Dickinson returned to the mark and waited for Jackson’s fire. He was at the General’s mercy. Jackson could have been magnanimous and refused the shot or fired into the air, but he had promised to kill Dickinson and nothing could dissuade him. “I should have hit him,” he reportedly said, “if he had shot me through the brain.”36 Slowly Jackson raised his pistol and took aim. He squeezed the trigger. There was a “click” as the hammer stopped at half cock. Dickinson waited. Jackson drew back the hammer, aimed again, and fired. The bullet struck Dickinson just below the ribs. He reeled. His friends
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