Augustus Albert Allen
Augustus Albert Allen | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1810 Virginia |
| Died | July 14, 1834 Mississippi |
Augustus Albert Allen (c. 1810–July 14, 1834), also known as Gen. A. A. Allen and "Baron Allen," was an American lawyer and politician. Originally from Virginia, he was at one time a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He settled in Mississippi in the 1830s and worked as a lawyer, banker, and land dealer. He was elected to the state legislature from Hinds County in 1833. He was killed in a duel with Alexander Keith McClung in 1834.
Life and career
[edit]Allen was born around 1810.[1] He was said to be from Virginia.[2] He entered West Point on July 1, 1828, at age 17, and was ranked 59 of 59 in his class that year, with 11 listed below him as either "found deficient" or "sick absent".[3][4][5] He was in the same class as George B. Crittenden, George Washington Cass, and Philip St. George Cocke.[4]
Allen was enrolled at the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1829–1830, when future Confederate general John Bankhead Magruder, at that time captain of the 1st Company of Cadets, "called upon Cadet Private Augustus Albert Allen to close up ranks. 'Baron' Allen, as he was known to his classmates, considered the command a personal insult, for which he demanded an apology."[6] Not immediately receiving one, Allen challenged Magruder to a duel, which Magruder accepted even though duels were prohibited under Academy regulations. Magruder's second, William N. Pendleton, ultimately acted as mediator and resolved the conflict, without gunfire, to the satisfaction of all parties. [6] In July 1830, Cadet Allen attended a dinner hosted by Philip P. Barbour at Lynchburg and toasted to the ex-presidents of the United States.[7] He did not graduate from the academy.[3]
In 1833 he was a commissioner selling building lots in the Mississippi state capital of Jackson.[8][9] He was on the board of directors of a Jackson bank in July 1833.[10] In 1833 he was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives from Hinds County.[11][1][12]
In January 1834 Allen's primary occupation was lawyer.[13] In June 1834, along with Isaac Caldwell (killed in an 1836 duel) and others, Allen was investigating public land sales at the Chocchuma land office.[14] In July 1834, Kentucky-born lawyer Alexander Keith McClung shot Allen in the mouth from 34 ft (10 m).[15] McClung's shot amputated Allen's tongue and smashed "several teeth...leaving a horrific wound from which he died in great agony."[15][16] McClung's shot "set a record for a death by smoothbore pistol at roughly 100 paces."[17] As many as 3,000 people, including 150 state legislators, were present at the Jackson dueling grounds to witness this event.[18][17] S. S. Prentiss and Felix Huston were apparently Allen's seconds in the duel, which was held on the banks of the Pearl River.[19][15]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "Jackson, July 25". Vicksburg Whig (Part 1 of 2). States Rights Banner. July 31, 1834. p. 2. & "...the rencontre..." Vicksburg Whig (Part 2 of 2). July 31, 1834. p. 3. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ "The following table exhibits the names..." The Weekly Mississippian. January 31, 1834. p. 3. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- 1 2 United States Military Academy (1902). List of cadets admitted into the United States Military academy, West Point, N. Y., from its origin till September 1, 1901, with tables exhibiting the results of examinations for admission, the corps to which the graduates have been promoted. Washington: Gov't print. off. p. 6.
- 1 2 "Official register of the officers and cadets v1829 16". USMA Catalog. United States Military Academy Printing Office. p. 16. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ Williams, Edwin (1830). The New-York Annual Register ... Containing an Almanac; Civil and Judicial List ... Respecting the State of New-York and United States. Leavitt.
- 1 2 Settles (2009), p. 13.
- ↑ "On the 13th inst". Daily National Journal. July 19, 1830. p. 3. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ "Jackson Building Lots". Mississippi Gazette. April 27, 1833. p. 4. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ "Jackson, November 24, 1833". The Weekly Natchez Courier. November 29, 1833. p. 3. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ "The Bank at Jackson". The Weekly Natchez Courier. July 26, 1833. p. 3. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ "Candidates for the Legislature". The Weekly Natchez Courier. October 25, 1833. p. 2. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ "Tuesday, November 19". The Weekly Natchez Courier. November 29, 1833. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ "The following table exhibits the names..." The Weekly Mississippian. January 31, 1834. p. 3. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ "The Star-Chamber Court of Inquisition". The Weekly Mississippian. June 20, 1834. p. 3. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- 1 2 3 Prichard (2008), p. 29.
- ↑ "Southern Duels". The Weekly Telegraph. Macon, Georgia. January 31, 1888. p. 8. Archived from the original on 2025-06-03. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
- 1 2 Lucas, Sherry. "Dueling: 'civilized' score settling explored". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ "The Code in '36". Savannah Reporter. March 23, 1877. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
- ↑ "Alexander McClung letter to the Weekly Mississippian concerning his duel with General Allen". The Weekly Mississippian. August 1, 1834. p. 3. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
Sources
[edit]- Prichard, Jim (April 2008). "A Killing Gentleman" (PDF). Kentucky Humanities. pp. 27–32. ISSN 1554-6284.
- Settles, Thomas (2009). John Bankhead Magruder: A Military Reappraisal. Genealogy by Kimberly C. Campbell. Baton Rouge: LSU Press. ISBN 978-0-8071-4962-1. LCCN 2008034611. Project MUSE book 16583.
- 1834 deaths
- 19th-century American lawyers
- 19th-century members of the Mississippi Legislature
- American politicians killed in duels
- Members of the Mississippi House of Representatives
- Mississippi lawyers
- People from Hinds County, Mississippi
- 19th-century people from Virginia
- United States Military Academy alumni
- Deaths by firearm in Mississippi