Biography of Admiral Nelson in English. Biography of Horatio Nelson

Horatio Nelson was born on September 29, 1758 in Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk, England. The boy grew up in the family of a priest. Elementary education received at school, and at the age of 12 he entered as a cabin boy on the ship of his uncle, Captain Maurice Suckling, the hero Seven Years' War.

Skills maritime service Nelson received during voyages on merchant and military ships to the West and East Indies, as well as to polar expedition 1773 But his naval career truly began in 1777, when, having passed the exam for the rank of lieutenant and performed well in the war with the North American colonists, he became captain of the brig.

In 1780, Nelson took part in hostilities against Spain in Honduras, where he fell ill with dysentery and almost died, so he was forced to return to England for treatment. But the very next year he commanded a frigate in the war against the North American colonies.

In 1784, for three years, Horatio served in the West Indies, where he waged a stubborn fight against smuggling, and therefore more than once came into conflict with local high-ranking officials, demanding that they strictly adhere to the laws. It is not surprising that Nelson made many enemies among them, therefore, upon returning to England, he was actually removed from service in the navy and transferred to half pay. For more than 5 years, Nelson remained out of work, living in the village with his family.

Only in 1793, with the outbreak of war against France, Nelson received the position of captain battleship as part of the Mediterranean squadron. He took an active part in the hostilities near Toulon; in 1794, during the siege of the Calvi fortress in Corsica, he lost his right eye, and in 1795, having demonstrated extraordinary military leadership talent, he distinguished himself in naval battle and captured a French ship, much stronger than his own.

But real glory national hero came to Nelson after the battle on February 14, 1797, off Cape St. Vincent, Portugal, when he skillfully and independently carried out a maneuver that had crucial to defeat the Spanish fleet. For which he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Bath and the rank of rear admiral. However, in the same year unsuccessful attempt capture the port of Santa Cruz, Nelson lost the island of Tenerife right hand.

Since 1798, he commanded a squadron in the Mediterranean Sea, with the aim of countering the Egyptian expedition undertaken by France, which he successfully accomplished and for which he was rewarded with the title of peer-baron and a lifelong pension of 2,000 pounds sterling.

Having suppressed the Neapolitan revolution, Nelson received the title of Duke of Bronte from the King of the Two Sicilies, Ferdinand IV. However, there he tarnished his name with brutal reprisals against French prisoners and Italian republicans.

Upon his return to England in 1801, Nelson was promoted to vice admiral and sent to punitive expedition to Denmark, where he conducted a barbaric bombardment of Copenhagen and burned the Danish fleet. For this campaign he received the title of Viscount.

In 1803, after the renewal of war with France, Nelson led the British Mediterranean squadron and, after much persecution, defeated the Spanish-French fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar. However, the vice admiral himself was mortally wounded in this battle.

Horatio Nelson died on October 21, 1805, off Cape Trafalgar, Spain. His body was taken to London and on January 9, 1806, it was solemnly buried in St. Paul's Cathedral with full military honors.

“We must move forward. This is a matter of honor for us"

Admiral Nelson, did not lose a single naval battle. Under his leadership, the British navy won historic victory at Trafalgar, which forced Napoleon to abandon his ambitious plans to invade England.

The admiral who died during this battle became one of the greats of world history, becoming one of the heroes that English children learn about from early childhood.

Horatio Nelson - childhood

HoratioNelson born on September 29, 1758 in the family of the parish priest Edmund Nelson and his wife Catherine in the village of Burnham Thorpe, located five kilometers from the sea, in Norfolk. He was the sixth child in the family, so he was small and weak, but he had strong character and did not like to admit defeat. The boy was inquisitive and had absolutely no fear. One day Horatio went alone to look for bird's nests and got lost. He was found only late in the evening, but he did not seem afraid.

When Edmund Nelson became a widower, nine-year-old Horatio and his older brother William were sent to boarding school. Returning to school after the holidays on horseback, the boys were caught in a terrible snowstorm. Soon the horse stopped and could no longer move forward. Then William decided that he should return home, but Horatio didn’t want to hear about it: “ We must move forward. This is a matter of honor for us».

Captain Maurice Suckling, Horatio's uncle, showed concern for the Nelson family. maternal line. He decided to take custody of one of the children and the choice of father fell on Horatio Nelson. In March 1771 they sailed to Chatham, where the battleship " Reasonable", commanded by Suckling. Edmund Nelson led his twelve-year-old son to the dock and told him to climb aboard himself. The boy was overcome by a feeling of loneliness that he remembered until the end of his days.

At that time, it was common for a twelve-year-old boy to enlist in the navy, but Maurice Suckling was concerned about his nephew's poor health. Because of this, he decided to first send Horatio as a cabin boy on a merchant ship sailing across the Atlantic. These two voyages gave Nelson considerable practical experience. Suckling then entrusted his nephew with command of the longboat, which transported sailors from the battleship to the shore and back. In 1773, Nelson, as part of an English expedition, set out in search of a passage through the Arctic to Pacific Ocean. Upon returning from the expedition to England, Nelson was transferred to a ship bound for India. He served there for three years, but in the spring of 1776, having fallen ill with malaria, he was sent home. While Nelson was undergoing treatment, he developed a strong belief that he should " do everything possible for the good of the homeland and the king. Become a hero! Rely on God in everything and overcome any dangers" Having recovered, eighteen-year-old Nelson continued to serve in the English Navy.

young naval commander Nelson

In April 1777 Nelson, having successfully passed the exams, received the rank of naval lieutenant and on the frigate " Lovestov"went to the West Indies, where fierce battles unfolded, especially intensifying after the American colonies declared their independence a year earlier. In 1778 Nelson became captain of the brig " Badger" In June next year he was transferred to command the frigate " Hinchinbrook" Career young captain developed successfully, and he no longer needed support from his uncle. In 1780 Nelson fell ill again when the British tried to take over the Spanish colony of Honduras in Central America, almost three-quarters of them fell ill with a high fever, most likely malaria. Nelson was then sent home for treatment. By April of the following year he had recovered and was appointed captain of the frigate " Albemarle", went to again Central America. He was to serve again under the famous Admiral Samuel Hood, whom Nelson highly respected for his character and abilities as a military leader.

