So did Captain Foster Die?


At the end of 'Examination for Lieutenant' Captains Foster and Hammond entered into an agreement for a duel. Then, in 'Retribution', Hammond shows up in Kingston so can we assume that Foster was shot and killed?

I don't remember it being mentioned in the show so if it was forgive me for my stupidity but I just thought I'd pose the question.

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Their challenge to the duel was a joke,since they were good comrades.They only acted out so seriously to rattle Hornblower. So the duel never took place.

Foster is alive.

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Was this comfirmed? Was it in the book? I always took it as serious argument, particularly because Captain Pellew said he feared that the panel would never reform again, which I took to be a referance to the duel. Well that is what I assumed.

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I seriously hope it was meant to be a joke. I mean, Hammond is just an old jerk but Foster is WEDGE ANTILLES, still hot and quite nice. (His scar looked so good. I love Naval officers with manly scars.)



Starry Vere, God bless you!

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I was thinking about this same thing! I didn't take it as a joke, though, at all. Both these guys were hot-tempered, and for an officer to back off from a duel like that would be bad form in those days.

That said, duels were not always fatal; in fact, most of the times they weren't. They might have dueled with swords, for a "first blood" kind of thing, for example. My guess is they had the duel, it wasn't fatal, honor was satisfied and they went their ways.

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It is likely that Foster simply wasn't in the Caribbean at the time of the court martial, and as such could not take part.

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When news comes through about Hornblower's promotion to Lieutenant, Pellew says that it was confirmed by a board of three captains as a result of H's bravery in the fireship episode, and that those three captains would not usually be able to agree on the colour of an orange. Presumably, the board would consist of those same three captains, so we have to assume that they re-convened at some point. Duels were not generally to the death in any case; once shots had been exchanged, honour was satisfied. Indeed, the Admiralty would take a dim view of any Captain killing a brother officer in a duel. Thus, Foster almost certainly survived the duel, assuming one was fought at all.

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Why are you telling me?

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