You always hear that it was “surprising” that Hamilton got killed by Burr in a duel, since it was tradition to miss your shot (but therefore saving your honor)
So, was that really the case? How often did someone just blast the other (unsuspecting) person? Did duels occur regularly?
PS: I grew up in DC and drove past the place where Hamilton and Burr had their duel regularly, kinda wild to think of.
I have several answers in the past which touch on what you are asking.
This one and this one mentions fatality rates, ands this one general frequency. This touches on 'someone just blast[ing] the other (unsuspecting) person.
PS: I grew up in DC and drove past the place where Hamilton and Burr had their duel regularly, kinda wild to think of.
You may be confusing this with a different duel. The Bladensburg Dueling grounds are just outside the city, but not where Hamilton dueled Burr. That was at Weehawken in New Jersey, across from New York City. Several notable duels happened at Bladensburg though, including the Cilley-Graves duel of 1838.