[GLENN]

Duels were fought between gentlemen only. People who worked for a living just had fights, gentlemen, who did not have to work, could challenge to a duel.
1st, each duelest would appoint a 'second' who was his assistant, and who contacted the other side thru his second. The seconds tried to come to some negotiated agreement to prevent the duel.
If the primarys continued to insist on the duel, the challenged party picked the weapon-almost always pistols-and the seconds agreed on a time and place.
They also usually agreed on the number of shots fired ahead of time- one, first blood, or until one could not continue, were the most common. One shot was almost always the norm, and only if they two parties were most serious about killing each other did they insist on anything more. They were dueling over a point of honor usually, not to kill each other.