The Nelson Touch

• Nelson = made reputation at Battle of Cape St Vincent 
• Napoleon Bonaparte = French dictator 
• Admiral Kieth = commander-in-chief of Mediterranean fleet (1798) 
• St Vincent = Head of the channel fleet and first lord of the Admiralty (1801)
• Admiral Sir Hyde Parker = command of British Baltic Fleet (replaced by Nelson after Battle of Copenhagen) 
• Tsar Paul (1800) = wanted Lague of Armed Neutrality 
• Tsar Alexander (after Paul assassinated) = didn't want Naval war 
• Lord Cornwallis = Commanded blockade of Brest in 1802
• Vice Admiral Villeneuve = commander of Toulon fleet

• 1798
• Napoleon left Toulon with 13 battleships and 280 transports carrying 50,000 men 
• His was aiming for Egypt 
• Nelson was unaware of this 
• In June, his fleet was reinforced with 11 SOTL
• Nelson heard rumours that French had taken Malta - took a gamble that they were aiming for Egypt
• He sailed east and landed in Alexandria on 29th June --> No sign of French so he left 
• Napoleon reached Alexandria on the 1st of July --> Day after Nelson had sailed away. 

• One month later: Nelson found fleet at the mouth of the Nile 
• Although nearing night, Nelson gave battle (against traditional Navy fighting rules) 
• Ordered men to sail round to attack the French from the shore side --> Unlikely for the British to risk sailing to close to the shoals. 
• Some French ships were attacked from both sides
• Only 2/13 French ships escape --> Good victory for the British

Why the Battle of the Nile was a such a good victory: 

• In one night, the Royal Navy had regained control of the Mediterranean 
• Napoleon and his army was trapped in Egypt --> Napoleon managed to escape in 1799
• Austria, Russia, Naples and Turkey joined Britain in a new coalition. 

What did Nelson do? 

• Nelson was dazed by a slight wound so wasn't directly involved in the actual battle 
• Main influence was before the fighting 
• Brought about the battle
• Inspired his officers and men 
• Didn't overcomplicate matters with detailed orders and endless signals before and during battle
• Became a national hero. 

• French and Spanish ships were still a major threat
• British forces were very overstretched 
• Admiral Kieth was appointed commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean Fleet
• Nelson was angry that he wasn't given that role and sulked --> sometimes refusing to take orders
• Nelson had an affair with Emma Hamilton - wife of his friend Sir William Hamilton
• In 1800, he asked Kieth if he could return home and he agreed. 
• Navy made significant gains under Kieth's command - taking Malta in 1800.

• The Earl of St Vincent - the new head of the channel fleet (???) 
• Wanted to blockade Brest as closely as possible
• This wasn't easy: 
• Hard to provide British ships with food, water and alcohol 
• Several ships were wrecked on dangerous rocks around Brest 
• No rest for anyone - constant watchfulness and manoeuvring
• The blockade stopped the French leaving 
• St Vincent made the first lord of the Admiralty in 1801 

• British blockade of French and Spanish meant that Baltic nations were deprived of markets
• 1800 = Tsar Paul (Russia) put pressure on other countries (Denmark, Sweeden and Prussia) to join the League of Armed Neutrality to challenge Britains power on the seas. 
• This was a serious threat to Britain: 
• Baltic powers had nearly 100 warships between them 
• The League could keep Britain out of the Baltic - where they obtained most of their naval stores (timber, pitch, tar and hemp) 
• Admiral Sir Hyde Parker = command of the British Baltic Fleet
• Said to sail to Copenhagen and force Danes into concession or destroy their fleet --> The attack the Russian Navy (Nelson as 2IC) 
• Nelson in command of Copenhagen attack - had to enter King's Channel (lined with warships and gun batteries on rafts). 
• Floating gun platforms turned out to be the most effective
• Parker saw Danish resistance and raised a signal to stop the fighting but Nelson (at the front of the line of ships) pretended to have not seen it and continued the battle. 
• If he had obeyed Parkers orders then the battle would have been a disaster but they were victorious --> Nelson replaced Parker and Danes agreed to Truce. Tsar Paul was assassinated and replaced by Tsar Alexander who had to wish for naval war. Baltic=peaceful end

• March 1802 - Britain and France signed Treaty of Amiens, ending hostilities.
• St Vincent set about reforming the Royal Dockyards 
• Trying to save money, he cancelled shipbuilding contracts and fired 100's of workers.
• In 1803 war recommended 
• Napoleon had an army of 100,000 men at Boulogne ready to invade Britain. 
• British Admirals found that fleets were short of men, ships and supplies due to SV's reforms
• Keith took command of North Sea Fleet and Lord Cornwallis commanded blockade of Brest, and Nelson had command of the Mediterranean fleet. 
• Nelson's main task = keep French fleet in Toulon - open blockade
• 1804 - situation got worse = Spain allied with France (102 battleships between them - RN had only 83) 
• If Napoleon concentrated his ships to the British Channel then an invasion was very possible. 

• Napoleon had a plan: Vice Admiral Villeneuve (commander of the Toulon fleet) would lure Nelson across the Atlantic to the Carribean then sail back to Spain after losing him, unite with French and Spanish. 
• The combined fleet would then join the French and overwhelm British fleet and invade Britain. 
• 1805 - Villeneuve's fleet left Toulon - Nelson followed. 
• Would have caught up with Villeneuve but given false information and sent south instead of north. 
• V set sail for Europe - Nelson, learning of his move, recrossed the Atlantic, sending a frigate ahead to warn of danger
• July - Robert Calder intercepted V's fleet off Cape Finisterre - V escaped --> Calder had to explain himself to British press 
• Napoleon's plan had failed --> the threat of invasion had lifted. 

• Nelson was given control of the fleet off Cadiz
• 1805
• V followed Napoleon's commands and set sail for Italy, leaving Cadiz. 
• Nelson gave chase
• British: 27 Battleships, 17,000 men 
• French: 33 Battleships, 30, 000 men 
• 21st Oct: both fleets catch sight of each other
• Insufficient winds to sail back to Cadiz - V orders ships in a line 
• Nelson split fleet into 2 divisions - one led by himself (In the Victory), the other led by Collingwood (in the Royal Sovereign) 
• Before 'Victory' could open fire, it was under fire from 5 ships
• However, found a gap in the line and raker the enemy's stern with broadside. 
• More British ships arrived and Villeneuve's fleet took a pounding 
• Nelson was shot in the shoulder and died 
• His fleet took 18 enemy ships. No British ships had been lost 
• Brits: 459 dead (inc Nelson) and 1208 wounded. French: 2218 dead, 1155 wounded. Spanish: 1025 dead, 1383 wounded. 
• A decisive victory --> RN = aura of invincibility