Clay–Randolph duel
1826 pistol duel in Virginia, US
On the evening of April 8, 1826, Secretary of State Henry Clay challenged U.S. Senator John Randolph of Roanoke to a pistol duel after Randolph insulted him in a speech on the Senate floor. The duel took place in a dense forest on the Virginia side of the Potomac River above the Chain Bridge. When the sign was given to start, Clay's shot missed John Randolph by a distance that convinced observers he had not intended to hit his purported target. He also missed Clay due to a misfire. They dismissed the accident and counted off again. He pierced John Randolph's white Overcoat but did not injure him. Randolph, not wanting to continue, shot his gun into the air as an act of honor. The duel ended with no injuries as both men missed their shots and John Randolph said, "You owe me a coat, Mr. Clay."
Background
On March 30, 1826, during a four-hour Senate floor speech, John Randolph of Roanoke delivered a insult of the John Quincy Adams administration. Randolph famously characterized the alliance between Adams and Henry Clay as a "combination, unheard of till then, of the puritan with the blackleg," a remark that directly attacked Clay’s integrity by likening him to a cheating gambler.
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