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98-673: The street was named after Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson , a British flag officer in the Royal Navy . 22°19′7.6″N 114°10′19.08″E  /  22.318778°N 114.1719667°E  / 22.318778; 114.1719667 This Hong Kong road article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Kowloon -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September [ O.S. 18 September] 1758 – 21 October 1805)

196-495: A French frigate, but on failing to catch her, sailed for Leghorn , and then to Corsica. He arrived at Toulon on 5 October, where he found that a large French army had occupied the hills surrounding the city and was bombarding it. Hood still hoped the city could be held if more reinforcements arrived, and sent Nelson to join a squadron operating off Cagliari . Early on the morning of 22 October 1793, Agamemnon sighted five sails. Nelson closed with them and discovered that they were

294-460: A French squadron. He promptly gave chase, firing on the 40-gun Melpomene . During the action of 22 October 1793 , he inflicted considerable damage, but the remaining French ships turned to join the battle. Realising he was outnumbered, Nelson withdrew and continued to Cagliari, arriving on 24 October. After making repairs, Nelson and Agamemnon sailed for Tunis on 26 October with a squadron under Commodore Robert Linzee . On his arrival, Nelson

392-543: A brief affair with a local woman, Adelaide Correglia. Hotham arrived with the rest of the fleet in December, whereupon Nelson and Agamemnon sailed on a number of cruises with them in late 1794 and early 1795. On 8 March, news reached Hotham that the French fleet was at sea and heading for Corsica. He immediately set out to intercept them, and Nelson eagerly anticipated his first fleet action. The French were reluctant to engage, and

490-443: A brief exchange of fire. This was Nelson's first experience of battle. Nelson spent the rest of the year escorting convoys, during which he continued to develop his navigation and ship handling skills. In early 1776, he contracted malaria and became seriously ill. He was discharged from Seahorse on 14 March and returned to England aboard HMS  Dolphin . Nelson spent the six-month voyage recuperating and had almost recovered by

588-490: A buffer state. The Admiralty recalled Nelson to service and gave him command of the 64-gun HMS  Agamemnon , in January 1793. Nelson took his stepson Josiah with him as a midshipman. On 1 February, France declared war. In May 1793, Nelson sailed as part of a division under the command of Vice Admiral William Hotham , joined later in the month by the rest of Lord Hood's fleet. The force initially sailed to Gibraltar and—with

686-521: A decentralized style of Command and Control applied with considerable success since the nineteenth century. Nelson trusted the experience, skill, and initiative of his individual captains and sailors, as a way of managing the uncertainty inherent in war. Charles Dickens quotes it in Chapter ;43 of Martin Chuzzlewit : ...as the poet informs us, England expects Every man to do his duty, England

784-459: A decisive action. A number of small engagements were fought , but to Nelson's dismay, he saw little action. Nelson returned to operate out of Genoa, intercepting and inspecting merchantmen and cutting-out suspicious vessels, in both enemy and neutral harbours. Nelson formulated ambitious plans for amphibious landings and naval assaults to frustrate the progress of the French Army of Italy , which

882-531: A frigate, were sighted closing fast. Unable to outrun them, Nelson was initially determined to fight, but Culverhouse and Hardy raised the British colours and sailed northeast, drawing the Spanish ships after them until being captured, giving Nelson the opportunity to escape. Nelson went on to rendezvous with the British fleet at Elba, where he spent Christmas. He sailed for Gibraltar in late January, and—after learning that

980-588: A militant English spirit of courage and virtue in the face of conflict. It has been regularly quoted, paraphrased and referenced up to the modern day. During the Napoleonic Wars , Napoleon planned to invade Britain. To do so, he ordered both the French and Spanish navies to take control of the English Channel to ensure a safe passage for the Grande Armée . Commanded by Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve ,

1078-547: 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 Indiaman Mary Ann of the merchant shipping firm of Hibbert, Purrier and Horton , in order to gain experience at sea. He sailed from Medway , Kent, on 25 July 1771, heading to Jamaica and Tobago, and returning to Plymouth on 7 July 1772. He twice crossed

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1176-545: A poor facsimile of his signature—appears out of character for Nelson whose many other surviving letters never expressed racist or pro-slavery sentiments. Comparison with the "pressed copy" of the original letter—now part of the Bridport papers held in the British Library—shows that the published copy had 25 alterations, distorting it to give it a more anti-Abolitionist slant. Many of Nelson's actions indicate his position on

1274-537: A rumoured mistress of fellow captain William Cornwallis ; she ran a combination lodging-house and convalescence home for sailors. He was discharged in August and returned to Britain aboard HMS  Lion , arriving in late November. Nelson gradually recovered over several months, and soon began agitating for a command. He was appointed to the frigate HMS  Albemarle on 15 August 1781. While Nelson served in

1372-639: A slaveowner who was born into a family which belonged to the Antiguan plantocracy . One of his friends in the West Indies was Simon Taylor , one of the richest plantation owners in Jamaica who owned hundreds of slaves. In 1805, Taylor wrote to Nelson, requesting that he publicly intervene in favour of the pro-slavery side in Britain's debate over abolition. Nelson wrote a letter back to Taylor, writing that "while [he had] ...

