![]() ![]() The Duke of Wellington ruthlessly cashiered officers caught duelling during the Peninsular War, but even his iron will could not stamp out the practice entirely. Accusations of cowardice and battlefield incompetence were the chief causes but non-combat issues figured in as well cheating at cards, unpaid gambling debts, adultery with the wrong woman, or sexual deviancy. ![]() Although routinely threatened with courts-martial and cashiering for a practice long considered injurious to military discipline, officers still contrived to fight frequent duels. Military officers whose guiding ideal was to be the classic sans peur et sans reproache leader were even punctilious about honour than civilian gentlemen. (Image source: WikiCommons) Officers and Gentlemen Before the advent of duelling pistols, feuding gentlemen used swords to settle disputes regarding matters of honour. Even subtlety implying the honour of a gentleman or his in-laws was tarnished in any way, would likely result in the speaker being called out. The same would apply if those insults were directed toward a man’s family, a good friend, or woman of quality. Call a gentleman a coward, a cheat, a liar or a scoundrel to his face or in print and that individual would have no recourse but to issue a challenge. ![]() A slight might be ignored if the offender were falling down intoxicated “in wine” was the contemporary term. Alcohol was often a factor heavy drinking was common among gentlemen. Usual causes of duels were perceived slanders, libels, disrespectful language or simply careless words delivered in a public venue. A woman of substance might well ask a man she was considering as a husband, “have you blazed yet, sir?”Ī gentleman’s personal honour could be easily transgressed by a wide variety of offences. How a man performed in a duel could make or break his reputation. On the other hand, a duel furnished a gentleman a chance to publicly display his resolve, sang froid and courage in the defence of that most sacred of well-born causes: personal honour. No low born man dared issue a challenge nor would he ever receive one horse-whippings or canings administered by one’s social betters sufficed as impromptu justice for the riff-raff. Duels were for private quarrels involving gentlemen. Hamilton’s untimely demise stimulated noisy if unsuccessful calls for the end of the practice of duelling once and for all, even though it had long been illegal in both the United States and Great Britain.ĭuelling existed outside the law it provided quick, dramatic, and effective remedies that were either unavailable in courts or simply beyond their purview. He perished in 1804 in the most famous duel in American history. But quite as remarkable as Alexander Hamilton’s life was the manner of his death. THE MUSICAL Hamilton is the toast of Broadway and has renewed interest in the life of America’s first Secretary of the Treasury. “The Duke of Wellington ruthlessly cashiered officers caught duelling during the Peninsular War, but even his iron will could not stamp out the practice entirely.” Many generals broke subordinates who partook in such contests. ![]() Duelling fatalities were a leading cause of death for officers in 18th and 19th century peacetime militaries. ![]()
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