… in the Napoleonic era?.
"My knowledge of historical dueling comes mainly from fiction, and there are two circumstances that I am curious about the historical accuracy of. Both of these are from fiction set in the Napoleonic wars, in duels involving military officers.
The first is from the film The Duelists. The combatants fence with smallswords, and one wounds the other seriously, but non-fatally. For some reason, the characters in the film see this as a draw, and arrange to fight again another day. Is this historically accurate? You'd think that was a complete outcome. (For those of you who have seen the film, there are several other ways their duels end in a draw which I'm not sure about, if you wish to comment on them, but this is the one I am most interested in.)
The second is from the book League of Dragons (which is fantasy, but the dueling scene has no fanciful elements). The combatants are preparing to fire pistols across a field, when one shoots early, badly wounding the other. His second takes his place and fires a return shot, then asks for a second exchange, and severely wounds the other man.
Is this how an accident/cheat would have been dealt with? If the early shot had been fatal, could the shooter be charged with a crime?
In general, my questions are circling the questions: What counted as a victory in duels of this period, and how were the rules of the duel enforced?…"
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