The NC Museum of History re-enacted the historic duel between former Governor Richard Dobbs Spaight and former Congressman John Stanly on the Capitol Grounds today. The event was part of the Tar Heel Junior Historian annual conference and the unusual sound of gunfire caused a bit of a stir in the Capitol Building.
The two men dueled on August 8, 1802 in New Bern after a series of public letters criticizing each other’s political allegiances. Stanly had also defeated Spaight in a campaign for Congress just two years earlier. In the duel Spaight was injured and died a day later.
Richard Dobbs Spaight was one of three governors from New Bern, including his son, Richard Spaight, Jr. and Bev Perdue. Spaight was also one of three North Carolinians to sign the U.S. Constitution.
John Stanly served in Congress from 1801-1803 and from 1809-1811, and served many terms in the State Legislature. Stanly County was named for him in 1841.