Page 83 - All About History - Issue 08-14

History's narrowest escapes

t the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, Admiral July 1797, he led a group of British boats in a night
Lord Nelson’s fleet defeated the French raid. Nelson’s barge was involved in hand-to-hand
and Spanish navy. It was a stunning combat with the crew of a Spanish boat and
victory in which the British didn’t Nelson led from the front. Seeing his superior in
Alose a single ship. Although Nelson danger, Nelson’s coxswain, John Sykes, put himself
himself was killed during the action, the battle in the way of potentially fatal blows. Nelson later
cemented his legend. recalled: “This was a service hand-to-hand with
Yet Nelson wouldn’t have been there but for swords, in which my coxswain John Sykes twice
the bravery of a humble sailor several years saved my life.”
earlier. By 1797, Nelson was a battle-hardened Sykes’s heroics did not go unnoticed, with
officer who had lost the sight in his right eye. Nelson touting him for promotion but he was
Britain had been at war with France since killed in action a year later. Nelson made his
1793 and Rear Admiral Nelson tasked with mark on history but Britain came perilously
blockading the Spanish fleet at Cadiz. On 3 close to their hero not even being there.
“ Napoleon knew he would need
command of the English Channel” The Battle of Trafalgar was

Lord Nelson’s finest victory

apoleon Bonaparte never did hide his with the still-trapped fleet from Brest as planned, Napoleon’s invasion force.
ambition to conquer Britain. In 1797, he Villeneuve captured some British ships and was Napoleon wrote to Villeneuve urging: “Get to
said the French, “Must destroy the English soon heading back towards the English Channel. sea, lose no time… England is ours!” But Villeneuve
monarchy, or expect itself to be destroyed By 22 July, Villeneuve’s force was off Cape ignored him took his fleet to Cadiz. Hearing the
Nby these intriguing and enterprising Finisterre, on the northwestern tip of Spain, news, Napoleon declared: “What a navy… what an
islanders… let us concentrate all our efforts on the when they ran into a British force. There was admiral. What sacrifices for nothing!”
navy and annihilate England. That done, Europe is an indecisive clash in the fog and Villeneuve Once he arrived in Cadiz, Villeneuve was again
at our feet.” was able to retire to the nearby port of Ferrol. blockaded and Napoleon’s chance to deceive the
The same year the French had attempted to There was still time for Villeneuve, now with British navy had passed. The two powers clashed
land an invading army in Wales but it had been a fleet of 29 ships, to break through the British in a battle called Trafalgar in which the Franco-
foiled, partly thanks to bad weather. But Napoleon, force blockading Brest in Brittany, link up with Spanish fleet lost twenty-two ships and the British
who seized power in France in 1799, showed no the French ships trapped inside the port and none. Nelson was mortally wounded, Villeneuve
signs of giving up and in 1803, created an invasion bear down on the Channel and rendezvous with captured and a nation had been narrowly saved.
army. It consisted of a hundred and fifty thousand
men assembled at camps in northern France and
a flotilla of 2,000 barges to transport them across Napoleon’s invasion plan: 3. Landing point
the Channel. The British government took this Summer 1805 5 3 Napoleon’s army was to land
at Sheerness and Chatham.
threat seriously and commissioned a string of 5. London
Napoleon estimated it
fortifications along the South Coast. would only take him four 1. The port of
Napoleon knew he would need command of days to take the capital. 4 Boulogne 2
Base for the main
the English Channel if his plan was to succeed. He invasion fleet.
therefore devised a plan to trick the British navy 4. The port of Dover
Its defences were
into leaving the English Channel unprotected. As strengthened against the 1
most of his own navy and that of the Spanish, his expected invasion. 2
ally, were blockaded in their home ports by British
ships, his idea was for two squadrons of ships to 2
6. Napoleon considered
break out and make for the West Indies. The ships using troop-carrying air 2. Invasion army
were to shake off the British and double back to 7 balloons as part of his The main camps
provide cover for the invasion. 7. Feint, then attack invasion plan. were at (right to left)
In the spring of 1805, the French fleet at Toulon, The French and Spanish navy were Bruges, St Omer
to break their blockades at Brest in 6 and Montreull.
led by Vice Admiral Pierre Villeneuve, did indeed Brittany and Toulon, draw the Royal
break out of the Mediterranean with 11 ships of Navy towards the West Indies in a feint,
the line and linked up with a group of Spanish then double back to the English Channel
to cover Napoleon’s invasion.
ships with Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson and his
fleet in hot pursuit. Although failing to link up
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