~~~.. ~~(PT/;~ CJUHb ~ut& by Joseph F. Callo
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here have been more words written about Admiral ord Nelson than any other naval leader in history. ng this bicentennial year of the Barrie of Trafalgar, those words are multiplying fast. Penetrating that sheer volume of commentary to discover new relevance for the event and the man who changed history from the quarterdeck of HMS Victory will not be easy. Nonetheless, there is one generally neglected record of the Battle that represents a special perspective of the events of 21 October 1805 at Cape Trafalgar. That source is what Nelson himself said that day-his written and spoken words and his signals to his fleet. After two centuries, those words arguably remain the best source for insight into the event and the person described by American sea power prophet A.T. Mahan as: " [T)he one man who in himself summed up and embodied the greatness of the possibilities which Sea Power comprehends-the man for whom genius and opportunity worked together-to make him the personification of the Navy of Great Britain." 1 Following is a chronological sampling of Nelson's words, written and spoken as he changed history off the coast of Spain on the last day of his life.
** * "Form the Order ofSailing in Two Columns" "When Lying-to, or Sailing by the Wind, Bear Up and Sail Large on the Course Steered by the Admiral or that Pointed Out by Signal" At about 0600 on the morning of the Barrie, Nelson ordered the first two signals that directed the British fleet into combar. 2 Those first two signals were more important for what they didn't have to say than for what they actually communicated. In fact, Nelson's tactics for the coming battle were preset. In the weeks following his return to the British Mediterranean Fleet in September 1805, he repeatedly discussed his intentions with his subordinate ad-
Plan of the Commencement of the Battle of Trafalgar. This engraving appeared in The Life of Admiral Lord Nelson by Clarke and M'Arthur, published in 1809. The Clarke and M'Arthur work is considered the first serious biography ofNelson, and it became the basis for many ofthe subsequent Nelson biographies. P l.AN ol' 1hr ( 'O.\IMESC.:M E ~rr of 1he H.\TTU: of TllA t'A I.GAIL
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mirals and captains. The tactics were then confirmed in Nelson's memorandum to his junior admirals and captains on 9 October. As events turned out, the only change in the order of sailing from his memorandum was his ultimate use of two lines for his entry into combat, instead of three. That change was made because he had fewer ships for the event than he had originally anticipated. Even more important than his captains' and admirals' grasp of his tactical plans was their clear understanding of his combat doctrine-that over-arching understanding of how they should fight when the confusion of battle made signaling impractical. That doctrine was expressed concisely in the 9 October memorandum: "[!Jn case Signals can neither be seen or perfectly under-
stood, no Captain can do very wrong if he places his Ship alongside that ofan Enemy. " 3 The fight Nelson foresaw was a close-in,
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Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson, 1758-1805, by Lemuel Francis Abbott (c. 1760 - 1803), 1198-9. One of the most famous portraits ofNelson, painted in 1798-9, after the Nile, from an earlier sketch. The artist did not know that Nelson's head wound meant he could on/,y wear his hat tipped back offhis forehead.
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smashing, pell-mell struggle between his 27 ships of the line and the 33 ships of the Combined Fleet, with the British captains relying on their own judgment to pursue Nelson's aggressive doctrine once combar began.
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''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 anyone tarnish it; and may humanity after Victory be the predominant feature
CO U RTESY JOSEPl-I 1:. CALLO
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SEA HISTORY 110, SPRJNG 2005