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Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, KB (29 September
1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British admiral famous for his participation in the
Napoleonic Wars, most notably in the Battle of Trafalgar, a decisive British
victory in the war, during which he lost his life. Nelson went against the
conventional tactics of the time by cutting through the enemy's lines. Nelson was
noted for his considerable ability to inspire and bring out the best in his men, to
the point that it gained a name: "The Nelson Touch". His actions during these wars
meant that before and after his death he was revered like few military figures have
been throughout British history.
During the late 18th/early 19th centuries, even though he had been married for some
time, Nelson famously became embroiled in a love affair with Emma, Lady Hamilton,
the wife of the British Ambassador to Naples. She became Nelson's mistress,
returning to the United Kingdom to live openly with him, and eventually they had a
daughter, Horatia. It was the public knowledge of this affair that induced the Navy
to send Nelson back out to sea after he had been recalled. By his death in 1805
Nelson had become a national hero, and he was given a State Funeral. To this day
his memory lives on in numerous monuments, the most notable of which is London's
Nelson's Column, which stands in the centre of Trafalgar Square.
 Early
life
“ I am myself a Norfolk man . . . and glory in being so. Horatio Nelson ”
Horatio Nelson was born on 29 September 1758 in a rectory in Burnham Thorpe,
Norfolk, England, the sixth of eleven children of the Reverend Edmund Nelson and
Catherine Nelson. His mother, who died when he was nine, was a grandniece of Sir
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Oxford, the de facto first prime minister of the
British Parliament. It was at Beccles church, Suffolk in 1749 that Catherine
Suckling from the nearby village of Barsham, Suffolk married the Reverend Edmund
Nelson.
Nelson was briefly educated at Paston Grammar School, North Walsham, and Norwich
School, and by the time he was twelve he had enrolled in the Royal Navy. His naval
career began on 1 January 1771 when he reported to the third-rate Raisonnable as an
Ordinary Seaman and coxswain. Nelson’s maternal uncle, Captain Maurice Suckling,
commanded the vessel. Shortly after reporting aboard, Nelson was appointed a
midshipman and began officer training. Nelson found that he suffered from
seasickness, a chronic complaint that dogged him for the rest of his life.
Suckling became Comptroller of the Navy in 1775 and used his position to help
Nelson's rapid advance. By 1777 Nelson had risen to the rank of lieutenant and was
assigned to the West Indies where he met and married Frances Nisbet. During his
service as lieutenant he saw action on the British side in the American
Revolutionary War. By the time he was 20, in June 1779, he was made post-captain.
The 28-gun frigate Hinchinbroke, newly captured from the French, was his first
command as post-captain.
In 1780 he was involved in an action against the Spanish fortress of San Juan in
Nicaragua. Though the expedition was ultimately a major debacle, none of the blame
was attributed to Nelson, who was praised for his efforts. He fell seriously ill,
probably contracting malaria, and returned to the UK for more than a year to
recover. He eventually returned to active duty and was assigned to Albemarle, in
which he continued his efforts against the Americans until the official end of the
Revolutionary War in 1783.
Command
In 1783, Nelson led a 100-man force in an unsuccessful attempt to dislodge a French
force from the Turks Islands. In 1784 he contemplated standing for Parliament at
the General Election that year, but did not do so; he was instead given command of
the frigate Boreas, and assigned to enforce the Navigation Act in the vicinity of
Antigua. This was during the denouement of the American Revolutionary War, and
enforcement of the Act was problematic: Now-foreign American vessels were no longer
allowed to trade with British colonies in the Caribbean Sea, an unpopular rule with
both the colonies and the Americans. After seizing four American vessels off Nevis,
Nelson was sued by the captains of the ships for illegal seizure. As the merchants
of Nevis supported them, Nelson was in peril of imprisonment and had to remain
sequestered on Boreas for eight months. It took that long for the courts to deny
the captains their claims, but in the interim Nelson met Frances "Fanny" Nisbet, a
widow native to Nevis. Nelson and Fanny were married on 11 March 1787 at the end of
his tour of duty in the Caribbean.
