Brass Barreled Smoothbore Dueling Pistol

When one has a dispute today, it is more likely they will take to scathing social media than write a letter with thinly veiled demands for open combat. The same cannot be said of George Clarke 'The Builder" in 1810 when he attempted to initiate an illegal duel with this very pistol. Dueling had been a popular means of defending one’s honor for hundreds of years in Europe, with the tradition naturally carrying over to North America. However, dueling was outlawed in New York after 1802 and while this did not completely stop the practice, it did give grounds to arrest George Clarke for his attempt to initiate one. Clarke sent out the initial letter of intent when caught in the crossfire of rising U.S.- U.K. tensions. Amidst broiling frustrations over the British Empire, Senator DeWitt Clinton accused English-born Clarke of mistreating his American tenants. Clinton even went as far as to publicly question whether Clarke should own American property at all. Clarke could not let such slander stand and sent Clinton two letters via his proxy in response, demanding to meet in person for an “interview.” Despite never stating the word “duel,” George’s discretion did not save him from being jailed and forced to publicly apologize to Clinton.

While the duel never took place, this pistol would have been Clarke’s weapon of choice. It was originally one of a pair, made in 1792 by gun manufacturer Thomas Ketland and Company. The gun’s rosewood stock has a silver cartouche, the metal plated initials “G.C.,” and an inscription of “London,” which is significant because only the highest quality weapons could bear the name due to the city’s strict guild system. Pistols like this one were a common choice for duels, as short-barreled flintlocks were difficult to aim and had limited accuracy. This reduced the possibility of death in duels to as low as seven percent and added an element of chance that leveled the playing field. Given his chances – and lack of social media – it should come as no surprise that George Clarke tried to duel.