Hamilton's second, Nathaniel Pendleton, is said to have asked Hamilton if he should set the hair trigger, to which Hamilton supposedly replied, "not this time." Furthermore, Hamilton had written a letter the night before resolving not to fire at Burr. That doesn't prove he didn't, but neither does the presence of the hair triggers prove that Hamilton used them to his advantage.

In the end, we cannot NOT know for certain what actually transpired during the few seconds when the shots were fired, a point made very professionally and eloquently by Joseph Ellis in Founding Brothers. Therefore, to suggest that there is a prevailing myth concerning the duel that one can conclusively debunk is uniformed or, worse, disingenuous.

And this one example brings into question these other examples of "myths" debunked and "truths" presented.