Readers could be forgiven for mistaking this study for a historical
novel - not because the account is embellished with fictional
characters or details, but because Fleming brings his novelistic
flair to this portrait of power and politics in early America. Duel
is not thesis-driven; instead it offers a sweeping overview of the
lives and careers of Hamilton and Burr, the duel itself, and the
political context out of which it arose. Fleming (The Wages of
Fame, 1998; Over Here, 1992; etc.) situates the duel, which
resulted in Hamilton's death, in the larger context of Burr's
political fortunes: although once assumed to be Thomas Jefferson's
successor to the presidency, Burr, whom Fleming tags as America's
first professional politician, had lost favor within his own party
by 1804. But Fleming also shows that the duel was the culmination
of years of political infighting involving not only the two
principle protagonists, but also Jefferson, DeWitt Clinton, and
other prominent politicos of the day. To his credit, Fleming
remains impartial, depicting both Hamilton and Burr
sympathetically. If anyone looks less than admirable in this tale,
it's Jefferson, who appears at times disloyal, churlish, and
conniving. Though set in the early 1800s, this is clearly a story
for our day; gossipy and irrelevant asides about the characters'
sexual dalliances recall nothing so much as recent newspaper
accounts of current leaders. Details such as these, along with
observations that New York Federalists' favorite watering hole was
the Tontine Coffee House and descriptions of ladies' fashion, make
this an entertaining read - but they also render the book more
antiquarian than historical. No innovative historical analysis
here. But history buffs who have decried professional historians'
move away from both narrative and Great Man history will relish
Duel. (Kirkus Reviews)
All school children know the story of the fatal duel between
Hamilton and Burr - but do they really? In this remarkable
retelling, Thomas Fleming takes the reader into the
post-revolutionary world of 1804, a chaotic and fragile time in the
young country as well as a time of tremendous global
instability.The success of the French Revolution and the
proclamation of Napoleon as First Consul for Life had enormous
impact on men like Hamilton and Burr, feeding their own political
fantasies at a time of perceived Federal government weakness and
corrosion. Their hunger for fame spawned antagonisms that wreaked
havoc on themselves and their families and threatened to
destabilize the fragile young American republic. From that
poisonous brew came the tangle of regret and anger and ambition
that drove the two to their murderous confrontation in Weehawken,
New Jersey.Readers will find this is popular narrative history at
its most authoritative, and authoritative history at its most
readable.
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