Dueling Instructions (New-York Historical Society)

On the day that Hamilton and Burr were at Fraunces Tavern, Hamilton’s second, Nathaniel Pendleton, sent Burr’s second, William Van Ness, a draft of instructions for the duel. The rules specified how many people could accompany each man, how they would get to the dueling grounds, and how the fight would be conducted: “If either should be wounded before he has fired, and means to fire, he shall, if he can stand unsupported, be entitled to his shot, and not otherwise.”