Nelson lacked a command for a few years after 1789. He lived on half pay during
this time (a reasonably common occurrence in the peacetime Royal Navy). Then, in
1793, as the French Revolutionary government annexed the Austrian Netherlands
(modern Belgium), which were traditionally preserved as a buffer state, Britain
went to war and Nelson was recalled to service. Given command of the 64-gun
Agamemnon in 1793, he soon started a long series of battles and engagements that
would seal his place in history.
He was first assigned to the Mediterranean, based out of the Kingdom of Naples. In
1794 he was wounded in the face by stones and debris thrown up by a close cannon
shot during a joint operation at Calvi, Corsica. As a result, Nelson lost the sight
in his right eye and half of his right eyebrow. Despite popular legend, there is no
evidence that Nelson ever wore an eye patch, though he was known to wear an
eyeshade to protect his remaining eye.
In 1796 the position of commander-in-chief of the fleet in the Mediterranean passed
to Sir John Jervis, who appointed Nelson to be commodore and to exercise
independent command over the ships blockading the French coast. Agamemnon, often
described as Nelson's favourite ship, was by now worn out and was sent back to the
UK for repairs. Nelson was appointed to the 74-gun HMS Captain. In December 1796,
on leaving Elba for Gibraltar, Nelson transferred his flag to the frigate Minerve
(of French construction, commanded by Captain Cockburn). A Spanish frigate, Santa
Sabina, was captured during the passage and Lieutenant Hardy was put in charge of
the captured vessel. The following morning, two Spanish ships of the line and one
frigate appeared. Nelson at first had no choice but to fight. But Hardy, in order
to save his commodore, sacrificed his own ship by drawing the Spanish fire, leaving
Nelson free to flee. Santa Sabina was recovered by the Spanish and Hardy was
captured. The Spanish captain who was on board Minerve was later exchanged for
Hardy in Gibraltar.
Admiralty
1797 was a full year for Nelson. That year he and his wife moved to Ipswich,
Suffolk. On 14 February he was largely responsible for the British victory at the
Battle of Cape St. Vincent. Here he showed his flair for dramatic and bold action.
Under the command of Sir John Jervis, the British fleet was ordered to "tack in
line," but Nelson disobeyed these orders and wore ship to alter course and prevent
the Spanish fleet from escaping. He then boarded two enemy ships in succession, an
unusual and bold move which was cheered by the whole fleet. Nelson himself led the
boarding parties, which was not usually done by high ranking officers.
In the aftermath of this victory, Nelson was knighted as a member of the Order of
the Bath (hence the postnominal initials "KB"). In April of the same year he was
promoted to Rear Admiral of the Blue, the ninth highest rank in the Royal Navy.
Able captains such as Nelson were appointed commodore temporarily, a position which
had the same pay and responsibilities as an admiral. Later in the year, while
commanding Theseus during an unsuccessful expedition to conquer Santa Cruz de
Tenerife, Nelson was shot in the right arm with a musketball, fracturing his
humerus bone in multiple places. Since medical science of the day counselled
amputation for almost all serious limb wounds (to prevent death by gangrene),
Nelson lost almost his entire right arm and was unfit for duty until mid-December.
He was quoted as saying "I am Lord Nelson and this is my fin."
In 1798 Nelson was once again responsible for a great victory over the French. The
Battle of the Nile (also known as the Battle of Aboukir Bay) took place on 1 August
1798. The battle effectively ended Napoleon's ambition to take the war to the
British in India. The forces Napoleon had brought to Egypt were stranded. Napoleon
attempted to march north along the Mediterranean coast but his army was defeated at
the Siege of Acre by Captain Sir Sidney Smith. Napoleon then left his army and
sailed back to France, evading detection by British ships. Given its huge strategic
importance, some historians (see Vincent 2003) regard Nelson's achievement at the
Nile as the most significant of his career, Trafalgar notwithstanding.
