Horatio Nelson

I

Introduction

Horatio Nelson (1758-1805), British naval commander, whose victories at the battles of the Nile and Trafalgar during the Napoleonic Wars made him a British national hero.

Horatio Nelson was born on September 29, 1758, at Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk. His father, Edmund Nelson, was the rector of Burnham Thorpe, and his mother, Catherine Suckling, was the great-niece of the former British prime minister, Robert Walpole. Little is known of Nelson’s childhood for certain, though he was schooled locally in Norfolk, and joined the navy at the age of 12, reportedly at his own request.

II

Early Career

Nelson’s uncle, Captain Maurice Suckling, under whom he served as midshipman on his first ship, HMS Raisonnable, and on the guardship, HMS Triumph, orchestrated his early career. Suckling proved a wise patron who carefully selected good and experienced captains for Nelson to serve under. In order to widen the young Nelson’s seagoing experience, Suckling was also responsible for sending him to serve on a merchant ship for a year trading in the West Indies. On his return, Nelson briefly rejoined HMS Triumph before joining Captain Skeffington Lutwidge aboard HMS Carcass for an Arctic expedition. His next trip was to the East Indies on the frigate HMS Seahorse, although he became very sick with malaria, which was to recur throughout his life, and he had to return home. He was appointed as acting lieutenant on HMS Worcester, although the rank could not be confirmed until he passed the relevant examination, which he did at only 18 when officially he should have been at least 20. He was very fortunate in being commissioned just a day after passing and he joined HMS Lowestoffe, bound for the British station in Jamaica, in the West Indies, under Captain William Locker, who was to become a lifelong friend. Locker demonstrated his trust in Nelson, giving him his first taste of command when he was put in charge of a small captured schooner. Nelson progressed very quickly and caught the eye of Rear Admiral Parker in command of the Jamaica station. He moved to his flagship as 3rd lieutenant and was quickly given command of the brig, HMS Badger. At the age of 21, in 1779, he was promoted to captain and took command of HMS Hinchinbrooke.

III

Command

The West Indies, where Nelson was posted, was an important strategic base for the British, who were now at war with Spain and France, as well as being embroiled in the American War of Independence since 1775. He was given charge of Fort Charles, a battery in Port Royal, Jamaica, and took part in a land expedition taking troops along the San Juan River in Nicaragua. Here he fell extremely ill again with both dysentery and malaria and had to return home to recover. In 1781 Nelson was back at sea in command of HMS Albemarle, protecting trade vessels in convoy in the Baltic Sea and Canada. In Quebec he fell in love apparently for the first time with a local beauty, Mary Simpson, though nothing was to come of this. After travelling to New York he met Rear Admiral Samuel Hood. Sailing with Hood was Prince William, the third son of George III, and Nelson managed to impress both the prince and Hood so much that Hood requested that HMS Albemarle return with them to the West Indies station.

When peace came in 1783, Nelson returned to England, with all of his crew offering to join his next vessel. This was a mark of the excellent leadership skills he had now acquired and his charisma in command. Nelson took the opportunity of the temporary peace to go to France to learn French, though he was never to master the language. His next command, HMS Boreas, took him back to the West Indies, where he was to meet his future wife, Frances “Fanny” Nisbet, on the island of Nevis. They moved to Burnham Thorpe when HMS Boreas was signed off in 1787. Nelson was disappointed not to get another command until 1793 as Britain was largely at peace, though there is every reason to believe that he was content in his relationship with Fanny. With the beginning of the French Revolutionary Wars, he was despatched to Naples to enlist the help of King Ferdinand I in the British cause. This is where he first met Lady Emma Hamilton, the wife of the British ambassador there; she would later become his mistress.

Nelson left Naples to secure Corsica as a base for the allied fleet (comprising at that time British, Spanish, Sardinian, and French loyalists) after it had been driven out of Toulon. It was during this mission when attempting to take the town of Calvi that Nelson received the injury that would permanently damage his right eye. Although he was also disappointed at the lack of public recognition he received for his instrumental role in capturing Corsica—his ambition was growing as well as his reputation for bravery and prowess within the fleet—he was later promoted to commodore.

IV

Battle of Cape St Vincent

Nelson’s first major involvement in fleet action was at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, on February 14, 1797, which saw him both promoted to rear admiral and receive a knighthood. The Spanish had changed allegiance, and when Nelson, commanding HMS Captain, spotted their fleet, he went to warn Admiral Sir John Jervis, and found him sailing by Cape St Vincent, Portugal. There were 27 Spanish ships while Jervis had only 15 ships under his command, but the subsequent encounter was a decisive victory for the British, and Nelson played a vital role. Back in England, Nelson was feted and given the freedom of the cities of Bath, Bristol, Norwich, and London. At sea he was put in command of the inner squadron blockading Cádiz, and on his own initiative proposed an attack on the town of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on Tenerife, as it was the last port of call to stop for water for Spanish vessels returning from the Caribbean Sea with valuable cargoes. It was an audacious but ultimately unsuccessful plan, and Nelson took a shot that resulted in the loss of his right arm. He went to England to recover and saw Fanny for the first time in four-and-a-half years, but was soon commissioned once again to join Jervis, now Earl St Vincent, with the Mediterranean fleet.