284:, as he had only wanted to frighten his opponent, while others state that he fired into the air. During the duel the two men initially shot at one another but later moved to swords. Ritchie managed to stab Pleasants in the abdomen with a sword. Pleasants died two days later. Ritchie was tried for the crime but was acquitted. Despite his early vehemence towards the other man, Ritchie was greatly remorseful for his actions and later left Pleasants's daughter a large sum of money in his will.
28:
214:
Pleasants married his cousin Ann
Elizabeth Irvine in the spring of 1818, but their marriage was short lived as she died after only a year of marriage. This marriage produced no children. Ten years later in 1829 Pleasants married Mary Massie, with whom he had one child.
202:
for one session, after which point he began studying law. While
Pleasants was able to open his own practice, his fear of public speaking and lack of conversational skills kept him from succeeding in the profession. In 1820 Pleasants purchased interest in the
268:
Eventually the contempt between the two men grew to the point where
Ritchie called Pleasants an abolitionist and a coward. While Pleasants did lobby for the freeing of slaves he took issue with being called an
261:. The arguments between the two men were known to grow so fierce that they used their own newspapers as an avenue for heated discussions and journalists from other newspapers as far as
265:
would occasionally take part in their debates. Neither man was opposed to the emancipation of slaves, although
Ritchie favored a slower emancipation process than Pleasants.
641:
666:
646:
273:, a term that was seen as an insult in slaveholding states. As a result, Pleasants challenged Ritchie to a duel and the two men met on February 25, 1846, in
219:
487:
453:
661:
574:
534:
497:
463:
312:
270:
162:(January 4, 1797 – March 1, 1846) was an American journalist and businessman. He is known as the editor and founder of the
423:
397:
524:
302:
651:
671:
254:
199:
175:
253:
published viewpoints and news on the institution of slavery and some of these viewpoints put
Pleasants at odds with
242:
191:
48:
676:
656:
636:
631:
274:
27:
616:
223:
371:
612:
338:
246:
171:
570:
530:
493:
459:
308:
281:
566:
280:
Accounts of the duel differ slightly. Some allege that
Pleasants had loaded his pistol with
195:
167:
144:
365:
625:
559:
607:
262:
603:
455:
Chesterfield County
Chronicles: Stories from the James to the Appomattox
245:
and during its run was one of the four major newspapers in the city of
174:. Pleasants died on March 1, 1846, after participating in a duel with
561:
American
Mobbing, 1828-1861 : Toward Civil War: Toward Civil War
234:
207:
and began serving as an editor. Four years later he founded the
398:"Confederate Newspapers in Virginia During the Civil War"
307:. University of Virginia Press. pp. 129, 130, 109.
198:
and
Susanna Lawson Rose Pleasants. He studied at the
137:
129:
79:
71:
55:
34:
18:
558:
613:A GUIDE TO THE PLEASANTS FAMILY PAPERS, 1745-1898
249:. Like many newspapers during the Civil War, the
529:. Kent State University Press. pp. 27, 46.
178:, who was the editor of a rival newspaper, the
8:
489:Rambles of a Runaway from Southern Slavery
190:Pleasants was born on January 4, 1797, in
26:
15:
642:19th-century American newspaper editors
360:
358:
356:
293:
101: 1818; died 1819)
667:People from Goochland County, Virginia
518:
516:
588:John H Pleasants ABOlitionist coward.
458:. The History Press. pp. 43–44.
447:
445:
443:
441:
417:
415:
333:
331:
257:, who edited the rival newspaper the
7:
647:19th-century American businesspeople
424:"Richmond History: Duel in Richmond"
370:. Edward O. Jenkins. 1847. pp.
339:"Pleasants family Papers, 1745-1898"
565:. Oxford University Press. p.
14:
170:that was later active during the
526:Pen of Fire: John Moncure Daniel
492:. University of Virginia Press.
367:American Review: A Whig Journal
116:
98:
1:
304:Richmond: The Story of a City
452:Dallmeyer, Diane C. (2011).
226:claimed to be his daughter.
150:Susanna Lawson Rose (mother)
200:College of William and Mary
693:
301:Dabney, Virginius (1990).
192:Goochland County, Virginia
49:Goochland County, Virginia
662:American male journalists
426:. Richmond Times Dispatch
241:The newspaper served the
25:
557:Grimsted, David (1998).
523:Bridges, Peter (2002).
400:. Encyclopedia Virginia
384:John Hampden Pleasants.
75:Journalist, businessman
604:John Hampden Pleasants
486:Goings, Henry (2012).
160:John Hampden Pleasants
20:John Hampden Pleasants
341:. Library of Virginia
275:Manchester, Virginia
133:1 (with Mary Massie)
88:Ann Elizabeth Irvine
652:Duelling fatalities
617:Library of Virginia
224:Mary Ellen Pleasant
672:American duellists
247:Richmond, Virginia
422:Waddelove, Anna.