Nelson hoped to prove himself in battle, but it came Peaceful time, and in the summer of 1783 he returned to England. In April 1784, the officer, having received command of the frigate " Boreas”, was again sent to the West Indies.

The British prohibited foreign ships from trading with the British colonies in the Caribbean, but the Americans, who had achieved independence eight years earlier, continued to trade as if nothing had changed. Nelson in its own way own initiative began to detain American merchant ships. Meanwhile, English merchants operating on the islands were very interested in trade with the Americans Caribbean Sea. They found support from many governors and influential figures in the Admiralty.

The harsh measures taken by Nelson infringed on their interests, and therefore the merchants accused him of illegal activities and demanded a large sum of money as compensation. Then the British government intervened and supported naval commander. However, his name became odious for the inhabitants of the Caribbean islands. The British colonies in the West Indies were in great need of many goods from North America, and Nelson's personal efforts were futile. They only confirmed that England was beginning to lose its influence in this region.

In this difficult situation Nelson supported only by John Richard Herbert, governor of the island of Nevis. He introduced Nelson to his niece, Frances Nisbet (“Fanny”), a widow with a child. The young people got married in March 1787. In three months Nelson- due to the machinations of his numerous enemies, he was recalled to England. Although the English fleet operating in the West Indies needed qualified captains, the naval commander was forced to live in separation from the sea for six years, receiving only half his salary as a reserve officer. This was the most difficult period in his life.

Meanwhile, a revolution began in France, which became the largest event in world history. late XVIII century. She changed the fate of many people, including Nelson.

At the turn of the 18th-19th centuries, sailors really did not like to serve on warships, but the people who set sail under the command of Nelson thought differently. They liked the way this captain, who knew how to win the hearts of people, treated ordinary sailors.

Interesting fact: At that time, the responsibility for paying the sailors' wages lay with the captain. When the war ended, many captains simply did not pay their crew. Nelson was the only captain who paid his sailors directly on deck as soon as his ship returned safely to England. The naval commander believed that treating sailors well would ultimately lead to a strong, cohesive navy. Nelson was highly regarded by junior officers and ordinary sailors, and rumors of his good reputation reached high-ranking naval commanders.

The French Revolution of 1789-1799 was a time of deep upheaval. European monarchies, fearing the spread of her ideas, created a military alliance against France. Its core was Great Britain. In 1793, after six years of separation from the sea, Nelson appointed captain of a 64-gun battleship " Agamemnon", which was part of the English Mediterranean Fleet. It was commanded by Admiral Samuel Hood. On his orders, a squadron of English ships headed for Toulon with the goal of capturing this largest naval port in the south of France. However ground forces, sent by England and Spain to Toulon, was not enough. Nelson sent to the Kingdom of Naples to demand reinforcements. By using English Ambassador The nickname of William Hamilton, Nelson's demand was satisfied, and two thousand soldiers went to the south of France. By October, with the help of Neapolitan forces, the British took control of Toulon, but were unable to hold the city for long. French revolutionary troops, thanks to the skillful actions of artillery officer Napoleon Bonaparte, forced the interventionists to leave the port of Toulon on December 16. Having suffered a severe defeat in Toulon, the British, in order to have a reliable base near the coast of France, decided to capture Corsica. Nelson, who did not take part in the battles for Toulon, in May 1794 led the naval forces moving towards Corsica with the aim of organizing a blockade of the city of Bastia. In July, during the capture of the city of Calvi, the ship's cannons, unloaded ashore, covered the advance of the English infantry. An enemy cannonball that hit the parapet raised a cloud of stones and sand into the air. One of the fragments hit Nelson in the face, after which the sailor became blind in his right eye.

In Italy, the French under the command of Bonaparte had already achieved major successes. They invaded Northern Italy, driving out Austrian troops from there. In November 1795, Admiral Gotham was removed from his post, and the English Mediterranean Fleet was led by a more decisive man, Admiral John Jervis. In January 1796 Nelson the hero met him on board the flagship -. Jervis, aware of Nelson's courage, gave him command of a squadron of two battleships and four frigates. By that time, the situation in the Mediterranean was not at all in England's favor.

In 1795, Spain broke its alliance with England, and in October of the following year entered into friendship with France. The British government, deciding that the further presence of the British army in the Mediterranean was becoming dangerous, ordered the withdrawal of troops. To Nelson's disappointment, his fleet now had to remove British units from Italy and Corsica, as well as intercept and inspect merchant ships carrying cargo to France. However, the efforts of Admiral Jervis and Nelson were not in vain, since the English fleet retained dominance in the Western Mediterranean. In February 1797, 15 battleships under the command of Admiral John Jervis departed from the Gibraltar naval base on the southern tip Iberian Peninsula, engaged a Spanish fleet of 27 warships heading across the Atlantic to the port of Cadiz on the southwest coast of Spain. The battle between the fleets took place off the Portuguese Cape St. Vincent. Jervis, noticing that the Spanish fleet was divided into two squadrons, went across to them, lining up his ships in a tight line, pointed towards the enemy. The British managed to push back the smaller squadron, approaching its front left edge. Then the English ships, turning around, attacked the strongest squadron of the Spaniards. To avoid the blow, she turned left. In this moment " Captain", Nelson's battleship, moved third in the line of the British. When naval commander saw that the Spanish fleet was turning north, he single-handedly attacked the enemy " San Nicolas" By doing this, the naval commander violated the order, which stated that the enemy ships should be pursued one after another, starting with the flagship ship. Having caught up with the enemy, he boarded him, forcing his captain to surrender.

After the Battle of Cape St. Vincent, the Spanish fleet retreated and its 23 surviving ships headed for Cadiz. Four Spanish battleships were captured by the British. Thus, the English fleet won a resounding victory in a battle with a Spanish fleet almost twice its size. Nelson's single attack, carried out in violation of orders, was successful, and therefore the naval commander escaped punishment.

The victory over the Spaniards was joyfully received in England. John Jervis received the title of Earl St. Vincent, and Nelson, who became a rear admiral, was awarded a knighthood.

