Horatio Nelson | Britannia’s God of War
“Gentlemen, when the enemy is committed to a mistake we must not interrupt him too soon.”
― Horatio Nelson
He was on the quarterdeck when he realized it. The smoke was thick between the two ships and it was hard to make any sense of the melee. His men pushed forward against the other crew as grenades and musket fire came from the masts. The sun was low on the horizon and the impending dark blended into a sea of undefined movement. The world was noise. One of the enemy sailors slashed at him. He parried the blow and drove the man’s sword into the deck of the ship. Turning the blade upward, he cut across the man’s gut and kicked him aside as he focused on the fight in front of him. The chaos slowed and his senses focused, giving him almost perfect clarity.
He immediately turned to his second in command and ordered them to keep engaging. He jumped onto the railing of his ship to bypass the hordes of men and ran across it before jumping back to his deck and going into his quarters. He burst into the main room and peered out the window to the other ship, gauged the distance, and then broke the windows of the cabin until all the shards were gone.
He backed up, took a deep breath, and ran to the window. Jumping through it, he crashed through the glass of the enemy’s captain’s quarters. Immediately after hitting the carpet, he did a forward roll, sprang to his feet, and surveyed the room. After a moment, he saw the other man standing in the corner, his eyes wide, his sword drawn.
He drew his own sword and pointed the tip at the man in the corner.
“You sir, are a coward.”
Not another word was spoken. And when he left the cabin and entered into the wider battle, he left nothing behind.
Early Life
Horatio Nelson was born in 1758 into a poor family of 11 children. Being poor automatically put him at a disadvantage, but due to a distant relation to a former Prime Minister, Nelson had the potential for preferment within Georgian society. His education was specific to grammar schools until the age of 13 when he entered into naval service through his uncle, Captain Maurice Suckling.
Nelson’s initial service existed within the extremes of routine and adventure, with the latter taking the form of voyages to the Arctic where he fought off a walrus, to the West Indies where they conducted patrols. These experiences fueled his resolve to excellence. Tempered by his Christian faith, this resolve grew as a result of the convictions and moral code he adhered to for the rest of his life.
Such convictions served him well during the early years in his naval career and fueled the optimism that brought him out of a deep depression following a recovery from Malaria. The illness was devastating to the young Nelson, confining him completely to a bed for several weeks. The result of his newfound optimism was a continued drive for excellence and to prove himself amongst those with whom he served.
First Tastes of War and Leadership
In 1777 he passed his Lieutenant examination. The promotion took him to the West Indies and directly into the theatre of war with the American Colonies, where he participated in the Battle of Fort San Juan and the Battle of Grand Turk. There, at the age of 20, he was promoted to Captain and put in charge of a frigate. The war with colonies was short-lived – because God Bless America – and though the British fleet saw victories, all of them came at a high cost both to men and ships.
Once the war with America ended, Nelson returned to England for his next command. During this time, a Navigation Act was created to prohibit trade with the newly founded nation, which Nelson strictly enforced. This made him many enemies, from merchants to British authorities, who still profited by disregarding the law and trading with America. It’s speculated that this led to his five-year unemployment, which according to Nelson was “a prejudice at the Admiralty evidently against me, which I can neither guess at nor in the least account for”.
His time of unemployment was eventful. He met and married his wife, constantly pursued old shipmates for news and opportunities for work, and attended to family affairs. In 1793, the French Revolution intensified, and King Louis XVI was executed. War with France imminent, Britain recalled Nelson to full service and put him in command of the Agamemnon, a 64-gun ship of the line.
The Battle of the Nile
Nelson was assigned to the Mediterranean to ward off French Revolutionaries by supporting land operations and engaging the French at sea. As Italian ports and bases began the fall, Nelson engaged in skirmishes at Corsica and Ca Ira, the latter of which being devastating to the French. Conversely, the French continued their success with land operations to push the British across the continent.