1470-457: A small force of frigates and sloops, bound for Genoa. On 6 July, Nelson ran into the French fleet and found himself pursued by several, much larger ships-of-the-line. He retreated to San Fiorenzo, arriving just ahead of the pursuing French, who broke off as Nelson's signal guns alerted the British fleet in the harbour. Hotham pursued the French to the Hyères Islands , but failed to bring them to

1568-654: A strong Christian faith throughout his life. Nelson's uncle Maurice Suckling was a high-ranking naval officer, and is believed to have had a major impact on Nelson's life. Catherine Suckling lived in the village of Barsham, Suffolk , and married the Reverend Edmund Nelson at Beccles Church, Suffolk , in 1749. Nelson attended Paston Grammar School , North Walsham , until he was 12 years old, and also attended King Edward VI's Grammar School in Norwich . His naval career began on 1 January 1771, when he reported to

1666-529: A tongue", he would "launch [his] voice against the damnable and cursed (sic) doctrine of Wilberforce and his hypocritical allies". In the same letter, Nelson also wrote that he had always "[endeavoured] to serve the Public weal, of which the West India Colonies form so prominent and interesting a part. I have ever been, and shall die, a firm friend to our present Colonial system. I was bred, as you know, in

1764-412: Is believed that it would have taken about four minutes, with the end of the message indicated by an "end of code" flag (blue over yellow diagonally split). A team of four to six men, led by Lt. Pasco, would have prepared and hoisted the flags onboard Nelson's flagship HMS  Victory . The message shows one of the shortcomings of Popham's code—even the two-letter "do" required three flags hoisted for

1862-418: Is for close action.' I replied, 'If your Lordship will permit me to substitute the confides for expects the signal will soon be completed, because the word expects is in the vocabulary, and confides must be spelt,' His Lordship replied, in haste, and with seeming satisfaction, 'That will do, Pasco, make it directly.' Thus, at around 11:45 a.m. on 21 October 1805, the signal was sent. The exact time

1960-540: Is still hoisted on the Victory at her dry dock in Portsmouth on Trafalgar Day (21 October) every year, although the signal flags are displayed all at once, running from fore to aft, rather than hoisted sequentially from the mizzenmast. The signal has been imitated in other navies of the world. Napoleon ordered the French equivalent, " La France compte que chacun fera son devoir ", to be displayed on French vessels. At

2058-642: Is the most sanguine country on the face of the earth, and will find itself continually disappointed. In Lewis Carroll 's The Hunting of the Snark , the Bellman says: For England Expects – I forbear to proceed. Tis a maxim tremendous, but trite. In Ogden Nash 's collection of poems I'm a Stranger Here Myself (1938) there is a short poem "England Expects". During the Second World War , an Admiralty propaganda poster intended to increase industrial production on

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2156-457: The Badger to Cuthbert Collingwood , while he awaited the arrival of his new ship: the 28-gun frigate HMS  Hinchinbrook , newly captured from the French. While Nelson waited, news reached Parker that a French fleet under the command of Charles Hector, comte d'Estaing , was approaching Jamaica. Parker hastily organized his defences and placed Nelson in command of Fort Charles , which covered

2254-621: The Battle of Cape St Vincent . Shortly after that battle, Nelson took part in the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife , where the attack failed and he lost his right arm, forcing him to return to England to recuperate. 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. In 1801, Nelson

2352-461: The Battle of Genoa . Nelson joined the other British ships in attacking the battered Ça Ira , now under tow from Censeur . Heavily damaged, the two French ships were forced to surrender, and Nelson took possession of Censeur . Defeated at sea, the French abandoned their plan to invade Corsica and returned to port. Nelson and the fleet remained in the Mediterranean throughout the summer of 1795. On 4 July, Agamemnon sailed from San Fiorenzo, with

2450-404: The Battle of Trafalgar . The battle became one of Britain's greatest naval victories, but Nelson, aboard HMS  Victory , was fatally wounded by a musket ball fired from the French ship Redoutable . His body was brought back to England, where he was accorded a state funeral. Nelson's death at Trafalgar secured his position as one of Britain's most heroic figures. His signal just prior to

