Button Gwinnett – engaged in a pistol duel with General Lachlan McIntosh

Posted by Billy Hart in American History | 0 comments

My Notes

Button Gwinnett has a fascinating name. I wonder if this was difficult for him growing up? Middle-school-aged boys can be very cruel. I can only imagine the teasing he received.

Mr. Gwinnett has one of the most dramatic deaths of all the signers of the Declaration. On May 16, 1777, Button Gwinnett engaged in a pistol duel with General Lachlan McIntosh. He lost the duel and his life.

I wonder if General McIntosh made a comment about Mr. Gwinnett’s name. Hmm…

Quotes I like by Button Gwinnett

I have been unable to find any quotes by Button Gwinnett. You can find a brief quote on Phil Webster’s blog along with a letter from Lyman Hall to Roger Sherman which references Gwinnett’s tragic death.

UPDATE: August 9^th, I added a post for Lyman Hall which gives his letter describing the duel between Button Gwinnett and General Lachlan McIntosh.

Brief Biography

Button Gwinnett, a Delegate from Georgia; born in Down Hatherly, Gloucestershire, England, and baptized in 1735; pursued an academic course; engaged in mercantile pursuits in Bristol, England; immigrated to the United States and settled in Charleston, S.C.; engaged in commercial pursuits; moved to Savannah, Ga., in 1765 and entered business as a general trader; elected to the Commons House of Assembly, 1769; moved to St. Catherines Island, Ga., in 1770 and engaged in planting; delegate to the Provincial Congress at Savannah in 1776; Member of the Continental Congress in 1776; a signer of the Declaration of Independence; member of the State constitutional convention in February 1777; Acting President and commander in chief of Georgia from February to March 1777; unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Georgia; engaged in a duel May 16, 1777, with Gen. Lachlan McIntosh, which resulted in his death, near Savannah, Ga., May 19, 1777; interment probably in the Old Colonial Cemetery (later called Colonial Park), Savannah, Ga.