Canticle of the End

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Captain von Straussen Draft

Role Austrian Army Officer Nationality Austrian Status alive
Description A tall Austrian officer who served as Sternberg’s second at the dawn duel on 10 August 1814. Background Austrian Army officer. Social connection to Sternberg through the Austrian cavalry o

Description

A tall Austrian officer who served as Sternberg’s second at the dawn duel on 10 August 1814.

Background

Austrian Army officer. Social connection to Sternberg through the Austrian cavalry officer corps.

Motivations

Honour and professional obligation. Served as second out of military courtesy.

Session 11 — The Duel (Dawn, 10 August 1814)

Captain von Straussen negotiated the terms of the duel with Varrio (acting as Thomas’s second). When the pistol exchange failed (Thomas missed, Sternberg’s pistol misfired due to a wet pan), von Straussen was involved in the dispute over whether honour had been satisfied. Varrio persuaded both seconds to switch the duel to sabers due to the damp conditions. Von Straussen oversaw the transition and the saber exchange that followed.

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