Secretary of Treasury, Cash, Pistols and a Death

As genealogists and family historians we are very familiar with the history of the area we are researching.

During my youth, we were taught in school about the history of this nation, the American Revolution and the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr.

Briefly, the Hamilton-Burr Duel occurred on 11 July 1804 at Weehawken, NJ. Both of these men were very prominent men of the era. Alexander Hamilton was a former Secretary of Treasury and Aaron Burr was a sitting Vice President. For years animosity had existed between the two men. Tensions between the two exploded during the 1804 New York Governor Race with Hamilton's defamation of Burr's character. This action resulted in the duel in which Alexander Hamilton was fatally wounded.  Hamilton died the next day.   

By 1804, duels were a common practice in the United States. The first recorded duel on American soil was fought in 1621.[1] For the most part dueling is a “gentlemen” sport. The first duel in the Americas was between two servants - Edward Doty and Edward Lester, of the Massachusetts colony. The weapon of choice was Swords – both sustained minor wounds.

The Last Duel fought in South Carolina and most likely the United States occurred on 5 July 1880 in Lee County, South Carolina.[2] The duel was between Col. Ellerbe Boggan Crawford Cash (challenger) and Col. William M. Shannon of Camden.  Their duel was the result of a “cat fight” between the wives of the two men over property division.  Their weapons of choice were pistols. Col. Shannon lost the duel and died on that day in Lee County.  

SC Historical Marker 31-1 marks the site and reads:[3]

CASH-SHANNON DUEL This was the site of the last fatal duel fought in S.C., in which Col. E.B.C. Cash of Cash's Depot killed Col. Wm. M. Shannon of Camden on July 5, 1880. This tragedy influenced the S.C. legislature to enact a law in December, 1880, making dueling a crime and requiring public officers, until 1954, to swear they had not been in a duel./ Erected by the Lee County Historical Commission, 1963 [18 June 1964] County: Lee Location: Hartsville Hwy. (U.S. Hwy. 15), just W of entrance to Lee State Park at Lee State Park Rd., Bishopville vicinity Marker ID: 31-1

 

The outcry, after the duel, was so vehement that the SC Legislative passed the anti-dueling law thus treating any future duelist as a common murderer.  He was tried for his actions in Court, October term 1880 and on 21 June 1881 he was acquitted. [4][5]

The Rock Hill Herald - Feb 9, 1943. Page 6, col 3

Col. E. B. C. Cash was born 1 July 1823 in Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina.

He was highly educated and as a Colonel in the state militia he commanded the 8^th SC Regiment at the 1^st Battle of Bull Run.

He lived in the community of Cash’s Depot just south of Cheraw, Chesterfield County, South Carolina.

I found a conflict in the death date of Col. Ellerbe Boggan Crawford Cash. A posting on this webpage  purported to be from the New York Times, is dateline Columbia, S. C. Feb. 27 and states that Col. Cash was buried yesterday (26 Feb. 1888, Sunday) and died on Saturday (25 Feb. 1888).[6]

FindAGrave Memorial #45618060 shows he died on 10 March 1888. [7]

He was a well educated man, lived an exciting life and was very generous. Augustus Dickert in his book[8] "History of the Kershaw's Brigade: with Complete Roll of Companies, Biographical Sketches, Incidents, Anecdotes, etc." sums up the life of Col. Cash with this statement and I quote "Colonel Cash was a man of strong character, fearless, brave, generous and true, a good friend and patriot." Enough said.  

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[1] http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/duel/sfeature/dueling.html

[2] http://www.scaet.org/markers/display.cfm?id=526

[3] Ibid.

[4] The Rock Hill Herald – Feb. 9, 1943, page 6, col 3. 
[5] The Rock Hill Herald - Jan 22, 1908. Page 7, Last Duel Fought In South Carolina

[6] Col. Cash Dead, The Man Who Fought The Last South Carolina Duel; The New York Times - February 28, 1888, transcribed by Dena Whitesell,    < http://genealogytrails.com/scar/chesterfield/obits_chesterfield.htm> 

[7] Find A Grave Memorial# 45618060
[8] D. Augustus Dickert, History of the Kershaw's Brigade: with Complete Roll of Companies, Biographical Sketches, Incidents, Anecdotes, etc. (Newberry, SC: Elbert H. Aull Company, 1899, page 104.