“D” is for Dueling

“D” is for Dueling. Duels took place in South Carolina from colonial times until 1880, when the General Assembly officially outlawed the practice. The practice of dueling reached its peak between 1818 and 1860. Though it occurred throughout the English colonies and the United States, the practice was concentrated in the South, and South Carolina was the site of a disproportionate number of duels. Duels could be fought for any number of breaches in the code of honor that informed personal relationships among South Carolina’s elite. Once a gentleman's honor was called into question, a series of formal, highly ritualized steps took place. Many of South Carolina's leading colonial and antebellum men participated in duels as either principals or seconds. Dueling gradually fell out of favor, however, and the practice was outlawed after the infamous Cash-Shannon duel of 1880.