For the spectacular victory of the Nile, Nelson was granted the title of Baron
Nelson of the Nile. (Nelson felt cheated that he was not awarded a more prestigious
title; Sir John Jervis had been made Earl of St. Vincent for his part in the Battle
of Cape St. Vincent, but the British Government insisted that an officer who was
not the commander-in-chief could not be raised to any peerage higher than a
barony). Nelson felt throughout his life that his accomplishments were not fully
rewarded by the British government, a fact he ascribed to his humble birth and lack
of political connections as compared during his lifetime to the Earl of St Vincent
or after his death to the Duke of Wellington. Not content to rest on his laurels,
Nelson then rescued the Neapolitan royal family from a French invasion in December
1797. During his time in Naples he fell in love with Emma Hamilton the young wife
of the elderly British ambassador to Naples, who became his mistress.
In 1799 Nelson was promoted to Rear Admiral of the Red, the seventh highest rank in
the Royal Navy. He was then assigned to the new third-rate Foudroyant. In July he
aided Admiral Ushakov with the reconquest of Naples after the Parthenopaean
Republic, and was made Duke of Bronte by the Neapolitan king. Some have suggested
that a head wound Nelson received at Aboukir Bay was partially responsible for his
personal conduct and for the way he managed the Neapolitan campaign. He was accused
of allowing the monarchists to kill prisoners contrary to the laws of war. Perhaps
Nelson's zeal was due simultaneously to his English hatred of Jacobins and his
status as a Neapolitan royalist (as the Duke of Bronte). The Neapolitan campaign is
now considered something of a disgrace to his name.
Personal problems and some upper-level disappointment at his professional conduct
caused him to be recalled to Britain. He, Emma and William meandered back to
Britain via Central Europe (hearing the Missa in Angustiis by Haydn that now bears
Nelson's name in Vienna in 1800), and eventually arrived in Britain later in 1800
to a hero's welcome. (Also in 1800 Lord Nelson was appointed High Steward of
Ipswich, though he failed to become the town's MP.) The three then lived together
openly, and Emma had Nelson's child, Horatia, in 1801. in However, public knowledge
of Nelson's affair with Lady Hamilton eventually induced the Admiralty to send him
back to sea, if only to get him away from her.
On 1 January 1801 Nelson was promoted to Vice Admiral of the Blue (the sixth
highest rank). Within a few months he took part in the Battle of Copenhagen (2
April 1801) which was fought in order to break up the armed neutrality of Denmark,
Sweden, and Russia. During the action, his commander, Sir Hyde Parker, signalled to
Nelson to break off the action. This was to allow Nelson to retreat if he needed to
– he could not legally do so without Parker's command – whilst Parker knew that
Nelson would disregard the signal if he could continue the battle. Nelson ordered
that the signal be acknowledged, but not repeated. Legend has it that Nelson turned
to his flag Captain, Sir Thomas Foley, and said "You know, Foley, I only have one
eye – I have the right to be blind sometimes," and then holding his telescope to
his blind eye, said "I really do not see the signal!". His action was approved in
retrospect, following a successful outcome to the battle, and in May he became
commander-in-chief in the Baltic Sea. As a reward, he was created Viscount Nelson,
of the Nile and of Burnham Thorpe in the County of Norfolk, on 22 May 1801. In
addition, on 18 August 1801, he was created Baron Nelson, of the Nile and of
Hilborough in the County of Norfolk, this time with a special remainder to his
father and sisters.
Meanwhile, Napoleon was massing forces to invade Great Britain. Nelson was placed
in charge of defending the English Channel in order to thwart any such invasion.
However, on 22 October 1801 an armistice was signed between the British and the
French, and Nelson – in poor health again – retired to Britain where he stayed with
his friends, Sir William and Lady Hamilton. The three embarked on a tour of England
and Wales, culminating in a stay in Birmingham. They visited Matthew Boulton on his
sick bed at Soho House and toured his Soho Manufactory. In 1802 Nelson bought
Merton Place, a country estate in Merton, Surrey (now south-west London) where he
lived briefly with Emma Hamilton.
