Which two Georgia leaders were involved in a fatal duel during the revolutionary era?

• A. Mary Musgrove and Tomochichi
• B. John Reynolds and Henry Ellis
• C. Lyman Hall and George Walton
• D. Button Gwinnett and Lachlan McIntosh

Answer: (D)

Dueling among Revolutionary era Georgia leaders shows how personal and political rivalries could turn deadly. In this period, Button Gwinnett, a signer of the Georgia Declaration of Independence and a leading political figure, faced Lachlan McIntosh, a prominent military leader, in a duel in 1777. Gwinnett was mortally wounded and died days later, while McIntosh survived. This is the famous fatal duel tied to Georgia’s revolutionary leadership, which is why this pair stands out. The other individuals listed were important figures in Georgia’s history—diplomats, governors, and signers—but none of them are known for a fatal duel with another Georgia leader in the revolutionary era.