Admiral Nelson

Life Admiral Nelson, however, like everyone else, consisted of alternating light and dark periods. In July 1797, the admiral learned that a ship with big amount gold on board. Tenerife is part of the Spanish Canary Islands, located northwest of the African coast. To capture the gold, Nelson needed to land at Santa Cruz before the enemy arrived there. Admiral Jervis provided naval commander there are seven vessels for this operation. It began on July 20, but due to headwinds and undercurrents, preparations for the landing took longer than expected. This allowed the Spaniards to strengthen their position. Nelson realized that a daylight landing was impossible and ordered it to take place on the night of July 24th. The landing was hampered by complete darkness and strong wind, so the Spaniards were able to detect the landing and destroy it with weapons fire - the British lost 150 soldiers.

The boat in which the admiral was located reached the intended landing point, but as soon as he stepped ashore, a musket ball hit him in the right arm. Soon it had to be amputated. First major defeat, which also deprived him of his hand, plunged Nelson into deep despair. In a letter to the commander, he called himself an admiral with one left hand, who would never be needed by anyone. However, Jervis supported Nelson: " Only God sends victory. You have demonstrated the courage and soul that can only belong to a hero." When Nelson returned to England for treatment, he was greeted there with jubilation.

Nelson is wounded

After arm amputation Admiral Nelson remained for seven months for treatment in London, and then, in March 1798, returned to service. Becoming captain of a battleship " Vanguard", he went to Gibraltar to see Admiral Jervis. Soon British intelligence learned that the French were gathering troops and Navy in Toulon. Admiral Nelson, having received orders to observe the actions of the French, left Gibraltar on May 9 at the head of a squadron consisting of three battleships and four frigates. On May 20, in the Gulf of Lyon, 120 kilometers west of Toulon, Nelson's fleet was caught in a strong storm, which broke the masts on the flagship " Vanguard" The ship drifted and lost contact with the frigates accompanying it.

Literally on the eve of the storm, 13 French battleships and 280 transport ships with 30 thousand soldiers on board under the command of Bonaparte left Toulon. The purpose of the expedition was to invade Egypt and cut off transport routes between England and India, the most important English colony, especially after the loss of America.

Squadron Admiral Nelson was forced to go to the island of Saint Pietro near Sardinia to repair ships damaged by the storm. On June 7, it was reinforced by ten additional battleships sent by Admiral Jervis. Now with 13 battleships at his disposal, Nelson was ordered to intercept the French.

After naval commander received information that the French were heading to Egypt, he spent a whole month fruitlessly searching for the enemy in the Mediterranean Sea. On 1 August he finally discovered the French fleet off Cape Aboukir, near the mouth of the Nile River. The French army under the command of Bonaparte, having already landed on land, fought deep into Egyptian territory. The anchored French fleet, under Vice-Admiral François de Brues, formed a line along the sandbank with the enemy on the starboard side. In the evening of the same day, five English ships managed to pass by the island of Abukir, position themselves between the shore and enemy ships, which allowed the British to fire at the vanguard of the French flotilla from both sides. This provided the British with a tactical advantage, which, however, did not guarantee success: firepower the French fleet was generally higher if the rearguard ships had come to the aid of their comrades in time. However, Rear Admiral Villeneuve, who commanded him, never did this. The battle turned into a duel of ships firing at each other from a distance. Flagship battleship " Vanguard"fought a French ship" Spartiate" During a shootout, the head Admiral Nelson hit a piece of ship's equipment. The admiral was immediately taken to the surgeon. When the doctor examined Nelson, he found that the wound was not dangerous, after which the commander returned to duty.

In August 1799, Bonaparte and several people close to him managed to escape from Egypt on small merchant ships, outwitting the British who had established a blockade of the Egyptian coast. Three months later, taking advantage of the deep government crisis in France, he managed to seize power, declaring himself first consul, and in 1804 emperor.

After the Battle of Aboukir, Admiral Nelson traveled to Naples, where he stopped and met again with Ambassador William Hamilton, whom he had met five years earlier in preparation for the assault on Toulon. During the war between England and France for supremacy in the Mediterranean, the Kingdom of Naples remained neutral, but then Nelson convinced King Ferdinand IV to side with England. The Neapolitan army drove the French out of Rome, but they regrouped and launched a counteroffensive. The Neapolitans fled in disarray. Admiral Nelson hastily organized an evacuation royal family, nobles and the English who were in Naples, including the Hamilton family, and brought them all safely to Palermo, Sicily. In December 1798, the French entered Naples, creating the Parthenopean Republic in southern Italy. During these tumultuous events, Nelson and Emma Hamilton, the ambassador's wife, began a torrid affair. Admiral Nelson, having sent part of his forces to besiege Malta, remained in Sicily, spending time with Lady Hamilton, and expressing no desire to leave the island.

In May-June 1799, a Russian detachment of 570 men, allied with the British, under the command of Gregory Belli, defeated the Republican troops, forcing them to capitulate. Admiral Nelson, having learned about the honorable conditions for the surrender of the French and their supporters, arrived with his fleet in Naples and, in violation of the previously concluded agreement, allowed the Neapolitan authorities to carry out brutal reprisals against the vanquished: before being brutally executed, they were subjected to brutal torture. Nelson personally had a hand in this, hanging the Republican Admiral Caracciolo from the yardarm of the battleship " Minerva».

After his subordinate, Captain Alexander Ball, captured the capital of Malta, Valletta, in September 1800, Nelson, with the permission of the Admiralty, went home, accompanied by the Hamiltons. He had it in him personal reason: Emma Hamilton was expecting a baby. With the birth of his daughter Horatia in January 1801, Nelson's marriage to his legal wife actually broke up. At this time, the scandalous behavior of the naval commander was widely discussed in London. Received by the admiral military awards for the victory at Abukir could not brighten up the sad fact that many of his well-wishers and comrades in arms, including Admiral Jervis, turned their backs on him.

