Biography/History:

Robert Garland

Robert Garland was an attorney who resided in Vicksburg, Warren County, Mississippi, between 1827 and 1830. It is uncertain what became of Garland after 1830.

Isaac Caldwell was born on November 30, 1775, possibly in Adair County, Kentucky. He enlisted in the army at the age of seventeen. Caldwell served under General Andrew Jackson in the battle of New Orleans between December 1814 and January 1815. He later studied law and moved to Clinton, Hinds County, Mississippi, around 1824. Caldwell married Elizabeth Robinson, daughter of Raymond and Anna Hicks Robinson of Hinds County. The couple resided in Clinton where they had three children: Anna, Jane, and Raymond. Caldwell was appointed to the Mississippi Supreme Court on September 28, 1825, and served until January of 1826. He ran for circuit judge in 1828 but was defeated. Around this time, Caldwell challenged Major John R. Peyton of Raymond, Hinds County, to a duel when Peyton voted against legislation to move the state capital from Jackson to Clinton. Neither man was seriously injured in the duel.

Caldwell fought a duel with Colonel Samuel Gwin on January 12, 1836. He was apparently offended by Gwin’s remarks about Caldwell’s law partner, George Poindexter, at the inauguration of Governor Charles Lynch on January 7, 1836. Caldwell was mortally wounded in the duel and later buried near his home in Clinton.

This collection consists of an October 10, 1827, letter written by Robert Garland of Vicksburg, Warren County, Mississippi, to Judge Isaac Caldwell of Clinton, Hinds County, Mississippi. In the letter, Garland challenges Caldwell to a duel over an unspecified personal matter regarding Garland’s friend, Dr. Newell. He closes the letter by stating that his friend, Major Perkins, will make the necessary arrangements for the duel.

1. Letter. 1827. 1 folder.