259:Richmond Enquirer
180:Richmond Enquirer
157:
156:
684:
677:Pleasants family
591:
590:
585:
583:
564:
554:
548:
547:
545:
543:
520:
511:
510:
508:
506:
483:
477:
476:
474:
472:
449:
436:
435:
433:
431:
419:
410:
409:
407:
405:
393:
387:
386:
381:
379:
362:
351:
350:
348:
346:
335:
326:
325:
323:
321:
298:
120:
118:
102:
100:
62:
44:
42:
30:
16:
692:
691:
687:
686:
685:
683:
682:
681:
622:
621:
600:
595:
594:
581:
579:
577:
556:
555:
551:
541:
539:
537:
522:
521:
514:
504:
502:
500:
485:
484:
480:
470:
468:
466:
451:
450:
439:
429:
427:
421:
420:
413:
403:
401:
395:
394:
390:
377:
375:
364:
363:
354:
344:
342:
337:
336:
329:
319:
317:
315:
300:
299:
295:
290:
239:
205:Lynchburg Press
188:
168:daily newspaper
153:
145:James Pleasants
125:
122:
119: 1829)
114:
110:
104:
96:
92:
89:
67:
64:
60:
51:
46:
45:January 4, 1797
40:
38:
21:
12:
11:
5:
690:
688:
680:
679:
674:
669:
664:
659:
657:Virginia Whigs
654:
649:
644:
639:
634:
624:
623:
620:
619:
610:
599:
598:External links
596:
593:
592:
575:
549:
535:
512:
498:
478:
464:
437:
411:
396:Tunnell, Ted.
388:
352:
327:
313:
292:
291:
289:
286:
255:Thomas Ritchie
238:
228:
187:
184:
176:Thomas Ritchie
155:
154:
152:
151:
148:
141:
139:
135:
134:
131:
127:
126:
124:
123:
112:
108:
107:
105:
94:
90:
87:
86:
83:
81:
77:
76:
73:
69:
68:
65:
63:(aged 49)
57:
53:
52:
47:
36:
32:
31:
23:
22:
19:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
689:
678:
675:
673:
670:
668:
665:
663:
660:
658:
655:
653:
650:
648:
645:
643:
640:
638:
635:
633:
630:
629:
627:
618:
614:
611:
609:
605:
602:
601:
597:
589:
578:
576:9780195353662
572:
568:
563:
562:
553:
550:
538:
536:9780873387361
532:
528:
527:
519:
517:
513:
501:
499:9780813932385
495:
491:
490:
482:
479:
467:
465:9781609491420
461:
457:
456:
448:
446:
444:
442:
438:
425:
418:
416:
412:
399:
392:
389:
385:
373:
369:
368:
361:
359:
357:
353:
340:
334:
332:
328:
316:
314:9780813934303
310:
306:
305:
297:
294:
287:
285:
283:
278:
276:
272:
266:
264:
260:
256:
252:
251:Richmond Whig
248:
244:
236:
232:
231:Richmond Whig
229:
227:
225:
221:
216:
212:
210:
209:Richmond Whig
206:
201:
197:
193:
185:
183:
181:
177:
173:
169:
165:
164:Richmond Whig
161:
149:
146:
143:
142:
140:
136:
132:
128:
106:
85:
84:
82:
78:
74:
72:Occupation(s)
70:
59:March 1, 1846
58:
54:
50:
37:
33:
29:
24:
17:
608:Find a Grave
587:
580:. Retrieved
560:
552:
540:. Retrieved
525:
503:. Retrieved
488:
481:
469:. Retrieved
454:
428:. Retrieved
402:. Retrieved
391:
383:
376:. Retrieved
366:
343:. Retrieved
318:. Retrieved
303:
296:
279:
271:abolitionist
267:
263:Philadelphia
258:
250:
240:
237:with Ritchie
230:
220:civil rights
217:
213:
208:
204:
189:
179:
163:
159:
158:
61:(1846-03-01)
637:1846 deaths
632:1797 births
109:Mary Massie
626:Categories
582:19 October
542:19 October
505:19 October
471:19 October
430:19 October
320:19 October
288:References
243:Whig Party
41:1797-01-04
404:7 October
378:7 October
345:7 October
222:activist
186:Biography
172:Civil War
147:(father)
130:Children
66:Virginia
615:at the
138:Parents
121:
113:
103:
95:
91:
80:Spouses
573:
533:
496:
462:
311:
282:blanks
218:Black
196:James
194:, to
115:(
111:
97:(
93:
584:2015
571:ISBN
544:2015
531:ISBN
507:2015
494:ISBN
473:2015
460:ISBN
432:2015
406:2015
380:2015
374:–294
347:2015
322:2015
309:ISBN
235:duel
233:and
166:, a
56:Died
35:Born
606:at
372:285
628::
586:.
569:.
567:89
515:^
440:^
414:^
382:.
355:^
330:^
277:.
211:.
182:.
117:m.
99:m.
546:.
509:.
475:.
434:.
408:.
349:.
324:.
43:)
39:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.