I was reading Wikipedia's featured article of the day, on
Isaac Brock, a British general during the War of 1812. This story from his younger years struck me as awesome:
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Brock started as an ensign in the 8th Regiment of Foot in 1785 at the age of fifteen, where he was likely given responsibility for the regimental colours[1]. Brock reached the rank of captain, and transferred to the 49th Foot (also known as the Hertfordshire Regiment of Foot) on June 15, 1791. His nephew and biographer (Ferdinand Brock Tupper) asserts that shortly after joining the regiment, a professional dueler forced a match on him. As the one being challenged, Brock had his choice of terms, and so he insisted that they fight with pistols. His friends were shocked, as Brock was considered only a moderately good shot, while this man was an expert. Brock, however, refused to change his mind. When the duelist arrived at the field, he asked Brock to decide how many paces they would take. Brock subsequently insisted that the duel would take place, not at the usual range, but at handkerchief distance. The duelist declined and subsequently was forced to leave the regiment. This contributed to Brock's popularity and reputation among his fellow officers, as this duelist had a formidable reputation, and thus bullied other officers without fear of reprisal.
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