Anatomy of a Duel

"Full of big personalities confronting allegiance, honor, vengeance, and justice during the Civil War, Anatomy of a Duel prompts us to reconsider Kentucky and its place in the politics and culture of the nineteenth century. Stuart Sanders's books draw readers into illuminating moments in Kentucky history with engaging characters and new insight into complex social and political worlds through a tightly focused lens. He delivers yet again."—Dr. Patrick A. Lewis, author of For Slavery and Union: Benjamin Buckner and Kentucky Loyalties in the Civil War

"In this excellent work, Stuart Sanders offers a compelling account of the tragic consequences of the code duello against the backdrop of Kentucky's Civil War. Given the current epidemic of violence in the land, Anatomy of a Duel also makes an important contribution to the sociology of violence in America."—James M. Prichard, author of Embattled Capital: Frankfort, Kentucky in the Civil War

"With Anatomy of Duel: Secession, Civil War, and the Evolution of Kentucky Violence, Stuart Sanders makes a much needed contribution to the growing body of scholarship on Southern honor and the significant role it played in that society into the Civil War. By providing this excellent microhistory, Sanders gives us not only a fascinating forensic look into this particular event, but also a more complete picture of the complexity of Civil War Kentucky."—Timothy R. Talbott, Civil War scholar and battlefield preservationist

"Sanders' work is a captivating and thorough examination of the intersection of politics, violence, and issues of honor in Kentucky's Civil War era. Viewed through the people and events of one of the state's last formal duels, this study reveals not only the complex issues of Kentuckians' loyalties during the Civil War, but also the changing nature of violence in relation to men's sense of personal honor. As an exploration of the ideological issues of the war and the far-reaching effects of such acts of violence on the Bluegrass state, Sanders shows that the Metcalfe-Casto duel cast a long shadow on Kentucky's history."—Andrea S. Watkins-Sutherland, co-author of Kentucky Rising: Democracy, Slavery, and Culture from the Early Republic to the Civil War