Duel: James Jackson vs. Captain Joseph Anthony

Date: 1787
Location: Georgia (generally recorded near Savannah)
Weapons: Pistols

Cause of the Duel

James Jackson — a Revolutionary War officer, influential Georgia politician, and later governor — became embroiled in a bitter dispute with Captain Joseph Anthony over political accusations and personal insults.

Accounts indicate that Anthony publicly questioned Jackson’s integrity and military honor, calling him unfit for leadership.

For Jackson, whose reputation rested heavily on military service and public virtue, this attack crossed into a direct violation of personal honor. He demanded satisfaction, and Anthony accepted.

Quotes from the Combatants

No verbatim challenge letters are preserved, but statements recorded by contemporaries note:

• Anthony reportedly called Jackson’s conduct “dishonorable and unbecoming an officer.”
• Jackson’s challenge (summarized in period accounts) asserted that Anthony had made “false and scandalous reflections on my character,” and Jackson insisted that only a duel could resolve the insult.

Because the duel was a local affair rather than a high-profile political event, surviving documentation is limited.

Outcome of the Duel

• The two men exchanged fire at the agreed distance.
• Captain Joseph Anthony was killed.
• James Jackson was unharmed.
• Although the killing generated controversy, Jackson’s rising political career continued; he later became Georgia’s governor and a U.S. senator.

Witnesses / Seconds

Specific names of the seconds are not definitively recorded in surviving documents.

Most historical summaries simply note that the duel was conducted “with proper seconds” according to contemporary dueling practice. Georgia newspapers of the era did not preserve the identities of the attending parties.