Replies

1. 
   McDesign | Jun 07, 2008 03:45pm | #1

   Cool!  That's a pretty great media presentation, as well.

   Forrest

1. 
   lwj2 | Jun 07, 2008 03:52pm | #3

   Yeah, I thought it was pretty well done. I'm going to check the NYT for the next few days to see if they follow up on the story.Leon

2. 
   Henley | Jun 07, 2008 03:50pm | #2

   The McDonald's in my hometown has a mural painted in the back
   of Hamilton in his duel over his #### lover...
   Bloody and graphic.

   Somehow that image always pops in my head when he's mentioned.

1. 
   MSA1 | Jun 07, 2008 04:07pm | #4

   Great image to feed the kids their happy meal in front of too.:>)

2. 
   FatRoman | Jun 07, 2008 04:58pm | #5

   What's the mural depicting? I've never heard of some affair of the heart lying beneath the action of the duel.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr-Hamilton_duel'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb

1. 
   Henley | Jun 07, 2008 05:08pm | #6

   Well, Hamilton college is there so it was just common
   knowledge (maybe urban myth).
   It was so taken for granted that I'm surprised that your
   link had an alternate take.

   The Mural wouldn't be helpful I don't think. It shows the too men
   in the act of turning and firing on each other.
   There was a plaque describing some of the spectators and who they were. It's been too long to remember tho.

1. 
   FatRoman | Jun 07, 2008 05:50pm | #7

   Very interesting. I just read through a few more explanations, and while it's certain that Hamilton was a ladies' man on the prowl, there doesn't seem to be any evidence that he and Burr shared a lover, or were themselves entwined.

   Even looks as though the exact nature of the duel is not known. It was speculated that Hamilton made some intemperate remarks on the close relationship between Burr and Burr's daughter as being incestuous. But there was a long history of Burr and Hamilton being on opposite sides of political campaigns, and plenty of room for bad feelings to develop between two hotheads.

   Interestingly though, it was Burr who brokered a cease fire of sorts between James Monroe (and the Jeffersonian Democrats) and Hamilton, over Hamilton's scandal at being romantically acquainted with Maria Reynolds (Hamilton was accused, rightly, of paying Reynolds' husband cash in trade for Hamilton's continued dalliances with her; whether he also was trading information about government securities that Reynolds could profit off of was the heart of the scandal).

   Some good info here

   Do you still live near Hamilton College? I spent two years at Colgate for a masters. Beautiful part of the country, at least from May to early November!'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb

1. 
   Henley | Jun 07, 2008 07:14pm | #8

   Interesting excerpt.
   I have a couple of friends who are proffesors at Hamilton.I'll
   E-mail them and see what they say.
   It seams strange to me that with all his personal transgressions
   that this myth would form. I mean his life was full of embarrassing and
   intriguing scandals, to have a homosexual affair isn't any more
   interesting. I live outside of Cooperstown now about sixty miles from Clinton
   (Hamilton college).
   Yes it's a great place to live. I don't even mind the winters, the
   economy is tough tho. Hamilton NY is a great town. I used to go riding out that way.
   There is a nice Souci restaurant there now. Were you there when the Colgate students stole the Alexander Hamilton statue from Hamilton?