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The Code of Honor
The Code of Honor describes a set of guidelines for duelists
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
34 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1838
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 12, 2015
I noticed this little book on Gutenberg months ago, added it to my lists out of curiosity, and promptly forgot about it. Until I read about Alexander Pushkin receiving a mortal wound in a duel. And I remembered about The Code. I've read about lots of duels, and seen lots more in old movies, but I never really knew much of anything about formal rules.
This particular Code Of Honor was published in 1838 by a former Governor of South Carolina. He is a little defensive in his introduction. I think he must have had some bad press about publishing the rules this way. He claimed he was saving lives: that by understanding their proper duties, the seconds could stop most duels. But he also insisted that duels had a place in society at that time, under certain circumstances.
Accepted weapons by the author's day were pistols, but as an appendix he thoughtfully includes the 1777 Irish Code Of Honor where a party could still break his opponent's sword at the end of the duel. Both booklets were printed to be small enough to fit into a pistol case and could be referred to at anytime during the duel, just in case anyone forgot any of the fairly complex behaviors they were involved with.
You know how sometimes in movies a duelist will fire straight up into the air instead of trying to hit his opponent? This was considered extremely tacky. The idea was that if the parties planned to 'dumb-shoot' that way, they were only being children and the duel should never have taken place. A grown man should have been more than willing to draw blood, of course.
The seconds were much more important than I ever realized. They were supposed to try to stop the duel in the first place, always remain calm, never allow the principals to become upset, arrange the location if their peacemaking efforts didn't work, load the pistols, mark off the distance. And if the duel continued after first blood (which was supposed to be the sign to stop and make nice) the seconds were to blame for anything that happened after that because they were unable to control their friends.
This book satisfied my curiosity, and gave me a glimpse into the weird world of "manly independence" and "lofty personal pride" that still framed the lives of Southern gentlemen of the 1800's.
This particular Code Of Honor was published in 1838 by a former Governor of South Carolina. He is a little defensive in his introduction. I think he must have had some bad press about publishing the rules this way. He claimed he was saving lives: that by understanding their proper duties, the seconds could stop most duels. But he also insisted that duels had a place in society at that time, under certain circumstances.
Accepted weapons by the author's day were pistols, but as an appendix he thoughtfully includes the 1777 Irish Code Of Honor where a party could still break his opponent's sword at the end of the duel. Both booklets were printed to be small enough to fit into a pistol case and could be referred to at anytime during the duel, just in case anyone forgot any of the fairly complex behaviors they were involved with.
You know how sometimes in movies a duelist will fire straight up into the air instead of trying to hit his opponent? This was considered extremely tacky. The idea was that if the parties planned to 'dumb-shoot' that way, they were only being children and the duel should never have taken place. A grown man should have been more than willing to draw blood, of course.
The seconds were much more important than I ever realized. They were supposed to try to stop the duel in the first place, always remain calm, never allow the principals to become upset, arrange the location if their peacemaking efforts didn't work, load the pistols, mark off the distance. And if the duel continued after first blood (which was supposed to be the sign to stop and make nice) the seconds were to blame for anything that happened after that because they were unable to control their friends.
This book satisfied my curiosity, and gave me a glimpse into the weird world of "manly independence" and "lofty personal pride" that still framed the lives of Southern gentlemen of the 1800's.
November 13, 2016
A very short and very interesting little treatise, this dueling handbook by South Carolina governor John Lyde Wilson provides a fascinating look into one of the most romantic but also misunderstood aspects of the Antebellum South: dueling
Intended to help regulate the often chaotic rules of duelling, Wilson's text was primarily intended to help discourage duels; the entire text is centered around encouraging an amicable solution whenever possibly.
Although Wilson claims ignorance of the text, this manual was clearly heavily influenced by the 18th century Irish Code Duello; fortunately, this edition includes both texts for comparison.
I would recommend this text for anyone interested in the honor culture of the Old South or anyone interested in having a duel
Intended to help regulate the often chaotic rules of duelling, Wilson's text was primarily intended to help discourage duels; the entire text is centered around encouraging an amicable solution whenever possibly.
Although Wilson claims ignorance of the text, this manual was clearly heavily influenced by the 18th century Irish Code Duello; fortunately, this edition includes both texts for comparison.
I would recommend this text for anyone interested in the honor culture of the Old South or anyone interested in having a duel
August 7, 2018
I really did enjoy this. It is interesting to learn about what would be considered gentlemanly in times where murder is occurring. Surprisingly enough, I even enjoyed the writing style. I would not go as far as calling this a real page turner, but I still enjoyed it.
December 5, 2012
This was a short read, but an interesting one. I have often wondered about dueling, and although I still have many more questions about dueling, I have a little more insight into how it works.
The author writes of the times, and as a result sounds rather like Mr Collins, with only slightly less pomposity, but I think it is part of the charm.
The book makes dueling seem very refined and gentlemanly and a lot less fatal than I first though. Whether these rules were followed or not, is not known, but I do doubt it, as it makes dueling seem like a long and bureaucratic process, which I am sure many tempers were too impatient for in their quests for revenge.
A quirky read. Not as boring as I suspected it to be. But don't get me wrong - it's no thriller!
The author writes of the times, and as a result sounds rather like Mr Collins, with only slightly less pomposity, but I think it is part of the charm.
The book makes dueling seem very refined and gentlemanly and a lot less fatal than I first though. Whether these rules were followed or not, is not known, but I do doubt it, as it makes dueling seem like a long and bureaucratic process, which I am sure many tempers were too impatient for in their quests for revenge.
A quirky read. Not as boring as I suspected it to be. But don't get me wrong - it's no thriller!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews