Bloody Island (Mississippi River)
Bloody Island was a sandbar or "towhead" (river island) in the Mississippi River, opposite St. Louis, Missouri, which became densely wooded and a rendezvous for duelists because it was considered "neutral" and not under Missouri or Illinois control.
1853 Map of Bloody Island towhead | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Mississippi River, East St. Louis, Illinois |
| Coordinates | 38°38′18″N 90°10′26″W |
| Administration | |
United States | |
| Additional information | |
| The neutral ground, between Illinois and Missouri, of many notorious duels in the 19th century, including Thomas Hart Benton and Charles Lucas. It’s also in St. Clair County in Illinois. | |
| Duration | 1817-1856 |
|---|---|
| Location | Bloody Island Dueling Grounds |
| Participants | Thomas Hart Benton vs. Charles Lucas (fought two duels in 1817)
Joshua Barton vs. Thomas C. Rector (1823) Thomas Biddle vs. Spencer Darwin Pettis (1831) Benjamin Gratz Brown vs. Thomas C. Reynolds (1856) |
| Casualties | |
| Thomas Hart Benton and Charles Lucas, both wounded in first duel
Charles Lucas, killed in second duel Joshua Barton, killed Thomas Biddle vs. Spencer Darwin Pettis, both killed Benjamin Gratz Brown, wounded | |
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