At the beginning of 1801 Admiral Nelson received orders to go to war with Denmark again. He took over as deputy commander of Admiral Hyde Parker's squadron. The battle between the Danish and English fleets took place in the Oresund Strait, east of Copenhagen. The Danish fleet lined up in a line facing south and waited for the enemy on its starboard side, turning its naval guns towards the strait. The English fleet, entering the strait from the north, passed along east coast Strait and, having made a U-turn, on April 1, at 10 a.m., entered the battle.

Dangerous currents and sandy banks combined with dense Danish fire coastal batteries hindered the movement of the English fleet. The cautious Admiral Parker signaled Nelson to retreat, but he pretended not to notice him and ordered his squadron to attack. The captains of other English ships also disobeyed Admiral Parker's order to retreat. This is the cruelest thing in life Admiral Nelson The battle, despite intense and accurate enemy fire, ended in victory for the British.

At the end of the war in October 1801 Admiral Nelson went to the Merton estate in Surrey, where he lived secludedly in the company of the Hamiltons. In April 1803, William Hamilton died, and a month after his death, the war between England and France resumed. They immediately remembered the naval commander. Admiral Nelson was appointed commander-in-chief of the English fleet in the Mediterranean, receiving command of the flagship " Victory».

Admiral Nelson's flagship Victory

Napoleon, planning a landing on the British Isles, created the famous Boulogne camp, in which an invasion army was prepared. However, the British blocked the French fleet in the harbors of Toulon and Brest, preventing it from approaching the English Channel. Then Napoleon conceived a complex operation. He ordered the French fleet to enter the Atlantic and, joining the allied Spanish fleet, head to the West Indies. He was confident that the British would give chase. The French fleet was supposed to reach the West Indies, turn around, break away from the enemy and return to Europe. After this, the ships would be able to cross French army across the English Channel. On March 30, 1805, in strict accordance with Napoleon's plan, the French fleet under the command of Admiral Pierre Charles Villeneuve, evading the English blockade, left Toulon and successfully linked up with the Spanish fleet in the Atlantic. As Napoleon foresaw, Admiral Nelson set out in search of the French and lost a lot of precious time. If Villeneuve's fleet had managed to connect with another French fleet waiting for him in Brest, the operation would have been successful. However, on July 22, Villeneuve’s fleet was intercepted by English ships patrolling West Coast France. The French admiral chose to take refuge off the coast of Spain. As a result, Napoleon's plan to land on the British Isles failed.

In August 1805 Admiral Nelson Having returned home, he visited Emma Hamilton, with whom he rested for some time. On September 15 he received orders to leave for Portsmouth. Two weeks later, his fleet reached the military port of Cadiz, where the combined fleet of France and Spain was located under the command of Villeneuve.

The French commander, one of the few survivors of the Battle of Aboukir, had every reason to fear Admiral Nelson, but Napoleon's orders to Villeneuve were very harsh. The Emperor ordered his naval commander to either begin fighting, or go to court. Villeneuve, leaving the port of Cadiz, towards his old rival.

Battle of Trafalgar

On the morning of October 21 Admiral Nelson and Villeneuve again met in battle, this time south of the Spanish Cape Trafalgar, located west of the Strait of Gibraltar. The combined Franco-Spanish fleet consisted of 33 battleships, while Admiral Nelson had only 27 ships of this type. However, the English fleet was staffed by experienced sailors who had served in the Mediterranean for many years. The naval commander knew well the character and capabilities of each commander on each of his ships.

At half past ten in the morning, signal flags went up on the mast of the flagship Victory. Nelson conveyed to his ships: “ England expects everyone to do their duty" The English sailors clearly carried out the plan developed by their commander and achieved victory, but Nelson was not destined to see it. The admiral stood on the deck during the battle, and orders shone on his coat. A sniper on the mast of the French ship Redoutable, having examined the awards glowing in the sun, fired at them. The bullet hit Admiral Nelson in the left shoulder. At half past four in the afternoon, three hours after being wounded, the admiral died.

His last words were: " Thank God I did my duty" By nightfall the English fleet had achieved the most great victory in its history. On January 9, 1806, the body of the legendary naval commander was buried in London at St. Paul's Cathedral.

grave of Admiral Nelson and his family

The Battle of Trafalgar provided England with a century of prosperity, destroying Napoleon's plans to invade the British Isles and achieve naval supremacy for France. English fleet under command Admiral Nelson could be proud of his invincibility. The skill and fighting spirit of British sailors established England's status as mistress of the seas.

monument to Admiral Nelson Trafalgar Square in London

Born into the family of parish priest Edmund Nelson (1722-1802) and Catherine Suckling (1725-1767). The Nelson family was theological. Three generations of men from this family served as priests. Edmund Nelson's family had eleven children, he raised them strictly, loved order in everything, believed Fresh air And physical exercise very important in the matter of education, sincerely believed in God, considered himself a true gentleman and partly even a scientist. Horatio grew up as a sickly child, short in stature, but with a lively character. In 1767, Horatio's mother, Katherine Nelson, died at the age of forty-two. Edmund Nelson never married after the death of his wife. Horatio became especially close to his brother William, who later followed in his father's footsteps and became a priest. Horatio studied at two schools: Downham Market Primary and Norwich Secondary, studied Shakespeare and the basics of Latin, but he had no inclination to study.

In 1771, at the age of 12, he joined the ship of his uncle Captain Maurice Suckling, a hero of the Seven Years' War, as a cabin boy. His uncle's reaction to Horatio's desire to join the navy was as follows: “What has poor Horatio done that he, the most fragile of all, will have to do naval service? But let him come. Maybe in the very first battle a cannonball will blow his head off and relieve him of all his worries!” Soon, his uncle's ship "Resonable" was mothballed, and Horatio, at his uncle's request, was transferred to the battleship "Triumph". The captain of the Triumph was preparing to go to the West Indies, and it was on this voyage that young Nelson acquired his first skills in naval service. Nelson subsequently recalled the first voyage: “If I did not succeed in my education, then, in any case, I acquired a lot of practical skills, an aversion to the Royal Navy and learned the motto of the sailors: “Forward in the struggle for rewards and glory, brave sailor!” He then worked as a messenger on another ship. After this, Suckling took his nephew to join him on the Triumph as a midshipman. The ship was on patrol duty, and Captain Suckling was engaged maritime education nephew Under the guidance of his uncle, Horatio mastered the basics of navigation, learned to read a map and perform the duties of a gunner. Soon, young Nelson gets a longboat at his disposal and sails on it at the mouths of the Thames and Midway.