2548-602: The French Revolutionary Wars allowed Nelson to return to service, where he was particularly active in the Mediterranean . He fought in several minor engagements off Toulon and was important in the capture of Corsica , where he was wounded and partially lost sight in one eye, and subsequently performed diplomatic duties with the Italian states. In 1797, he distinguished himself while in command of HMS  Captain at

2646-485: The Victory ' s log and the accounts of signal officer John Pasco and Henry Blackwood (captain of the frigate Euryalus ), both present at the preparation of the signal, agree on the form given here. On 26 December 1805, The Times newspaper in London reported the signal as; "England expects every officer and man to do his duty this day". In 1811, the tenor John Braham composed a song, "The Death of Nelson", including

2744-558: The West Indies , he came into contact with several prominent white colonists residing there, forming friendships with many of them. These relationships led Nelson to absorb their proslavery views, particularly the view that slavery was necessary to the islands' economic prosperity. According to Grindal, Nelson later used his social influence to counter the emerging abolitionist movement in Britain . University of Southampton academic Christer Petley contextualises this view: The debate over

2842-499: The poll tax . Further afield, it has been adapted by James Joyce in his novel, Ulysses , such as "Ireland expects that every man this day will do his duty". Today "England expects..." is often adapted for use in the media, especially in relation to the expectations for the victory of English sporting teams. Such is the sentence's connotation with sport that a book on the history of the England national football team by James Corbett

2940-618: The Americans and the colonies. 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 captains of the American vessels Nelson had seized sued him for illegal seizure. Because the merchants of the nearby island of Nevis supported the American claim, Nelson was in peril of imprisonment; he remained sequestered on Boreas for eight months, until

3038-530: The Atlantic, before returning to serve under his uncle as the commander of Suckling's longboat, which carried men and dispatches, to and from shore. Nelson then learnt of a planned expedition , under the command of Constantine Phipps , intended to survey a passage in the Arctic by which it was hoped that India could be reached: the fabled North-East Passage . At his nephew's request, Suckling arranged for Nelson to join

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3136-404: The British lost none. During the engagement, the French lost 14,000 troops, with at least 7,000 prisoners of war, including French Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve. Moreover, 1,500 British died, including Admiral Horatio Nelson. As a result, the British were victorious, ensuring their control of the sea and removing the possibility of a French invasion of Britain. As the British fleet closed with

3234-466: The British with a naval base close to the French coast. Hood therefore reinforced Nelson with extra ships during January 1794. A British assault force landed on the island on 7 February, after which, Nelson moved to intensify the blockade off Bastia . For the rest of the month, he carried out raids along the coast and intercepted enemy shipping. By late February, San Fiorenzo had fallen and British troops, under Lieutenant-General David Dundas , entered

3332-529: The Caribbean. Privately, he came to sympathise with their political outlook. It is clear that, by the time of his death at Trafalgar, he despised Wilberforce and stood in staunch opposition to the British abolitionist campaign. Over the course of his life, Nelson came into contact numerous times with aspects of slavery and the people who were involved in that institution. These included both his relationships with Caribbean plantation owners and his marriage to Fanny,

3430-691: The East Indies on 19 November 1773, and arrived at the British outpost at Madras on 25 May 1774. Nelson and Seahorse spent the rest of the year cruising off the coast and escorting merchantmen . With the outbreak of the First Anglo-Maratha War , the British fleet operated in support of the East India Company and in early 1775, Seahorse was dispatched to carry a cargo of the company's money to Bombay . On 19 February, two of Hyder Ali 's ketches attacked Seahorse , which drove them off after

3528-891: The Portuguese equivalent, "O Brasil espera que cada um cumpra o seu dever". A similar signal was used by the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Russo-Japanese War . At the Battle of Tsushima on 27 May 1905, Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō – who had studied naval tactics in Britain from 1871 to 1878, and was known as the "Nelson of the East"– signalled to his fleet: "The fate of the Empire depends upon today's battle: let every man do his utmost". The implied reliance on shared intent, individual duty, and initiative has made "England Expects" an early symbol of what would evolve into Mission Command ,

3626-496: The Spanish fleet had sailed from Cartagena —stopped just long enough to collect Hardy, Culverhouse, and the rest of the prize crew captured with Santa Sabina , before pressing on through the straits to join Sir John Jervis off Cadiz . Nelson joined Sir John Jervis ' fleet off Cape St Vincent , and reported the Spanish movements. Jervis decided to engage and the two fleets met on 14 February 1797. Nelson found himself towards

