Thomas Biddle
Encyclopedia
Thomas Biddle was a War of 1812
hero who died in a duel
with Missouri
Congressman Spencer Pettis.
Biddle was born into the powerful Biddle family
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. His father was Charles Biddle
, a member of the Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
, and his brother was Nicholas Biddle
, president of the Second Bank of the United States
.
During the War of 1812
he was commissioned as a captain in the infantry under Zebulon Pike
. He saw action at Fort George
and Stony Creek
and was wounded at Fort Erie
and again in the Battle of Lundy's Lane
.
In 1814 he was brevetted
to major and became an aide for George Izard.
In 1820 he became an army paymaster in St. Louis, Missouri
.
During an 1830 campaign speech Congressman Spencer Pettis criticized Biddle's brother Nicholas, President of the Second Bank of the United States
.
Biddle then went to Pettis' hotel room in St. Louis, Missouri
where he whipped Pettis severely with a piece of cowhide. Pettis won re-election to Congress by a wide margin.
In 1831 Pettis challenged him to a duel. Biddle, who was nearsighted, set the terms of meeting at five feet. They met on August 27, 1831 at Bloody Island (Mississippi River) and both men were mortally wounded. Pettis died the following day while Biddle lived until August 29.
Both men were buried with honors.
Biddle is buried in Bellefontaine and Calvary Cemeteries
.
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...
hero who died in a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
with Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
Congressman Spencer Pettis.
Biddle was born into the powerful Biddle family
Biddle family
The American Biddle family of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania yielded numerous and diverse people of interest down to the present era.William Biddle and Sarah Kempe were Quakers who emigrated from England to America in 1681 in part to avoid religious persecution...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. His father was Charles Biddle
Charles Biddle
Charles Biddle was a Pennsylvania statesman.His father was William Biddle, 3rd , and mother was Mary Scull ....
, a member of the Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania comprised the executive branch of the Pennsylvania State government between 1777 and 1790...
, and his brother was Nicholas Biddle
Nicholas Biddle (banker)
Nicholas Biddle was an American financier who served as the president of the Second Bank of the United States.-Ancestry and early life:...
, president of the Second Bank of the United States
Second Bank of the United States
The Second Bank of the United States was chartered in 1816, five years after the First Bank of the United States lost its own charter. The Second Bank of the United States was initially headquartered in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, the same as the First Bank, and had branches throughout the...
.
During 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...
he was commissioned as a captain in the infantry under Zebulon Pike
Zebulon Pike
Zebulon Montgomery Pike Jr. was an American officer and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is named. As a United States Army captain in 1806-1807, he led the Pike Expedition to explore and document the southern portion of the Louisiana Purchase and to find the headwaters of the Red River,...
. He saw action at Fort George
Fort George, Ontario
Fort George National Historic Site is a historic military structure at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, that was the scene of several battles during the War of 1812...
and Stony Creek
Stony Creek
Stony Creek may refer to some places in the United States:Waterways* Stony Creek , a tributary of the Sacramento River* Stony Creek , a tributary of the Patapsco River...
and was wounded at Fort Erie
Fort Erie
Fort Erie was the first British fort to be constructed as part of a network developed after the Seven Years' War was concluded by the Treaty of Paris at which time all of New France had been ceded to Great Britain...
and again in the Battle of Lundy's Lane
Battle of Lundy's Lane
The Battle of Lundy's Lane was a battle of the Anglo-American War of 1812, which took place on 25 July 1814, in present-day Niagara Falls, Ontario...
.
In 1814 he was brevetted
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
to major and became an aide for George Izard.
In 1820 he became an army paymaster in 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...
.
During an 1830 campaign speech Congressman Spencer Pettis criticized Biddle's brother Nicholas, President of the Second Bank of the United States
Second Bank of the United States
The Second Bank of the United States was chartered in 1816, five years after the First Bank of the United States lost its own charter. The Second Bank of the United States was initially headquartered in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, the same as the First Bank, and had branches throughout the...
.
Biddle then went to Pettis' hotel room in 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...
where he whipped Pettis severely with a piece of cowhide. Pettis won re-election to Congress by a wide margin.
In 1831 Pettis challenged him to a duel. Biddle, who was nearsighted, set the terms of meeting at five feet. They met on August 27, 1831 at Bloody Island (Mississippi River) and both men were mortally wounded. Pettis died the following day while Biddle lived until August 29.
Both men were buried with honors.
Biddle is buried in Bellefontaine and Calvary Cemeteries
Bellefontaine and Calvary Cemeteries
Bellefontaine Cemetery and the Roman Catholic Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri are adjacent burial grounds, which have numerous historic and extravagant tombstones and mausoleums. They are the necropolis for a number of prominent local and state politicians, as well as soldiers of the...
.