In the summer of 1773, a polar expedition was organized, which included fourteen-year-old Horatio, sent to serve on the Carcass. The expedition was not successful and to this day is known only for the fact that he took part in it future hero. However, even there Horatio amazed everyone with his courage when, at night, seeing a polar bear, he grabbed a musket and chased after it, to the horror of the ship’s captain. The bear, frightened by the cannon shot, disappeared, and upon returning to the ship Nelson took all the blame upon himself. The captain, scolding him, admired his courage in his heart. young man. Polar adventures strengthened the hero, and he longed for new exploits.

In 1773, he became a sailor 1st class on the brig Seahorse. Nelson spent almost a year in Indian Ocean. In 1775, he fell down with an attack of fever, he was taken to the ship Dolphin and sent to the shores of England. The return voyage lasted more than six months. Much later, Nelson recalled a vision on his way from India: "A certain light descending from the sky, a sparkling luminary calling to glory and triumph". Upon arrival at home, he was appointed to the ship Worcester as a fourth lieutenant, that is, he was already a watch commander, although he did not yet have the rank of officer. He carried out patrol duty and accompanied trade caravans.

Participation in the American Revolution and illness

In the spring of 1777, Horatio Nelson passed the examination for the rank of lieutenant, as they say, not without the help of his all-powerful uncle Captain Suckling, who was the chairman of the examination committee. Immediately after successfully passing the exam, he is assigned to the frigate Lowestof, which was sailing to the West Indies. Officer's toast before departure: "Behind bloody war and the season that brings diseases! The crew of the Lowestof treated the young lieutenant with respect and, when he left the frigate, gave him a box made of Ivory in the form of their frigate. Nelson transferred to the flagship Bristol under the command of Parker.

In 1778, Nelson became commander and was assigned to the brig Badger, guarding the eastern coast. Latin America. The coastal security service was restless, as they constantly had to chase after smugglers. One day during the Badger's stay in Montego Bay, the brig Glasgow suddenly caught fire. Thanks to Nelson's actions, the brig's crew was saved.

In 1779, twenty-year-old Nelson became a full captain and was given command of the 28-gun frigate Hinchinbrook. In the first independent swimming off the coast of America he captured several loaded ships, the prize amount was about 800 pounds, part of this money he sent to his father.

In 1780, on the orders of Admiral Parker, Nelson left Jamaica and landed troops at the mouth of the San Juan River, the goal being to capture Fort San Juan. The fort was taken, but without Nelson, who was ordered to return to Jamaica, which saved his life, since most of the sailors died of yellow fever. The patient was treated for malaria in the house of Admiral Parker, where he was received like a son. With the first ship he is sent to England for treatment. He arrives in the resort town of Bath, from where he writes: “I would give anything to be in Port Royal again. Lady Parker is not here, and the servants do not pay any attention to me, and I am lying around like a log.” Recovery was slow. He visits brother William in Norfolk and learns of his brother's desire to become a ship's chaplain. This terrifies Horatio; he, like no one else, knowing sea customs, realizes that this is an incredibly difficult and thankless task. However, the brother remains unconvinced.

Love

An assignment to the Albemarle soon followed and he was sent to Denmark, then served in Quebec. Here Horatio met his first love - the 16-year-old daughter of the chief of military police, Mary Simpson. From his letters it is clear that he had never experienced such feelings and had no experience in love affairs. He dreamed that he would take Mary home and live quietly with her in rural Norfolk: “What is the navy to me and what is a career to me now that I have found true love!» However, while indulging in dreams, the lover did not even bother to ask Mary about her feelings for him. Friends persuaded him not to propose yet and to test his feelings by going to New York, the new home port of the Albemarle. Here he met Prince William, the future King of England William IV. The prince recalled: “When Nelson arrived in his longboat, he seemed to me to be a boy in a captain’s uniform.”.

In 1783, taking a vacation, he goes with a friend to France, he is unpleasantly surprised by this country - the eternal enemy of England. There Nelson falls in love with a certain Miss Andrews, but he never achieves reciprocity from her. He leaves for London and from there writes to his brother: “There are so many temptations in London that a man’s life is spent entirely on them.” To the surprise of many, Nelson wants to become a parliamentarian and lobby for the interests of the Admiralty in Parliament, however, when the First Lord of the Admiralty invites him to return to service, he immediately agrees, so politics was over. He was offered the frigate "Borey", which was supposed to carry out patrol service in the West Indies. Nelson had to include his brother William in the ship's staff, who never gave up the idea of carrying Good News sailors. At Port Deal, the captain learned that the Dutch had captured 16 English sailors, he sent an armed detachment on board the Dutch ship and opened cannon ports, the sailors were released and joined the crew of the Boreas. In 1784, the frigate entered the harbor of the island of Antigua, it was put in order and loaded with supplies. Meanwhile, the captain managed to meet and fall in love with Jane Moutray, the wife of the Admiralty representative in Antigua, and soon the official was recalled to England and his beautiful wife left with him. Brother William, disillusioned with the position of the ship's chaplain, began to drink and became seriously ill; he had to be sent home to England.

Nelson’s relationship with the commander did not work out either. Nelson's main task in the West Indies was to monitor compliance with the Navigation Act, according to which goods could only be imported into English colonial ports on English ships, thus giving English merchants and shipowners a monopoly on trade and at the same time this act supported the British fleet.

