[130] They refused to attribute the defeat at Tenerife to him, preferring instead to blame poor planning on the part of St Vincent, the Secretary at War or even William Pitt. The British raiding force captured the Spanish boat and towed her back to Theseus. Works . Horatio Nelson, also known as 1st Viscount Nelson, was an important English naval officer active during the French Revolution and the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars. Nelson set off in pursuit but after searching the eastern Mediterranean he learned that the French had been blown back into Toulon. Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was an English sea captain in the Royal Navy.He was born at the rectory of the village of Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk. [136] He began searching the Italian coast for Napoleon's fleet, but was hampered by a lack of frigates that could operate as fast scouts. He spent the summer reconnoitring the French coast, but apart from a failed attack on Boulogne in August, saw little action. Wellington later recalled, "He (Nelson) entered at once into conversation with me, if I can call it conversation, for it was almost all on his side and all about himself and, in reality, a style so vain and so silly as to surprise and almost disgust me. [162] Dismayed by the bloodshed, Ruffo agreed to a capitulation with the Jacobin forces that allowed them safe conduct to France. He was discharged from Seahorse on 14 March and returned to England aboard HMS Dolphin. Share . He entered the English Navy in 1770, at age 12. [225] Nelson had devised a plan of attack that anticipated the allied fleet would form up in a traditional line of battle. He was unsuccessful as there were too few ships in the peacetime navy and Hood did not intercede on his behalf. Horatio Nelson Royal Navy Admiral (1758-1805) Retrato de Horatio Nelson por Lemuel Francis Abbott (1799). For the rest of the month he carried out raids along the coast and intercepted enemy shipping. On the morning of 2 April 1801, Nelson began to advance into Copenhagen harbour. The Admiral's paternal arms (Or, a cross flory sable over all a bendlet gules) were augmented to honour his naval victories. He entered the Royal Navy at the age of 12, and by 20 he had risen from midshipman to commander. 1817 - ? On 1 February France declared war. Admiral Horatio Nelson is the greatest hero in British naval history, an honor he earned by defeating Napoleon‘s fleet in the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar. [274] Nelson had no legitimate children; his daughter, Horatia, married the Reverend Philip Ward, with whom she had ten children before her death in 1881. On his arrival, Nelson was given command of a small squadron consisting of Agamemnon, three frigates and a sloop, and ordered to blockade the French garrison on Corsica. He was wounded in combat, losing sight in one eye in Corsica at the age of 35, and most of one arm in the unsuccessful attempt to conquer Santa Cruz de Tenerife when he was 40. [53] Nelson served on the station under Admiral Sir Richard Hughes, and often came into conflict with his superior officer over their differing interpretation of the Acts. The following year he won a decisive victory over the French at the Battle of the Nile and remained in the Mediterranean to support the Kingdom of Naples against a French invasion. [47] Nelson spent the rest of the war cruising in the West Indies, where he captured a number of French and Spanish prizes. [5], HMS Raisonnable had been commissioned during a period of tension with Spain, but when this passed, Suckling was transferred to the Nore guardship HMS Triumph and Nelson was dispatched to serve aboard the West Indiamen Mary Ann of the merchant shipping firm of Hibbert, Purrier and Horton, in order to gain experience at sea;[6] he sailed from Medway, Kent, on 25 July 1771 sailing to Jamaica and Tobago, returning to Plymouth on 7 July 1772. [248] This led him to take risks, and to enthusiastically publicise his resultant successes,[249] which was not always considered acceptable at the time. He turned to see Nelson kneeling on the deck, supporting himself with his hand, before falling onto his side. Report from Colonel Polson on the capture of the fort at San Juan. [232] He then draped a handkerchief over his face to avoid causing alarm amongst the crew. [193] Parker approved of Nelson's actions in retrospect, and Nelson was given the honour of going into Copenhagen the next day to open formal negotiations. While Nelson directed a continuous bombardment of the enemy positions, Stuart's men began to advance. [131] He spent the last months of 1797 recuperating in London, during which he was awarded the Freedom of the City of London and a pension of £1,000 a year. [35], Nelson received orders on 23 October 1781 to take the newly refitted Albemarle to sea. More Horatio Nelson Quotes. [160] Nelson was promoted to Rear Admiral of the Red on 14 February 1799,[161] and was occupied for several months in blockading Naples, while a