Horatio Nelson

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## Contents

* 1 Reputation
* 2 Early life
* 3 Personal controversies
* 4 Naval career
* 4.1 Battle of Copenhagen
* 4.2 Battle of the Nile
* 4.3 Battle of Trafalgar
* 5 Effect on doctrine
* 6 Fiction based on Nelson
* 7 References

Horatio Nelson (1758 - 1805), later vice admiral Horatio, Viscount Nelson, was a distinguished officer of the Royal Navy. He was a key commander in the Napoleonic Wars, killed in action at the culminating sea action, the Battle of Trafalgar.[1] He was an aggressive tactician, whose insights, appropriate for the time, were fossilized into inappropriate rigid doctrine, but eventually put in proper and useful context.

## Reputation[edit]

> England expects every man will do his duty  -- Nelson's signal to the fleet at the start of the Battle of Trafalgar

The "Nelson touch" has become a well-recognized term for a naval officer of exceptional ability, with both technical insight and inspirational leadership.

## Early life[edit]

There had long been, in the Royal Navy, documents and publications called Fighting Instructions. [2] Nelson's specific instructions at Trafalgar contravened existing doctrine, but less insightful admirals then made them standard operating procedure. They were intended for a specific tactical situation, with a particular set of aggressive and trusted commanders sharing a common tactical philosophy.

## Personal controversies[edit]

Nelson was married, but conducted an open and notorious affair, of many years, with Emma, Lady Hamilton. His wife remained devoted, but Lady Hamilton was his great love.

## Naval career[edit]

### Battle of Copenhagen[edit]

### Battle of the Nile[edit]

### Battle of Trafalgar[edit]

This was the decisive naval engagement of the war, irretrievably breaking the French Navy.[3] Prior to the battle, he had mapped out an unconventional tactical plan, putting his force into what was considered a vulnerable position, but in which he believed, correctly, that the higher skill level of the Royal Navy would prove decisive. Unfortunately, a number of later successors rigidly applied that plan in situations where the specific conditions of Trafalgar did not apply.

On board his flagship, HMS Victory, Nelson died of a gunshot wound received after he knew Britain had won the battle. While treatment was far beyond the capabilities of early 19th century medicine,[4] there have been interesting contemporary medical analyses. [5]

## Effect on doctrine[edit]

## Fiction based on Nelson[edit]

* Horatio Hornblower
* Master and Commander
* Richard Bolitho
* Honor Harrington

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Horatio Nelson (1758 - 1805), BBC News
2. ↑ Julian S. Corbett (15 September 2005), Fighting Instructions, 1530-1816; Publications Of The Navy Records Society Vol. XXIX., Project Gutenberg
3. ↑ Robert K. Massie (1991), Dreadnought: Britain, Germany and the Coming of the Great War, Ballantine, ISBN 0-345-37556-4, pp. xiii-xvi
4. ↑ William C. Hanigan & Chris Sloffer (2004), "Nelson's Wound: Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury in 19th and Early 20th Century Military Conflicts", Neurosurg Focus 16 (1)
5. ↑ Albert B. Lowenfels, William A. Liston David Burris (2008), "Historical Perspectives in Surgery: The Case of the Fearless Mariner With a Mortal Chest Wound", Medscape General Surgery