Here's a little bit of Florida history for you - having to do with dueling and revenge!

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Some people know that Orange County, Florida was called Mosquito County originally, but few know of Leigh Read County.

The renaming of Mosquito County to Leigh Read County begins with the story of the man, Leigh Read, and the circumstances of his life.

Leigh Read was born around the year 1800, possibly in Georgia. We don't quite know when he moved to Florida, but it probably sometime in the mid 1820s. In 1835 he enlisted as an officer in the Florida Militia at the beginning of the Second Seminole Indian War (1835-1842). He was wounded at the battle of Withlacoochee on December 31, 1835.

In 1836, based on his bravery under fire and his wounds, Read was recommended to President Andrew Jackson (and former governor of territorial Florida) to become the Brigadier General of the 1st Brigade of Florida Militia. This recommendation was made by the territorial governor of Florida, Richard K. Call.

President Jackson accepted the recommendation. Brigadier General Read took command of the 1st Brigade on September 10, 1836. The Brigade was ordered into service by Governor Call to aid the cause against the Seminole Indians in Central and South Florida. Read held command until January 5, 1837.

After completing his military service, Read settled in Tallahassee and married Eliza Branch, daughter of John Branch who would become Florida's last territorial governor (1844-1845). Read became a leader of the Florida Democratic Party as well as an official of the Territorial Council of Florida.

In 1837, Read was working in Tallahassee with the convention charged with the task of passing "An Act to call a Convention for the purpose of organizing a State Government." That act was passed in 1938. The result of this work was the Constitutional Convention of 1838, which set Florida on its journey to statehood seven years later.

During Florida's territorial years its capital, Tallahassee, was a wild and generally lawless town. One of Tallahassee's mayors, the reform-oriented Francis Eppes (grandson of Thomas Jefferson), described the town's Marion Race Course "A hotbed of vice, intemperance, gambling and profanity." He held that the rest of the town was little better. And Ralph Waldo Emerson, after a visit to the capital, called Tallahassee "A grotesque place of land speculators and desperados."

One of the hottest topics of public debate in the territory at that time was the issue connected with the banks. The Panic of 1837 soured many people on banks because of their questionable investments and subsequent loss of money which meant they could (and did) close their doors. In the debates of the bank issue the Whig Party were pro-banking while the Democrats were anti-banking. Leigh Read, as a leader of Florida's Democratic Party was anti-banking, and therefore was quite literally a target for leaders of the Whig Party.

In 1839, two Whig leaders sought to attack Leigh Read by challenging Read to duel concerning arguments over bank reform. One was William Tradewell. Read declined both challenges though he was heard to say that if he had to fight anyone, it would be the Whig's "Bulldog" himself - Augustus Alston.

Augustus Alston was born in Georgia in 1805. He was part of an influential and politically oriented family. An uncle of his - Willis Alston - was a member of the North Carolina House of Commons and U.S. Representative from North Carolina. Augustus, himself was a member of Georgia State House of Representatives. Augustus had two sisters and two brothers (Gideon and Willis). The Alston family was a prosperous planter family that moved to Florida around 1830 after purchasing large amounts of farmland between the Georgia border and Tallahassee. The made their home near Miccosukee. It was known that the Alston family had a great interest in weaponry and possessed a rare collection of dueling pistols.

Soon after moving to Florida, Gideon Alston and a family friend stepped outside the Alston house to test two old pistols. Only the friend returned. He explained that he had accidentally discharged his weapon and Gideon had been killed. The family supposedly accepted the story. However a few months later the friend was reported lost in a storm at sea and was never heard from again.

Around 1835, Willis Alston moved to Texas. That same year Augustus Alston joined the Florida Militia and became a colonel. After his service, he became a leader in the Florida Whig Party.

Augustus Alston was urged by his friends to challenge Read to a duel. He did so and Read, reportedly to the surprise of many, accepted the challenge. It was said that from that day on, Read was a doomed man. He was only a casual user of firearms - mostly connected with his military service - while Alston was well known to be a well-practiced shot.

The duel took place early in the morning on December 12, 1839. As the confident Alston left his home on his way to the duel, he instructed his wife and sisters to prepare a victory banquet for his return.

The duel was pre-determined to be "to the death" and Read, being the one who accepted the challenge was allowed to chose the type of weapons the two would use. He chose Jaeger rifles. This particular rifle was considered one of the most deadly at such short range because of its large caliber, and it also had a hair trigger. Read probably chose the weapon because it was most like the guns he used in the militia and with which he was most comfortable.

The two men walked the proscribed ten paces and wheeled around to face each other. Eyewitnesses reported that somehow Alston accidentally discharged his gun before he could raise it and aim. He then clutched the rifle to his breast as Read aimed and fired. The ball shattered through Alston's rifle trigger and hit Alston squarely in the chest and fell dead.

While the duel was considered fair by the observers and most others who heard the details, Alston's sisters called it murder since Alston fired before he could aim. His sisters took the lead ball that killed their brother, had it recast and sent to their brother Willis in Texas, demanding that he avenge his brother's death. This was known publicly, so from then on, Read chose to stay armed at all times.

In 1840 Read was elected speaker of the Florida Territorial Legislature. On the evening of January 6, 1840, he was entertaining friends at the traditional Speaker's Ball at the City Hotel. A tall figure, wearing a long cloak and hat pulled down over his face entered and strode toward Read. It was Willis Alston who had returned from Texas. He pulled a Bowie knife and lunged at Read. Read was able to pull his gun and fired. He grazed Willis' hand, but did not stop him. The two struggled until partygoers pulled them apart. Neither man was badly injured. Willis Alston left the event and dropped out of sight.

Over a year later, in the spring of 1841 Willis Alston arranged to stay with a friend, Michael Ledwith, in Tallahassee. It was common knowledge that Read often walked passed Ledwith's house, so Alston waited with a double-barreled shotgun. On April 27, 1841, Read and a friend were strolling past the house. Alston came out and from behind, shot Read in the back. It seriously wounded him but he was able to turn around to face his attacker. He was not able to get his gun out before Alston came up even closer and fired the second cartridge into Read's face. Read died instantly.

Alston was arrested and jailed but later escaped, due primarily to political influence and approximately $30,000 in bribes. He fled to Brazoria, Texas.

In Brazoria, Dr. Stewart, a Brazoria resident and also a former resident of Tallahassee who knew Leigh Read and knew of the murder found out that Alston was in the same town. Stewart shared with people that he was incensed that Read's killer lived near him. Alston learned of Stewart's comments and wrote them down on paper. One day, the two met on horseback and Alston handed Stewart the paper and asked the doctor if he did make the remarks. As a reply, Stewart got off his horse, drew his gun and shot Alston in the stomach. Although seriously wounded, Alston was able to pull his shotgun and fire point-blank at Stewart. The Doctor Fell dead.

Willis Alston once again found himself in jail for murder. One night a servant, who visited him, secreted a length of rope, wrapped around his body, into the jail. The rope was supposed to be part of an escape plan. Alston never got to use it, however, for later that same night, friends of Dr. Stewart stormed the jail, overpowered the Marshall and dragged Alston outside and fired a volley of bullets into him. This killed the last of the Alston brothers.

It took many more years before the duel became truly outlawed in Florida.

The next year, 1842, both houses of the territorial legislature passed a bill changing the name of Mosquito County to Leigh Read County. The name change was never official however. The bill was never submitted to the governor and therefore never signed into law. It was probably done as a measure of respect and never intended for it to become law. By the time Florida achieved Statehood three years later, Mosquito County had regained its name and would soon receive its third and final name: Orange.