popular counter-revolutionary force under Cardinal Ruffo known as the Sanfedisti marched to retake the city. [171][172]. "[220][221][222] Robert Southey reported on the onlookers for Nelson's walk to the dock: "Many were in tears and many knelt down before him and blessed him as he passed. The General's mission was to end slavery, a fact of which Nelson was well aware. [275], Since Nelson died without legitimate issue, his viscountcy and his barony created in 1798, both "of the Nile and of Burnham Thorpe in the County of Norfolk", became extinct upon his death. [180] By September they were in Prague, and later called at Dresden, Dessau and Hamburg, from where they caught a packet ship to Great Yarmouth, arriving on 6 November. Nelson saw the beginning of the Napoleonic wars as a Commander, but his quick decisions and bold actions moved him steadily up the chain of command. The Book of Military Quotations. [127][128] The squadron remained off Tenerife for a further three days and by 16 August had rejoined Jervis's fleet off Cadiz. [215] Nelson returned to Gibraltar at the end of July, and travelled from there to England, dismayed at his failure to bring the French to battle and expecting to be censured. [45] During his scouting operations, Nelson had developed a plan to attack the French garrison of the Turks Islands. [27], Hinchinbrook sailed from Port Royal on 5 October 1779 and, in company with other British ships, proceeded to capture a number of American prizes. [259] First Sea Lord Jackie Fisher was a keen exponent of Nelson during the early years of the twentieth century, and often emphasised his legacy during his period of naval reform. The Admiralty recalled Nelson to service and gave him command of the 64-gun HMS Agamemnon in January 1793. His son was distinguished by painful health, but at the same time he had an energetic character. [48] After news of the peace reached Hood, Nelson returned to Britain in late June 1783. Nelson hurried there to oversee the evacuation of British nationals and transported them to Corsica, after which Jervis ordered him to blockade the newly captured French port. [224] On 20 October 1805, the fleet was sighted making its way out of harbour by patrolling British frigates, and Nelson was informed that they appeared to be heading to the west.[227]. "[263] Thomas Attwood's "Nelson's Tomb : A Favourite Song" commemorates Nelson's death in the Battle of Trafalgar. Famous people born on September 9th (Today) Hugh Grant (*1960) actor. The "pressed copy" in the British Library states "cruel" not "cursed", which Downer argues alters the author's intended meaning significantly, Nicolas, The Despatches and Letters of Lord Nelson, Vol, 3, p. 197, Nicolas, The Despatches and Letters of Lord Nelson, Vol, 6 p. 412. [25] While Nelson waited, news reached Parker that a French fleet under the command of Charles Hector, comte d'Estaing, was approaching Jamaica. Nelson was 5 feet 5.5 inches tall. Parker himself would wait in the Kattegat, covering Nelson's fleet in case of the arrival of the Swedish or Russian fleets.[189]. II (1814) The dispatches and letters of Vice Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson (1845, ed. Find records of Horatio Kent • Birth. London. [138], Brueys then anchored his fleet in Aboukir Bay, ready to support Napoleon if required. Nelson returned to Palermo in August and in September became the senior officer in the Mediterranean after Jervis' successor Lord Keith left to chase the French and Spanish fleets into the Atlantic. In court Nelson recollected his service with Despard in the Caribbean during the American War: "We went on the Spanish Main together; we slept many nights together in our clothes upon the ground; we have measured the height of the enemies walls together. Nelson arrived off Naples on 24 June to find the treaty put into effect. [190], Nelson, directing action aboard HMS Elephant, was informed of the signal by the signal lieutenant, Frederick Langford, but angrily responded: "I told you to look out on the Danish commodore and let me know when he surrendered. He asked to be shot rather than hanged, but Nelson, following the wishes of Queen Maria Carolina (a close friend of his mistress, Lady Hamilton) also refused this request and even ignored the court's request to allow 24 hours for Caracciolo to prepare himself. As she was not yet ready for sea, Nelson was instead given command of the 74-gun HMS Vanguard, to which he appointed Edward Berry as his flag captain. [117], Nelson was given HMS Theseus as his flagship, and on 27 May 1797 was ordered to lie off Cadiz, monitoring the Spanish fleet and awaiting the arrival of Spanish treasure ships from the American colonies. Horatia, the illegitimate daughter of Lord Horatio Nelson died without ever accepting the true identity of her mother. Commanding a small flotilla of frigates and smaller vessels, he landed a force of 167 seamen and marines early on the morning of 8 March under a supporting bombardment. 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