The Morning of the Duel: Weehawken, 11 July 1804

685. Hamilton: Duel to the Death (Part 3) · Jul 5, 2026 History

At 6:30 AM on 11 July 1804, Burr arrived at a ledge twenty feet above the Hudson River at Weehawken, New Jersey — the same spot where Philip Hamilton had died. Hamilton followed at 7 AM, choosing the same pistols his son had likely used, with the oarsmen instructed to face away so they could deny all knowledge.

Where this was said

The Final Days: Garden Parties and Farewell Letters

At 48:00 · chapter starts 46:00

The duel was scheduled five days after it was agreed — Hamilton needed to finish his court cases first. During the intervening days, both men had to continue their lives in a small city where everyone knew each other. At an Independence Day dinner for veterans of the revolution, an observer noted that Burr was 'silent, gloomy, sour' while Hamilton was convivial and even sang an old military song. On 7 July, Hamilton and Eliza hosted 70 guests for a garden party at the Grange, with musicians hidden in the woods — nobody suspected what was coming. By 9 July, Hamilton kissed Eliza goodbye and rode into the city for the last time. He spent the next two nights at his townhouse at 54 Cedar Street, writing farewell letters and that pre-duel statement setting out his intention to throw away his shots.

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