Quarrel with merchants

After the United States won independence, American ships became foreign and could not trade on the same terms, but a market formed and the Americans continued to trade. Local English officials knew about this, but remained silent, since they received a significant percentage from the smuggling. Nelson believed that if American trade was harmful to England, it should be eradicated. He later recalled: “When they were colonists, the Americans owned almost all trade from America to the West Indian Islands, and when the war ended, they forgot that having won, they became foreigners and now have no right to trade with the British colonies. Our governors and customs officials pretend that under the Navigation Act they have the right to trade, and the people of the West Indian Islands want what is to their advantage. Having notified the governors, customs officers and Americans in advance of what I was going to do, I captured many ships, which turned all these groups against me. I was driven from one island to another, and for a long time I could not even get on land. But my unshakable moral rules helped me survive, and when this problem was better understood, I received support from my homeland. “I proved that the position of captain of a warship obliges him to comply with all maritime laws and carry out orders from the Admiralty, and not to be a customs officer.” Complaints were written against Nelson, but the king promised him his support in the event of a trial. The captain could not even imagine that not only the local governor-general and the squadron commander fed from West Indian smuggling, but also great amount London officials. So he acquired many high-ranking enemies in the capital.

Marriage

New life stage began with Nelson being asked to bring John Herbert's niece, Miss Perry Herbert, to the island of Barbados. Upon arrival, he was invited to visit and there he first saw Herbert's second niece, the young widow Frances Nisbet, born on the island of Nevis in 1758. In her home circle she was affectionately called Fanny, and she had a son from her first marriage. Nelson fell in love immediately: “I don’t have the slightest doubt that we will be a happy couple, and if we don’t, it will be my fault.”. On March 11, 1787, their wedding took place.

French revolutionary wars

In 1787, Nelson left the West Indies, he went home, Fanny and her son left a little later. In 1793, with the outbreak of war against France, he received the position of captain of a ship of the line as part of Admiral Samuel Hood's Mediterranean squadron. In the same year, he took an active part in the hostilities near Toulon, in July 1794 he commanded a landing party in Corsica, having received a wound to his right eye during the siege of the Calvi fortress, and on July 13, 1795, he distinguished himself in a naval battle, forcing the surrender of a French ship that was much superior by the power of his own.

On February 14, 1797, he took part in the battle of Cape Saint Vincent (the extreme southwestern tip of Portugal). On his own initiative, he took his ship out of the squadron's line formation and carried out a maneuver that was decisive for the defeat of the Spanish fleet. Two of the four Spanish ships captured by the British were boarded under the personal command of Nelson, who received the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Bath and the rank of rear admiral of the blue flag (blue squadron) for this battle.

In July 1797, during an unsuccessful attempt to capture the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Nelson lost his right arm.

Napoleonic Wars

Since 1798, he commanded a squadron sent to the Mediterranean Sea to counter the Egyptian expedition of 1798-1801 undertaken by France. The English squadron failed to prevent the landing French troops in Alexandria, however, on August 1-2, 1798, Nelson managed to defeat the French fleet at Aboukir, cutting off Napoleon Bonaparte's army in Egypt, Nelson himself was wounded in the head. As a reward, George III made Nelson Peer Baron of the Nile and Burnham-Thorpe. In August 1799, he was awarded by the Sultan for restoring Ottoman rule in Egypt.

Horatio Nelson. Born 29 September 1758 at Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk - died 21 October 1805 at Cape Trafalgar (Spain). Great English naval commander, vice-admiral (January 1, 1801), Baron of the Nile (1798), viscount (1801).

In 1767, Horatio's mother, Katherine Nelson, died at the age of forty-two. Edmund Nelson never married after the death of his wife. Horatio became especially close to his brother William, who would later follow in his father's footsteps and become a priest. Horatio studied at two schools: Downham Market Primary and Norwich Secondary, studied Shakespeare and the basics of Latin, but he had no inclination to study.

In 1771, at the age of 12, he joined the ship of his uncle Captain Maurice Suckling, a hero of the Seven Years' War, as a cabin boy. The uncle’s reaction to Horatio’s desire to join the navy was as follows: “What has poor Horatio done wrong that it is he, the most fragile of all, who will have to do naval service? But let him come. Maybe in the very first battle a cannonball will blow his head off and relieve him of all his worries!”

Soon, his uncle's ship "Resonable" was mothballed, and Horatio, at his uncle's request, was transferred to the battleship "Triumph". The captain of the Triumph was planning to go to the West Indies, and it was on this voyage that young Nelson acquired his first skills in naval service. Subsequently, Nelson recalled about the first voyage: “If I did not succeed in my education, then, in any case, I acquired a lot of practical skills, an aversion to the Royal Navy and learned the motto of the sailors: “Forward in the struggle for rewards and glory, brave sailor!” " He then worked as a messenger on another ship. After this, Suckling takes his nephew to join him on the Triumph as a midshipman. The ship was on patrol duty, and Captain Suckling was engaged in the maritime education of his nephew. Under the guidance of his uncle, Horatio mastered the basics of navigation, learned to read a map and perform the duties of a gunner. Soon, young Nelson gets a longboat at his disposal and sails on it at the mouths of the Thames and Midway.

In the summer of 1773, a polar expedition was organized, which included fourteen-year-old Horatio, sent to serve on the Carcass. The expedition was not successful and to this day is known only for the fact that the future hero took part in it. However, even there Horatio amazed everyone with his courage when he saw a polar bear at night, grabbed a musket and chased after it, to the horror of the ship’s captain. The bear, frightened by the cannon shot, disappeared, and upon returning to the ship Nelson took all the blame upon himself. The captain, scolding him, in his heart admired the courage of the young man. Polar adventures strengthened the hero, and he longed for new exploits.

In 1773, he became a 1st class sailor on the brig Seahorse. Nelson spent almost a year in the Indian Ocean. In 1775, he fell down with an attack of fever, he was taken to the ship Dolphin and sent to the shores of England. The return voyage lasted more than six months. Much later, Nelson recalled a certain vision on the way from India: “A certain light descending from the sky, a sparkling luminary calling to glory and triumph.” Upon arrival at home, he was appointed to the ship Worcester as a fourth lieutenant, that is, he was already a watch commander, although he did not yet have the rank of officer. He carried out patrol duty and accompanied trade caravans.

In the spring of 1777, Horatio Nelson took the exam for the rank of lieutenant, as they say, not without the help of his all-powerful uncle Captain Suckling, who was the chairman of the examination committee. Immediately after successfully passing the exam, he is assigned to the frigate Lowestof, which was sailing to the West Indies. The officer's toast before sailing: “To a bloody war and a season that brings disease!” The crew of the Lowestof treated the young lieutenant with respect and, when he left the frigate, presented him with an ivory box in the shape of their frigate as a souvenir. Nelson transferred to the flagship Bristol under the command of Parker.