During this period Nelson, who had never succeeded in his aspirations to enter the
House of Commons, spoke in support of the Addington government in the House of
Lords, although he never held government office. At that time it was not uncommon
for military figures to be involved in politics and even hold office (eg.
Wellington, who was briefly Chief Secretary for Ireland).
The Battle of
Trafalgar - death and burial
Nelson's pre-battle prayer, inscribed on oak timber from HMS Victory.The Peace of
Amiens was not to last long and Nelson soon returned to duty. He was appointed
commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean. Assigned to HMS Victory in May 1803,
Nelson joined the blockade of Toulon, France. He would not set foot on dry land
again for more than two years.
Nelson was promoted to Vice Admiral of the White (the fifth highest rank) while
still at sea, on 23 April 1804. The French fleet slipped out of Toulon in early
1805 and headed for the West Indies. (See Battle of Cape Finisterre (1805) for a
summary of this campaign.) A fierce chase failed to turn them up and Nelson's
health forced him to retire to Merton in the UK. Within two months Nelson returned
to sea. On 13 September 1805 he was called upon to oppose the French and Spanish
fleets which had managed to join up and take refuge in the harbour of Cádiz,
Spain.
On 21 October 1805 Nelson engaged in his final battle, the Battle of Trafalgar.
Napoleon Bonaparte had been massing forces once again for an invasion of the
British Isles, but he decided that his navy was not adequate to secure the Channel
for the invasion barges. Thus, Napoleon had started moving his troops for a
campaign elsewhere in Europe. On 19 October the French and Spanish fleet set sail
from Cádiz, probably because Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, the French commander, had
learned that he was to be replaced. Nelson, with twenty-seven ships, engaged the
thirty-three opposing ships.
Nelson's last dispatch, written on the 21 October, read:
“ "At daylight saw the Enemy's Combined Fleet from East to E.S.E.; bore away; made
the signal for Order of Sailing, and to Prepare for Battle; the Enemy with their
heads to the Southward: at seven the Enemy wearing in succession. May the Great
God, whom I worship, grant to my Country, and for the benefit of Europe in general,
a great and glorious Victory; and may no misconduct in any one tarnish it; and may
humanity after Victory be the predominant feature in the British Fleet. For myself,
individually, I commit my life to Him who made me, and may his blessing light upon
my endeavours for serving my Country faithfully. To Him I resign myself and the
just cause which is entrusted to me to defend. Amen. Amen. Amen." ”
As the two fleets moved towards engagement, Nelson ran up a thirty-one flag signal
to the rest of the fleet, spelling out the famous phrase "England expects that
every man will do his duty". The original signal that Nelson wished to make to the
fleet was Nelson confides that every man will do his duty (meaning 'is confident
that he will'). The signal officer asked Nelson if he could substitute the word
'expects' for 'confides' as 'expects' was included in the code devised by Sir Home
Popham, whereas 'confides' would have to be spelled out letter by letter. Another
officer suggested that "England" would be more powerful than "Nelson." Nelson
agreed, and the signal was run up Victory's mizzenmast.
After crippling the French flagship Bucentaure, Victory moved on to the Redoutable.
The two ships became entangled, at which point snipers in the fighting tops of
Redoutable were able to pour fire down onto the deck of Victory. Nelson was hit
from a range of about fifty feet: a bullet entered his left shoulder, pierced his
lung, and came to rest at the base of his spine. Nelson retained consciousness for
four hours, but died soon after the battle ended with a British victory.(See Last
words.) The bullet that killed Nelson was removed from his body and is now on
public display in Windsor Castle.
