Charles Lucas (Missouri)
Encyclopedia
Charles Lucas was an entrepreneur and legislator in Missouri Territory
who was killed in a duel with U.S. Senator Thomas Hart Benton
.
and moved with his father John B. C. Lucas to St. Louis, Missouri
in 1805. He received a college degree from Jefferson College in 1810.
Lucas engaged in considerable land speculation including buying much of the land in the wake of the New Madrid Earthquake
in 1811. He also received a large land grant in Normandy, Missouri
in what is now suburban St. Louis.
He joined a volunteer Army unit in the War of 1812
and was stationed in Portage des Sioux, Missouri
.
After the war he served on the Legislature of the Missouri Territory
.
When they encountered each other again in an August 1817 election, the 24-year-old Lucas challenged whether 35-year-old Benton owned property and could legally vote. Benton replied he owned slaves and paid taxes on them and could vote and then called Lucas according to one version an "insolent puppy." Another slightly different said Benton told the judges:
Lucas then challenged Benton on August 11 to a duel with a note:
The challenge arrived to Benton after had spent the night at the wake
of his dead friend Edward Hempstead
. Benton accepted but said that he wanted to complete the funeral. The terms of the duel called for it to be held at 6 a.m. and the shots to be fired from 30 feet.
The two met on August 12, 1817 on Bloody Island. Lucas was shot in the neck and Benton was shot below the right knee. Lucas was unable to continue. Benton "released" Lucas from an obligation to continue the duel.
Rumors circulated questioning Benton's motives and whether Benton who was a better shot had deliberately set the duel rules so they were further apart. On September 23 Benton challenged Lucas to a rematch with the following note:
Lucas who had been in Cape Girardeau, Missouri
received the note on September 26 and agreed to the duel on September 27 on Bloody Island. He died within an hour after being shot. Benton extended his hand to Lucas and Lucas replied "I forgive you."
Lucas' second for both duels was Joshua Barton
who would also die in a duel on the island.
Missouri Territory
The Territory of Missouri was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 4, 1812 until August 10, 1821, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Missouri.-History:...
who was killed in a duel with U.S. Senator Thomas Hart Benton
Thomas Hart Benton (senator)
Thomas Hart Benton , nicknamed "Old Bullion", was a U.S. Senator from Missouri and a staunch advocate of westward expansion of the United States. He served in the Senate from 1821 to 1851, becoming the first member of that body to serve five terms...
.
Early life
Lucas was born in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
and moved with his father John B. C. Lucas to St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
in 1805. He received a college degree from Jefferson College in 1810.
Lucas engaged in considerable land speculation including buying much of the land in the wake of the New Madrid Earthquake
New Madrid earthquake
The 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes were an intense intraplate earthquake series beginning with an initial pair of very large earthquakes on December 16, 1811. These earthquakes remain the most powerful earthquakes ever to hit the eastern United States in recorded history...
in 1811. He also received a large land grant in Normandy, Missouri
Normandy, Missouri
Normandy is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,008 at the 2010 census.-History:The town is on land once owned by Charles Lucas. Lucas obtained property from the federal government with land grants, and he purchased the land from victims of the New Madrid...
in what is now suburban St. Louis.
He joined a volunteer Army unit in the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
and was stationed in Portage des Sioux, Missouri
Portage Des Sioux, Missouri
Portage Des Sioux is a city in St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The town sits on the Mississippi River roughly opposite Elsah, Illinois, and is the home of the riverside shrine of Our Lady of the Rivers. The population was 367 at the 2007 census. The city was founded in 1799 by...
.
After the war he served on the Legislature of the Missouri Territory
Missouri Territory
The Territory of Missouri was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 4, 1812 until August 10, 1821, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Missouri.-History:...
.
Duels with Thomas Hart Benton
In August 1817 Lucas and Benton as attorneys were opposite sides of a court case and accused each other of lying.When they encountered each other again in an August 1817 election, the 24-year-old Lucas challenged whether 35-year-old Benton owned property and could legally vote. Benton replied he owned slaves and paid taxes on them and could vote and then called Lucas according to one version an "insolent puppy." Another slightly different said Benton told the judges:
- Gentlemen, if you have any questions to ask, I am prepared to answer, but I do not propose to answer charges made by any puppy who may happen to run across my path.
Lucas then challenged Benton on August 11 to a duel with a note:
- I am informed you applied to me on the day of the election the epithet of 'Puppy.' If so I shall expect that satisfaction which is due from one gentleman to another for such an indignity.
The challenge arrived to Benton after had spent the night at the wake
Wake
A wake is the region of recirculating flow immediately behind a moving or stationary solid body, caused by the flow of surrounding fluid around the body.-Fluid dynamics:...
of his dead friend Edward Hempstead
Edward Hempstead
Edward Hempstead was an American lawyer, pioneer, and one of the early settlers in the new Louisiana Purchase in 1805. Born in New London, Connecticut, Hempstead was the delegate in the U.S. House for the Missouri Territory from 1812 to 1814...
. Benton accepted but said that he wanted to complete the funeral. The terms of the duel called for it to be held at 6 a.m. and the shots to be fired from 30 feet.
The two met on August 12, 1817 on Bloody Island. Lucas was shot in the neck and Benton was shot below the right knee. Lucas was unable to continue. Benton "released" Lucas from an obligation to continue the duel.
Rumors circulated questioning Benton's motives and whether Benton who was a better shot had deliberately set the duel rules so they were further apart. On September 23 Benton challenged Lucas to a rematch with the following note:
- SIR: When I released you from your engagement to return to the island, I yielded to a feeling of generosity in my own bosom, and to a sentiment of deference to the judgment of others. From the reports which now fill the country it would seem that yourself and some of your friends have placed my conduct to very different motives. The object of this is to bring these calumnies to an end, and to give you an opportunity of justifying the great expectation which has been excited. Colonel Lawless will receive your terms, and I expect your distance not to exceed nine feet.
Lucas who had been in Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Cape Girardeau is a city located in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is located approximately southeast of St. Louis and north of Memphis. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 37,941. A college town, it is the home of Southeast Missouri...
received the note on September 26 and agreed to the duel on September 27 on Bloody Island. He died within an hour after being shot. Benton extended his hand to Lucas and Lucas replied "I forgive you."
Lucas' second for both duels was Joshua Barton
Joshua Barton
Joshua Barton was the first Missouri Secretary of State and was involved in three duels with prominent Missouri politicians before being killed in a duel....
who would also die in a duel on the island.