Sir John Jervis was assigned to the fleet in 1797 and Nelson was put under his command, which was assigned to monitor Spanish movements of Cape Vincent, in the southern end of Portugal. Jervis made the call to engage with a spotted enemy fleet and began to maneuver his lead, issuing orders to the other ships in the line to do the same. Nelson had already seen the enemy fleet, and upon receiving his order, maneuvered the Agamemnon directly at the line of Spanish ships. This was in direct violation of his orders, and upon reaching the enemy he realized that the other members of the fleet were still out of range and could not provide support. Not caring about this, Nelson fully engaged with the Spanish, firing broadside after broadside, splitting the line apart, and fighting as many as seven ships at once before support arrived. Once Jervis and the other ships caught up to him, Nelson ran alongside the San Nicolas and decided to board her exclaiming, “Westminster Abbey or glorious victory!”. As the day wore on, four of the Spanish fleet surrendered, and the rest retreated. Though Nelson had disobeyed his orders, Jervis liked him enough not to include this in his official report.
For his efforts at Cape Vincent, Nelson was awarded Knighthood and promoted to Rear Admiral. Shortly after, he was injured in his arm during another skirmish and had to have it amputated below the elbow joint. Upon his recovery, he was given command of the Vanguard, another ship of the line, under the leadership of the Earl of St. Vincent. Their orders were to monitor a French fleet that was being reprovisioned that was planning to embark on an expeditionary force elsewhere within the European theatre. As the French fleet came into sight, a monstrous gale blew Nelson and the other ships off course and hindered their pursuit. After recovering and giving chase, the British fleet finally caught sight of the French in Aboukir Bay, within the harbor of Alexandria on August 1, 1798.
Nelson immediately hoisted the flag of the Vanguard and engaged. Finding the 13 French ships which formed a defensive line anchored and immovable, the Vanguard and other ships of the line were able to target each French warship individually. The ships being anchored meant they could not maneuver or move to support the other ships under assault. Though the battle raged all night, the English retained the advantage throughout the engagement, sinking every ship, and annihilating the French fleet.
The Battle of the Nile was devasting for Napoleon. For his efforts at the Nile, Nelson was celebrated as a national hero, with church bells being rung in London, feasts and balls being held in his honor, and him receiving the title of Baron. Even as these celebrations continued, Nelson continued fighting and engaging with the French. He also began an affair with Lady Hamilton, much to the chagrin of the Admiralty. Though the different engagements continue to prove Nelson’s worth in battle, his continuous disregard for orders and insistence on doing things his way made his relations with his superiors less than ideal. As a result, they ordered him home in 1800. He returned, but to a hero’s welcome and as a result, was promoted to Vice Admiral.
Copenhagen and Stardom
Early in 1801, Nelson was assigned as second in Command to Sir Hyde Parker, an elderly commander who was in command of an expedition to the Baltic. Their first objective was Copenhagen and at first, Nelson had little influence over his new leader until the conflict was certain. The Danish resistance was in the harbor at Copenhagen and bypassing the supporting artillery on an adjacent slope, Nelson spotted them and engaged. At the onset, losses were high for the British, as there was no room to move.
With losses mounting, Parker signaled to Nelson to disengage, which he outright ignored, saying to his flag captain, “You know, I have only one eye. I have a right to be blind sometimes. I really do not see a signal to retreat.”. Sir Parker anticipated this, having said at the onset of his signal to retreat, “I will make the signal for recall for Nelson's sake. If he is in a condition to continue the action he will disregard it; if he is not, it will be an excuse for his retreat and no blame can be attached to him.”
Though losses on both sides were massive, Nelson and the British won the day and Nelson’s status as a national hero was elevated to unimaginable heights. Over the next four years, Nelson would have many more engagements and returning to England, went on tour as a national hero. Though he enjoyed the celebrity status, the uneasiness of comfort and lack of battle would begin to wear on him. His calling was the sea, his life to purpose, his aim leadership, and his focus, combat. In 1805, he found them all.