Victory was towed after the battle to Gibraltar, with Nelson's body preserved in a
barrel of brandy. Legend has it that it was French brandy that had been captured
during the battle. There was a rumour that on the voyage home to England, sailors
drank the contents of the barrel, using tubes of macaroni as straws and then topped
it up with wine, as they were toasting to their Admiral. This wasn't the case. The
barrel was kept under armed guard and according to eyewitnesses, when it was opened
in Portsmouth it seemed well topped up. However the legend was the origin of the
Navy phrase "Tapping the Admiral" for the secret consumption of rum. Upon the
arrival of his body in London, Nelson was given a state funeral (one of only five
non-royal Britons to receive the honour – others include the Duke of Wellington and
Sir Winston Churchill) and entombment in St. Paul's Cathedral. He was laid to rest
in a wooden coffin made from the mast of L'Orient which had been salvaged after the
Battle of the Nile, within a sarcophagus originally carved for Thomas Cardinal
Wolsey (when Wolsey fell from favour, it was confiscated by Henry VIII and was
still in the royal collections in 1805).
Last
words
Nelson's final words (as related by Victory's Surgeon William Beatty, based on the
accounts of those who were with Nelson when he died) were "Thank God I have done my
duty." According to Beatty, he repeated these words several times until he became
unable to speak.
In his dying hours, Nelson was also attended by his chaplain, Alexander Scott; his
steward, Chevalier; and the purser, Walter Burke. Their accounts have been
available to Nelson's modern biographers. In those accounts, Nelson's last words
were "Drink, drink. Fan, fan. Rub, rub." This was a request to alleviate his
symptoms of thirst, heat, and the pains of his wounds. Nelson's steward stood by to
fan him and feed him lemonade and watered wine, whilst Dr Scott massaged his chest
to ease the pain.
It is a common misconception that Nelson's last words were, "Kiss me, Hardy",
spoken to the captain of HMS Victory, Thomas Hardy. Nelson did, in fact, say these
words to Hardy a short time before his death. Eyewitnesses testified that Hardy
kissed the admiral twice: once on the cheek and once on the forehead, as Nelson
struggled to remain conscious. Prior to this Nelson asked his flag-captain not to
throw him overboard and to look after 'poor Lady Hamilton'. He then said "kiss me
Hardy". After Hardy's first kiss Nelson said, "now I am satisfied". After the
second, "who is that?". When he saw it was Hardy he said, "God bless you Hardy."
However they were not his last words as Hardy was not present at his death, having
been called back on deck. Some have speculated that Nelson actually said "Kismet,
Hardy", but this is unlikely, since the word kismet did not enter the English
language until much later, although he may have heard the word used by a Turk. In
Nelson's time, the word "kiss" also meant "touch" in the sense of any physical
contact (not exclusively oral contact). Nelson may therefore simply have wanted
Hardy to shake his hand or make some other physical gesture. Shortly after "God
bless you Hardy", Nelson said, "Thank God I have done my duty", and then finally,
"Drink, drink. Fan, fan. Rub, rub." He lost consciousness, the surgeon was called,
and Nelson was declared dead at 16:30.
Legacy
Nelson was noted for his considerable ability to inspire and bring out the best in
his men, to the point that it gained a name: "The Nelson Touch". Famous even while
alive, after his death he was lionised like almost no other military figure in
British history (his only peers are the Duke of Marlborough and Nelson's
contemporary, the Duke of Wellington). Most military historians believe Nelson's
ability to inspire officers of the highest rank and seamen of the lowest was
central to his many victories, as was his unequalled ability to both strategically
plan his campaigns and tactically shift his forces in the midst of battle.
Certainly, he ranks as one of the greatest field commanders in military history.
Many consider him to have been the greatest warrior of the seas.
It must also be said that his "Nelson touch" also worked with non-seamen; he was
beloved in Britain by virtually everyone. (The only people not affected by him were
those offended by his affair with Lady Hamilton.) Now as then, he is a popular
hero, included in the top 10 of the 100 Greatest Britons poll sponsored by the BBC
and voted for by the public, and commemorated in the extensive Trafalgar 200
celebrations in 2005, including the International Fleet Review. Even today phrases
such as "England expects" and "nelson" (meaning "111") remain closely associated
with English sporting teams.
Source : Some of the information on
this page came from a Wikipedia article and is licensed under the GNU
Documentation License. ©2008 www.geneticmatrix.com.
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Admital Horatio
Nelson - Manifestor - Biography