In 1778, Nelson became a commander and was assigned to the brig Badger, guarding the eastern coast of Latin America. The coastal security service was restless, as they constantly had to chase after smugglers. One day during the Badger's stay in Montego Bay, the brig Glasgow suddenly caught fire. Thanks to Nelson's actions, the brig's crew was saved.

In 1779, twenty-year-old Nelson became a full captain and was given command of the 28-gun frigate Hinchinbrook. On his first independent voyage off the coast of America, he captured several loaded ships, the prize amount was about 800 pounds, part of which he sent to his father.

An assignment to the Albemarle soon followed, he was sent to Denmark, then served in Quebec. Here Horatio met his first love - the 16-year-old daughter of the chief of military police, Mary Simpson. From his letters it is clear that he had never experienced such feelings and had no experience in love affairs. He dreamed that he would take Mary home and live quietly with her in rural Norfolk: “What is the navy to me and what is a career to me now that I have found true love!” However, while indulging in dreams, the lover did not even bother to ask Mary about her feelings for him. Friends persuaded him not to propose yet and to test his feelings by going to New York, the new home port of the Albemarle. Here he met Prince William, the future King of England William IV. The prince recalled: “When Nelson arrived in his longboat, he seemed to me to be a boy in a captain’s uniform.”

In 1783, taking a vacation, he travels with a friend to France; he is unpleasantly surprised by this country - the eternal enemy of England. There Nelson falls in love with a certain Miss Andrews, but he never achieves reciprocity from her. He leaves for London and from there writes to his brother: “There are so many temptations in London that a man’s life is spent entirely on them.” To the surprise of many, Nelson wants to become a parliamentarian and lobby for the interests of the Admiralty in Parliament, however, when the First Lord of the Admiralty invites him to return to service, he immediately agrees, so politics was over. He was offered the frigate "Borey", which was supposed to carry out patrol service in the West Indies. Nelson had to include brother William in the ship's staff, who never gave up the idea of bringing the Good News to the sailors. At Port Deal, the captain learned that the Dutch had captured 16 English sailors, he sent an armed detachment on board the Dutch ship and opened cannon ports, the sailors were released and joined the crew of the Boreas. In 1784, the frigate entered the harbor of the island of Antigua, it was put in order and loaded with supplies. Meanwhile, the captain managed to meet and fall in love with Jane Moutray, the wife of the Admiralty representative in Antigua, and soon the official was recalled to England and his beautiful wife left with him. Brother William, disillusioned with the position of the ship's chaplain, began to drink and became seriously ill; he had to be sent home to England.

After the United States won independence, American ships became foreign and could not trade on the same terms, but a market formed and the Americans continued to trade. Local English officials knew about this, but remained silent, since they received a significant percentage from the smuggling. Nelson believed that if American trade was harmful to England, it should be eradicated. He later recalled: “When they were colonists, the Americans owned almost all trade from America to the West Indian Islands, and when the war ended they forgot that having won, they became foreigners and now have no right to trade with the British colonies. Our governors and customs officials pretend that under the Navigation Act they have the right to trade, and the people of the West Indian Islands want what is to their advantage. Having notified the governors, customs officers and Americans in advance of what I was going to do, I captured many ships, which turned all these groups against me. I was driven from one island to another, and for a long time I could not even get on land. But my unshakable moral rules helped me survive, and when this problem was better understood, I received support from my homeland. “I proved that the position of captain of a warship obliges him to comply with all maritime laws and carry out orders from the Admiralty, and not to be a customs officer.” Complaints were written against Nelson, but the king promised him his support in the event of a trial. The captain could not even imagine that not only the local governor-general and the squadron commander, but also a huge number of London officials were feeding from West Indian smuggling, so he acquired many high-ranking enemies in the capital.

A new stage in his life began when Nelson was asked to bring John Herbert's niece, Miss Perry Herbert, to the island of Barbados. Upon arrival, he was invited to visit and there he first saw Herbert’s second niece, the young widow Frances Nisbet, in the home circle she was affectionately called Fanny, she had a son from her first marriage. Nelson fell in love immediately: “I don’t have the slightest doubt that we will be a happy couple, and if we are not, it will be my fault.” On March 11, 1787, their wedding took place.

In 1787, Nelson left the West Indies, he went home, Fanny and her son left a little later. In 1793, with the outbreak of war against France, he received the position of captain of a battleship as part of the Mediterranean squadron of Admiral Samuel Hood. In the same year, he took an active part in the hostilities near Toulon, in July 1794 he commanded a landing party in Corsica, having received a wound to his right eye during the siege of the Calvi fortress, and on July 13, 1795, he distinguished himself in a naval battle, forcing the surrender of a French ship, which was much superior by the power of his own.

In July 1797, during an unsuccessful attempt to capture the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Nelson lost his right arm.

Since 1798, he commanded a squadron sent to the Mediterranean Sea to counter the Egyptian expedition of 1798-1801 undertaken by France.

The English squadron failed to prevent the landing of French troops in Alexandria, but on August 1-2, 1798, Nelson managed to defeat the French fleet at Aboukir, cutting off Napoleon Bonaparte's army in Egypt; Nelson himself was wounded in the head. As a reward, George III made Nelson Peer Baron of Neil and Burnham Thorpe. In August 1799, he was in favor of restoring Ottoman rule in Egypt. awarded by the Sultan Selim III with the Order of the Crescent and was awarded a chapel.

