The Code Duello: Dueling in
the 18th and 19th Century
Mr. Phipps
U.S. History
Brief History of Dueling Until
1700
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(1385) France officially abolished
the trial by individual combat
(1410) The first essential manual
on dueling, Flos Duellatorum, was
published
(1570) England, under Queen
Elizabeth I, abolished dueling
(1527) Charles V made dueling
acceptable again by challenging
Francis I of France .
In France, swordplay developed
into such an obsession that
Henry IV was alarmed enough to
outlaw it in 1599.
By the 1700s, dueling was more
about honor than deftness with a
sword.
The Code Duello
• Set of 36 dueling rules
adopted in Ireland (1777) that
soon spread elsewhere.
• Laid out proper etiquette for
dueling
• Reserved the right to choose
the place and weapons for
the challenged person.
• Ensured a fair fight and a
“civil” way to deal with
problems.
• American dueling followed the
main rules, but not all of them.
Main Points of Dueling
• In the beginning, dueling was a form of justice: God would spare
the innocent
• Refusing a challenge meant you were a coward, and your place in
society was very negatively affected
• Dueling was about honor: if you thought someone had damaged
your reputation, you could challenge him
• The winner was considered innocent of the charges against
him, and his honor was restored.
• Before the adoption of the Code Duello, you could only challenge
your social equal, and it was okay to refuse a challenge from
someone of lower rank. Dueling was mainly for the upper class
• The Code Duello allowed the following:
– It was an outlet for aggression
– It improved your status in society
– It impressed the ladies and possible employers
The Process
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A typical challenge was due to
insult or a (perceived) damage to
reputation
The challenged person could
either apologize, or accept and
choose the place for the “field of
honor” and the weapons
Each person would bring a doctor
and usually three Seconds
The Seconds would try to settle
the dispute before resorting to
violence
If you didn’t show up, you were a
coward
The seconds would prepare their
friend for the duel and stay alert
for cheating, and since dueling
was illegal, the authorities
Process Continued
• Cheating was VERY dishonorable: scrupulous Seconds
would sometimes shoot their own dueler if they caught
him cheating.
• Fighting until “first blood” was usually considered
dishonorable; death usually occurred from the wounds
received, not from explicit fighting to the death.
• The duel was over when the conditions were met—
usually when one person could not fight anymore, or
unless the doctor requested that the fighting stop.
Dueling Pistols
• At the time the American Revolution, dueling
pistols were common
• Pistol shots were deadlier, especially at close
range, but less accurate
• Until the 1830s, they were equipped with “hair
triggers” ready to go off at the slightest touch
• Hair triggers were bad if you were jumpy, but if
you were the calm sort, they allowed for a faster
and more accurate shot.
Politics and Dueling
• Politics were at the center
of every American’s heart,
and it was taken very
seriously.
• People from opposing
parties would consider
each other a “threat to the
country and a personal
insult.”
• Newspaper editors would
often receive many
challenges, which typically
had a short shelf life.
Moving West
• As the duel moved west,
it lost some of its class.
• Westerners typically
didn’t have dueling
pistols, so they would use
whatever weapons they
had, like Bowie knives.
“Sometimes instead of the courtly
letter of challenge delivered by a
dignified second, a glass of whiskey
thrown in the face would suffice.”
(Holland)
Legislation/Literature
• By the mid 1800s, there were few laws against dueling,
considering it still as honorable.
• (1838) Congress outlawed dueling in Washington, D.C.
• (1838) Gov. John Wilson updated the Code Duello for
America, allowing people to challenge outside social
class.
• (1859) Eighteen states ban dueling (the law didn’t have a
profound effect—people considered dueling twice as
manly since it was outlawed).
Modern “Dueling”
• At the end of the Civil
War, dueling started to
go out of fashion:
enough had been killed
in the war
• In the early 1900s,
making money was
more important, and
dueling was less
prominent.
• Lawsuits—defend your
“honor” in court!
Famous Duels
Aaron Burr v. Alexander Hamilton
(1804)
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Feud originally stemmed from political
disagreements:
– Burr was an Anti-Federalist, wanting a
decentralized gov’t focused on individual
states’ rights
– Hamilton was a Federalist, wanting a
strong centralized gov’t
Duel resulted from Burr’s repeated loss to
Federalists, and specifically to Hamilton’s
campaign against Burr for governor of NY
Considered a slam against his honor, Burr
called Hamilton to a duel
Site chosen in New Jersey because NY had
outlawed dueling; the Seconds were instructed
to look away, so they would not be accomplices
to the crime
Hamilton shot in the chest, causing mortal
damage to his spine and internal organs, dying
the next day
Burr fled to Texas where he tried to start an
independence revolution against the U.S.A.
Famous Duels
Andrew Jackson v. Everyone
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Rumored to have fought in more than 100 duels
Derived from his sense of Southern honor:
protection of women, virtue, gentlemanliness,
manliness
Considered himself an advocate for the “common
man”
Earned his reputation as “Old Hickory” from his
long and successfully military campaign against the
Natives
Most famous duel against Charles Dickenson
(1806)
– At range of 24 feet, Dickenson fired first,
lodging a bullet in Jackson’s rib cage (inches
from his heart)
– Staunching the flow of blood, Jackson had the
right to fire at Dickenson, killing him
immediately
– Jackson carried the bullet, and the wound, the
rest of his life
• The wound never healed, leaving an
open, suppurating ulcer that stank
• The bullet, near his heart and lung,
rattled whenever he coughed