But of all the duels on record, that between two officers of the French army, named Fournier and Dupont, is the most remarkable. It began in 1794 and ended in 1813, having lasted nineteen years. It originated at Strasbourg, where Fournier had challenged and killed a young man named Blum. Great indignation was felt against him in the city; so much so, indeed, that General Moreau, giving a ball’ at his quarters on the day of Blum’s funeral, thought it advisable to exclude Fournier: accordingly he gave the necessary directions to his aide-de-camp, Captain Dupont. In the course of the evening, Fournier presented himself, but was refused admittance by Dupont. The consequence was a challenge to the latter from Fournier. They met and fought with swords, and Fournier was severely wounded, but he exclaimed as he fell, “That’s the first touch,” and promised Dupont that he would soon have another. In a month he got well: they fought again, and this time Dupont was grievously wounded, exclaiming as he fell, “That’s the second touch: as soon as possible for the finish.” When Dupont recovered, they fought again, and both parties were slightly wounded. They then drew up a formal agreement to fight whenever they were within a hundred miles of each other, each party to go half-way, unless prevented by the exigencies of the service. They crossed swords frequently pursuant to this agreement, but never seriously injured each other; and they always shook hands before fighting. They also corresponded amicably. At length they were both made generals and sent to Switzerland. Dupont arrived late at night at a little village where there was no inn: not a light to be seen, except at the window of a small cottage. He went to it and knocked, and the door was opened by Fournier. They at once drew their swords and set to, conversing amicably as they fought. Dupont presently drove his sword through Fournier’s neck and pinned him to the wall, and would have held him there till he capitulated, but that some officers, hearing the scuffle, came in and separated them. Fournier recovered from the wound. Sometime afterward, Dupont thought of marrying, but the obstacle to his doing so was his agreement with Fournier. How was he to get rid of it? He resolved to go to Fournier, state the case and ask him to settle the business with pistols. Fournier, being one of the most extraordinary shots ever known, was astonished, and asked Dupont if he was mad; but the latter proposed that they should go into a little wood near Neuilly, armed each with a pair of horse-pistols, and having gone out of sight of each other, they should track each other as they best could, and fire at convenience. This having been agreed to, they adjourned to the wood and separated. After much dodging, they caught sight of each other behind two trees. To stir was certain death to either; so, after waiting a few minutes, Dupont raised the tail of his coat as if stooping down. Instantly a ball from Fournier passed through it. Soon after this Dupont held out his hat with his right hand and presented his barrel, as though taking aim. The second ball from Fournier went through the hat. Dupont now stepped forward with both pistols cocked, and told Fournier that he would not take his life, but that he must never cross his path again, for if he did he (Dupont) should claim the right of putting his two bullets into his (Fournier’s) brains.
And thus ended this long-protracted affair. Surely, none but Frenchmen would have carried on such a tragicomedy for so long a time.
—from “The Satisfaction Usual Among Gentlemen” by Joseph J. Reed in Lippincott’s Magazine of Literature, Science and Education from 1869. Though the actual number of duels is disputed, most historians agree that the two men fought over thirty times, culminating in the pistol duel that is famously depicted in Conrad’s novella and the Ridley Scott film, The Duellists. Joseph J. Reed was a historian and journalist.
The real names of the men that Conrad based his fictional Feraud and D’Hubert on were François Louis Fournier Sarlovèze (1773–1827) and Pierre Dupont de l’Étang (1765–1840).