WI: Abraham Lincoln kills James Shields in their duel?

Zioneer

Banned
So this is one of the many places I've found the tale of Abraham Lincoln's "duel". The gist of it is, Lincoln and a few of his friends (including his future wife) made fun (in writing) of James Shields, State Auditor of Illinois, for poor decisions, but the insults got out of hand, and Shields eventually challenged Lincoln to a duel.

Since Lincoln didn't want anyone to die in a duel, and wanted to make the very idea of him dueling seem ridiculous, he insisted on choosing the weapons and location of the duel. Shields didn't back down until the day of the duel, when he saw Lincoln clearing away branches with the chosen weapon, a massive cavalry broadsword. Hey, I'd be terrified of the 6'4 man with a big freaking sword too. :p

Anyway, what if Shields didn't back down, and Lincoln ending up killing him? What happens then?

Or, improbably, what if Shields manages to kill Lincoln? Then what happens?
 
Lincoln would be seriously psychologically affected by it. He was no Jackson, another day, another death, kind of guy.

So this is one of the many places I've found the tale of Abraham Lincoln's "duel". The gist of it is, Lincoln and a few of his friends (including his future wife) made fun (in writing) of James Shields, State Auditor of Illinois, for poor decisions, but the insults got out of hand, and Shields eventually challenged Lincoln to a duel.

Since Lincoln didn't want anyone to die in a duel, and wanted to make the very idea of him dueling seem ridiculous, he insisted on choosing the weapons and location of the duel. Shields didn't back down until the day of the duel, when he saw Lincoln clearing away branches with the chosen weapon, a massive cavalry broadsword. Hey, I'd be terrified of the 6'4 man with a big freaking sword too. :p

Anyway, what if Shields didn't back down, and Lincoln ending up killing him? What happens then?

Or, improbably, what if Shields manages to kill Lincoln? Then what happens?
 
Well, no President Lincoln for one thing. I doubt this will have any national butterflies until the late 1850's. Imagine a Sewall vs. Breckinridge vs. Douglas vs. Bell race.
 
Even if killing a man wouldn't have messed up Lincoln psychologically, killing a man with a broadsword in 1842 would have made Lincoln completely unelectable. (Probably because he would have been hanged.)

No Lincoln isn't going to stop southern secession or the Civil War, it'll just change things around a little bit.
 
Even if killing a man wouldn't have messed up Lincoln psychologically, killing a man with a broadsword in 1842 would have made Lincoln completely unelectable. (Probably because he would have been hanged.)

Near as I can tell, dueling was not illegal in Illinois, so Lincoln wouldn't have been hanged. I do doubt he could have continued a political career in Illinois, but if he went out west the voters might be more forgiving.
 
Didn't he manage himself into another duel once, only this time he insisted on a large trench dug into the ground and each man had to stand several feet apart and hit each other with something (don't remember the details)? Or am I think of something else?
 
Near as I can tell, dueling was not illegal in Illinois, so Lincoln wouldn't have been hanged. I do doubt he could have continued a political career in Illinois, but if he went out west the voters might be more forgiving.

It was. They had to cross the Mississippi into Missouri in order to start the duel. Had Lincoln killed Shields on Missouri soil, it would have been perfectly legal if not politically damning in his home state across the river. But he would not have been sentenced to prison.
 
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