The Battle of Trafalgar
In the years preceding 1805, Nelson had been appointed commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean fleet and given the HMS Victory with its 104 guns, as his flagship. With the best ship of the line and his newly assigned fleet, Nelson embarked on missions to find the French, working towards a definitive engagement with the whole of the enemy navy. From the start of 1803 until 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte was planning the invasion of England. Combining his French fleets with those of the Spanish, he continually broke through British blockades and ravaged allied ports and trading routes in order to create an unbeatable fleet that could spearhead a route across the English Channel to land over 350,000 invading soldiers.
On September 2, 1805, Nelson received word that the French and Spanish fleets were combining at Cadiz. At the news, he ordered his and other ships to make ready so they could join the full fleet near Cadiz, went home to get is affairs in order, and boarded the HMS Victory, with no plans to return. From his home to his ship, Nelson was saluted and cheered. People bowed to him. The whole of England seemed to sense what he was about to do, knowing the consequences if he and the rest of the fleet were to fail. By this time in his life, Nelson’s name and reputation were far beyond stardom. In the conflict against Napoleon, he had become a saint, made and praying for war. He was a savior of the English people from the tyrants of Europe, from Bonaparte, from the legions of those who would take what was never theirs, against the will of free peoples, to make the world in their image. The populace saw Nelson as a barrier to this enslavement. It was a desperate moment, and the country responded with desperate hopes.
Nelson joined the rest of the British fleet on September 27 and shared his strategy for the attack. Usually, British ships would follow one another and form a line directly parallel to the enemy line. Each side would then fire broadsides at the opposing line until the ships surrendered due to damage, sank, or retreated.
This time, Nelson wanted to do something new. Instead of a single line of ships firing broadsides in parallel to the enemy fleet, Nelson instead planned to form two columns that would drive straight into the enemy line. Calling it “crossing the T”, the two columns of British ships would cut the French and Spanish in the middle, overwhelming each enemy ship with superior firepower and encircling the enemy line.
Forces for the French and Spanish totaled 33 ships versus Nelson’s 23. Despite this, he was confident in victory. Early in the morning on October 21, Nelson ordered the Victory to turn towards the enemy fleet. As they neared the first ship, Nelson singled that the message, “England expects that every man will do his duty” to the entire British force. The fleets engaged and the strategy laid out by Nelson unfolded. The Victory engaged the French flagship as two other enemy warships closed in on his position and opened fire. The supreme skill of English gunnery and seamanship allowed the Victory to hold the position until support caught up to the melee. Sharpshooters and grenadiers from both sides targeted officers and other seamen throughout the battle as the cannon smoke filled the air and became a fog.
Mid-day through the battle, Nelson ran onto the quarterdeck to reengage with his crew when a musket ball penetrated his left lung and lodged into his spine. He was taken below deck, hearing enemy ships surrendering, but knew he was done for. His last words to his flag captain were, “Now I am satisfied. Thank God., I have done my duty.”
The British fleet defeated Napoleon’s forces at Trafalgar and destroyed any plans he had for invading England. When the news of Nelson’s passing reached home, the nation went into the morning. His body was stored in a barrel of brandy to preserve it, and upon arriving in England, was paraded with honors through the streets before being put on display at St. Paul’s Cathedral before being entombed there.
Legacy
Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount, 1st Duke of Bronte, and Knight of the Order of Bath, is remembered as one of the primary heroes in English history. His accolades and engagements have grown over the centuries into historic legend, with scenes and stories of his heroism filling books, and newspapers, and being cited as examples of genius. While the tales about his life grew in stature and prominence, the actual actions and engagements needed no embellishment.
As expressed at the beginning of this season, we choose those that history has defined as heroes to let you, our amazing audience, make your own decision on whether such a title is deserved. That said, and to use a less than academic description of the man, this dude was off the chain.
One does not need the details of every engagement to know Nelson’s place and impact on history, both in England and throughout the world. His actions and organization were directly responsible for defeating enemies of England, namely Napoleon and his intention to make the British Isle and empire, his own. From the War of Independence to the Napoleonic Wars, Nelson lived a life of unequivocal dedication, resolve, and determination. His was truly a life of high adventure.
