>...he responded with his choice of weapons: cow dung at 10 paces. That is not correct. >...Since Lincoln was challenged by Shields he had the privilege of ch

>...he responded with his choice of weapons: cow dung at 10 paces. That is not correct. >...Since Lincoln was challenged by Shields he had the privilege of choosing the weapon of the duel. He chose cavalry broadswords "of the largest size." "I didn't want the d—-d fellow to kill me, which I think he would have done if we had selected pistols," he later explained. For his own part, he did not want to kill Shields, but "felt sure [he] could disarm him" with a blade. At six feet, four inches tall, Lincoln planned to use his height to his advantage against Shields, who stood at a mere five feet, nine inches tall. >The day of the duel, September 22, arrived and the combatants met at Bloody Island, Missouri to face death or victory. As the two men faced each other, with a plank between them that neither was allowed to cross, Lincoln swung his sword high above Shields to cut through a nearby tree branch. This act demonstrated the immensity of Lincoln’s reach and strength and was enough to show Shields that he was at a fatal disadvantage. With the encouragement of bystanders, the two men called a truce. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/abraham-lincolns-duel https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/abraham-lincolns...