In Naples, where Nelson was sent to help the Kingdom of Naples in the fight against France, his affair with the English ambassador's wife Lady Emma Hamilton, which lasted until the death of the admiral. Emma gave birth to his daughter Horatia Nelson. Nelson did not have time to help Naples, and the city fell into the hands of the French. After the liberation of Naples by the Russian squadron of Admiral F.F. Ushakov and the surrender of the French garrison, Nelson, despite the protests of the Russian allies, tarnished his name with brutal reprisals against French prisoners and Italian republicans. Tarle wrote:

“If the influence of Emma Hamilton and Queen Caroline was felt, it was somewhat later (not in 1798, but in 1799), and it was expressed in the connivance of the ferocious connivance that dishonored the memory of the famous English admiral white terror and even in some direct participation in the ugly excesses of that time... Nelson decided to hang Admiral Caracciolo, who commanded the Republican fleet. He hastily organized a military court and, prompted by his mistress Lady Hamilton, who, preparing to leave, wanted to be present at the hanging, ordered the sentence to be carried out immediately. Caracciolo was hanged on the very day of his trial, June 18 (29), 1799, on board the battleship Minerva. Caracciolo's body continued to hang on the ship all day. “An example is needed,” explained the English Ambassador Hamilton, who was quite worthy of his wife.”

In 1801, he was the 2nd flagship in Admiral Hyde Parker's squadron during operations in the Baltic Sea and the bombardment of Copenhagen, then commanded a squadron in the English Channel, which was formed to counter the French Boulogne flotilla. In 1803-1805, squadron commander Mediterranean Sea, operating against France and Spain. In September 1805, Nelson's squadron blocked the Franco-Spanish fleet in Cadiz, and on October 21 defeated it in Trafalgar naval battle, in which Nelson was mortally wounded by a French sniper on the first day of the battle, while advancing against the combined forces of the French and Spanish fleets.

Nelson's body was taken to London and on January 9, 1806, it was solemnly buried in St. Paul's Cathedral.

The admiral's corpse was transported to London in a barrel of brandy. This is where the myth arose that sailors allegedly drank from this barrel through straws, secretly from their superiors. But this is unlikely, because the body of the deceased was guarded around the clock.

There is a common misconception that Admiral Nelson wore a patch over his right eye. However, it is not. Indeed, in the battles in Corsica he received a shrapnel wound to his right eye from sand and stone chips. He was immediately bandaged and returned to battle. He did not lose his eyes, but his vision with them became worse.

Officers of the English fleet have a tradition of not applauding, as usual, with two palms, but of knocking on the table with the fist of their left hand - a memory of the one-armed admiral.

Horatio Nelson(Nelson Horatio) (29 September 1758, Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk - 21 October 1805, off Cape Trafalgar, Spain), naval commander whose name has become a symbol naval power England.

Carier start.

Born into the family of a parish priest. After several years of schooling, he became a cabin boy on the ship of his uncle, Captain Maurice Suckling, the hero Seven Years' War(1771), then sailed on merchant and military ships to the West and East Indies, and participated in the polar expedition (1773). Having brilliantly passed the exam for the rank of lieutenant (1777) and performed well in the war with the North American colonists, Nelson soon became captain of a brig (1778) and then a frigate (1779). In 1780, while participating in an operation on the San Juan River in Honduras (now the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica), he almost died of severe dysentery. In 1784-1787 Nelson served in the West Indies, where he married the widow Fanny Nisbet, niece of an Antillean planter (1787). Waging a stubborn fight against smuggling, he more than once came into conflict with his superiors, demanding from them strict compliance with the laws. Having thus made many enemies among Admiralty officials, upon his return to England he was actually excommunicated from the fleet and, living in the village, waited for a new appointment for five whole years. Only with the outbreak of the war against France (1793) Nelson received the post of captain of a battleship as part of the Mediterranean squadron. In 1793, he took an active part in the hostilities near Toulon, in 1794 he commanded a landing party in Corsica, losing his right eye during the siege of the Calvi fortress, and on July 13, 1795, he distinguished himself in a naval battle, forcing the surrender of a French ship that was much superior in power to him own.

Nelson is a national hero.

The glory of a national hero came to Nelson after the battle on February 14, 1797 at Cape St. Vincent (the extreme southwestern tip of Portugal). On his own initiative, he took his ship out of the squadron's line formation and carried out a maneuver that was decisive for the defeat of the Spanish fleet. Two of the four Spanish ships captured by the British were boarded under the personal command of Nelson, who received the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Bath and the rank of rear admiral for this battle. In July 1797, during an unsuccessful attempt to capture the port of Santa Cruz (Tenerife), Nelson lost his right arm. In May 1798, a storm that scattered his squadron did not allow the Egyptian expedition to be prevented from sailing from Toulon Napoleon Bonaparte. Having set off in pursuit, Nelson discovered the enemy fleet in the Gulf of Abukir (the mouth of the Nile). Here he successfully applied the advanced tactics of that time sea battle, which consisted in the desire to attack part of the enemy ships with superior forces, and then fall on the rest and destroy them. On August 1, at sunset, he threw 10 battleships against 13 French, anchored under the cover of coastal artillery, and in a battle that lasted all night, he captured and destroyed 11 of them, without losing a single one of his own. Bonaparte's army, blocked in Egypt, was doomed. As a reward, George III made Nelson Peer Baron of Neil and Burnham Thorpe. In Naples, where Nelson brought the ships for repairs after Abukir, his famous affair with the wife of the English ambassador, Lady Emma Hamilton, began, which lasted until the death of the admiral and was subsequently repeatedly described in fiction. In 1799, Nelson assisted King Ferdinand IV of the Two Sicilies in suppressing the Neapolitan Revolution, receiving the title Duke of Bronte in gratitude. Upon returning to England, Nelson was promoted to vice admiral (1801) and assigned to the post of 2nd flagship of the Baltic squadron, heading against the powers of “armed neutrality”. On April 2, 1801, he burned the Danish fleet in Copenhagen harbor; For this victory Nelson received the title of Viscount. In 1803, after the renewal of war with France, Nelson led the British Mediterranean squadron. For two years he chased the enemy, who evaded pitched battle. Only on October 21, 1805, at Cape Trafalgar (north of Gibraltar) did he meet the combined forces of the Spanish-French fleet and, again abandoning outdated linear tactics, completely defeated them. In this battle Nelson was mortally wounded. His body was taken to London and on January 9, 1806, it was solemnly buried in St. Paul's Cathedral. Forty years later, Nelson's dispatches and letters came out of print for the first time ("Dispatches and Letters of Vice-Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson", 1845), and relatively recently - his last diary("Nelson`s Last Diary", 1971).