"Possession, carrying, or storage of any weapon by any person, except a police officer, is prohibited on Institute property . . . 'Weapon' means any pistol, revolver, or other weapon designed or intended to propel a missile of any kind, or any dirk, bowie knife . . . ."

Regulations for the Virginia Military Institute
20 December 2011

While Christian's friend and classmate William M. Morris continued to do his best to convince Christian to call Blackburn out more or less formally, for a duel, William Robert Winn, continued to suggest alternative approaches to saving face. His suggestions befitted one of John Brockenbrough's law students.

If Mary Anderson "had heard from a reliable source anything derogatory" to Christian's "character as a gentleman," Winn suggested "she could not be blamed" for writing the note that Christian found so humiliating.

And if Blackburn had heard from "any credible source" that Christian was an inappropriate companion" for his cousin, " Winn reasoned, as "a near relation, he might be excused" for advising her not to be seen with him.

And, he continued, if either or both those things were true, if Blackburn were "the gentleman he claimed to be " justice to Christian and himself" would compel him to give up the name of "Christian's calumniator."

There was absolutely no need, Winn insisted, for another face-to-face confrontation. Why not simply write a note, he suggested, "asking Mr. Blackburn for his information."

Christian, still leery of confronting Blackburn directly, immediately asked Winn and Morris to draft just such a note for him.

Winn demurred, insisting Morris was much the better writer, whereupon Morris, no doubt flattered, retired pen-in-hand to his room.

While waiting for Morris to return with his draft, Winn reiterated what seemed to him to be the critical question in the affair: Did Blackburn's remarks indicate that had said something negative about Christian based "upon a mere rumor" or was Blackburn "responsible for the slander himself?"

Christian admitted he wasn't sure and went back to his own room to think about it.

In the meantime Morris had finished his draft. Leaving the freshly inked document on his desk to dry, he headed back to Winn's room to let everyone know.

Morris and Christian arrived back at Winn's room at about the same time.

Upon hearing that the draft was finished, Christian immediately set off to Morris's room to read the still wet letter.

With Christian out of the room, Winn then asked Morris, the same question he'd put to Christian: whether Blackburn had defamed Christian on his own, or was merely repeating something he'd heard from someone else.

While they were discussing the matter, Christian returned, praising Morris's draft land insisting that his two friends deliver it immediately to Blackburn.

After talking to Winn, however, Morris was now having second thoughts.

He put Winn's critical question once more to Christian and heard for himself that Christian really had no idea whether Blackburn, or someone else, was the original source of the slander.

When Christian admitted once more that he really didn't know, Morris immediately retracted his draft.

"If you understand Blackburn to be responsible for the slander, that is not the note," Morris said. "It would be a farce to carry it."

Christian, still doing his best to avoid having to face Blackburn again, suggested that, in any case " . . . it would be best to have Blackburn's statements in writing."

Winn, by that point, was having none of it.

He repeated the advice he had given Christian earlier.

Christian, he said, "had better go to Blackburn and ascertain the fact whether he was as responsible for communicating the slander."

As for the slanderous remarks themselves, Morris noted, if Blackburn insisted that he was only passing on things that he'd heard others say, "then he would be honor bound to give up the name" of their author.

That said, Christian's alternatives could not be clearer, Morris continued.

"If Blackburn should say he was responsible for the calumny itself " then Christian had only three choices: 1. "to challenge him;" 2. to "tell him what he thought of him and take the consequences;" or 3. "to back out and prove himself a coward."

Backed into a corner, Christian surrendered, promising Winn and Morris that he would go to Blackburn and put to him precisely those questions.

"If Blackburn said he was the author of the slander," Christian promised, " he would tell him that he was no gentleman; and if Blackburn assailed him, he would defend himself as circumstances required."

According to Winn, Christian also swore he would not initiate an attack on Blackburn, but would only defend himself "as best he might under the circumstances."

At that, Winn and Morris, no doubt much relieved that they would not have to see Blackburn, went for a walk, leaving Christian to his thoughts.

As they walked, they were joined by a VMI Cadet, William C. Mason of the class of '56, who had himself reportedly "had some difficulty with Blackburn."

At around 7:00 PM, just before sundown, Winn, Morris and Mason stopped by the room occupied by another of Judge Brockenbrough's law students, Taliaferro Stribling.

Christian was there closely examining percussion caps for the two pistols he was now carrying: his new pepperbox and an older, more accurate, single-shot, rifled-barrel weapon.

When Christian noticed Winn in the room, he asked if he could borrow his knife.

Winn, Christian knew , was the proud owner of an extraordinary blade, and one he's sworn never lend to anyone.

"It belonged to my brother," Winn told the group in Stribling's room. "It was a Bowie knife that he carried with him in traveling through the Western States.

When the group heard Winn's description of the knife several of the boys immediately asked to see it. Winn agreed, and the entire group trooped off to his room.

There he opened his trunk, removed the Bowie knife, and laid it on his table for everyone to admire.

The boys took turns handling it, examining it's inch-and-a-half-wide blade, feeling its edge and weight.

Christian, according to Winn, was the last to hold it.

"I told him to hand it [back] to me," Winn said, "but he remarked in a careless tone, 'Why, Winn! I believe I will keep it anyway," whereupon he slipped the weapon "into the waistband of his pants and walked out of the room."

Later that evening Christian stopped by Winn's room yet again, this time concerned about rumors he had heard of Blackburn's behavior since the fateful "interview" at McDowell's Hotel.

"Winn, what do you reckon?" Christian complained, "that rascal is adding insult to injury. He is going about the street calling me a coward."

Christian did not, however, reveal his sources.

When pressed by Winn, he would only go so far as to say he'd heard the rumors from "a friend."

At that point Winn asked for his Bowie knife again.

Instead of giving it back, however, Christian talked Winn into letting him keep it.

"He said he did not intend to use it except in extremis," Winn said. " He was afraid when he should meet Blackburn that he would have a crowd of Cadets about him, and if he had no weapons to defend himself, and none of his friends were present, the Cadets would beat him to death -- that he wanted to keep the knife to protect himself against numbers."

Christian probably clinched the argument, however, by simply asking Winn to go with him into the street.

Winn "declined on the plea of business" . . . but let Christian keep the knife.