3724-774: The West Indies in order to take part in Major-General John Dalling's attempt to capture the Spanish colonies in Central America , including an assault on the Fortress of the Immaculate Conception on the San Juan River in Nicaragua. In February 1780, Hinchinbrook sailed from Jamaica as an escort for Dalling's invasion force. After sailing up the mouth of the San Juan River, Nelson's expeditionary force obtained

3822-525: The allied navy went down to Cape Trafalgar , where they encountered a British Fleet commanded by Horatio Nelson. On 21 October 1805, the Battle of Trafalgar began, with Nelson's fleet of 27 ships pitted against the combined Spanish and French fleet of 33. To secure victory, Nelson sailed his fleet toward the flank of the Allied fleet to break it into pieces. The naval battle resulted in 18 Allied ships being lost, while

3920-493: The approaches to Kingston . D'Estaing instead headed north, and the anticipated invasion never materialised. Nelson took command of the Hinchinbrook on 1 September 1779. Hinchinbrook sailed from Port Royal on 5 October and, in company with other British ships, proceeded to capture a number of American prizes. On his return to Jamaica in December, Nelson began to be troubled by recurrent attacks of malaria. Nelson remained in

4018-566: The assault. Several of the officers involved criticised Nelson, but Hood does not appear to have reprimanded him. Nelson spent the rest of the war cruising in the West Indies, where he captured a number of French and Spanish prizes. After news of the peace reached Hood, Nelson returned to Britain in late June 1783. Nelson visited France in late 1783 and stayed with acquaintances at Saint-Omer ; briefly attempting to learn French during his stay. He returned to England in January 1784, and attended court as part of Lord Hood's entourage. Influenced by

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4116-457: The battle. Almost immediately, the signal began to be misquoted. A number of ships in the fleet recorded the signal as "England expects every man to do his duty" (omitting that and replacing will with to ). This version became so prevalent that it is recorded on Nelson's tomb in St Paul's Cathedral . The word that is also omitted on the version around the base of Nelson's Column . However,

4214-640: The commencement of the battle, " England expects that every man will do his duty ", is regularly quoted and paraphrased. Numerous monuments, including Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square , London, and the Nelson Monument in Edinburgh , have been created in his memory. Horatio Nelson was born on 29 September [ O.S. 18 September] 1758, at a rectory in Burnham Thorpe , Norfolk , England;

4312-482: The convoy in late May, then detached on a cruise to hunt American privateers . Nelson was generally unsuccessful; he succeeded only in retaking several captured British merchant ships, and capturing a number of small fishing boats and assorted craft. In August 1782, Nelson had a narrow escape from a far superior French force under Louis-Philippe de Vaudreuil , only evading them after a prolonged chase. Nelson arrived at Quebec on 18 September. He sailed again as part of

4410-545: The convoy to return to port, but severe storms hampered him. Gales almost wrecked Albemarle , as she was a poorly designed ship and an earlier accident had left her damaged, but Nelson eventually brought her into Portsmouth , in February 1782. There, the Admiralty ordered him to fit Albemarle for sea and join the escort for a convoy collecting at Cork , Ireland, to sail for Quebec , Canada. Nelson arrived off Newfoundland with

4508-437: The costliest British disaster of the entire war. Despite this, Nelson was praised for his efforts. Parker recalled Nelson and gave him command of the 44-gun frigate, HMS  Janus . In 1780, Nelson fell seriously ill with what seemed to be dysentery and possibly yellow fever , in the jungles of Costa Rica , and was unable to take command. He was taken to Kingston, Jamaica, to be nursed by "doctoress" Cubah Cornwallis ,

4606-469: The courts ruled in his favour. In the interim, Nelson met Frances "Fanny" Nisbet , a young widow from a Nevis plantation family. Nelson developed an affection for her. In response, her uncle, John Herbert, offered him a massive dowry . Both Herbert and Nisbet concealed the fact that their famed riches were a fiction, and Fanny did not disclose the fact that she was infertile due to a womb infection. Once they were engaged, Herbert offered Nelson nowhere near

4704-515: The dispatches to Sardinia, Agamemnon arrived at Naples in early September. There, Nelson met King Ferdinand IV of Naples , followed by the British ambassador to the kingdom, William Hamilton . At some point during the negotiations for reinforcements, Nelson was introduced to Hamilton's new wife, Emma Hamilton , the former mistress of Hamilton's nephew, Charles Greville . The negotiations were successful, and 2,000 men and several ships were mustered by mid-September. Nelson put to sea in pursuit of

4802-584: The dowry he had promised. During the Georgian era , breaking a marital engagement was seen as quite dishonourable, and so Nelson and Nisbet were married at Montpelier Estate, on the island of Nevis, on 11 March 1787, shortly before the end of his tour of duty in the Caribbean. The marriage was registered at Fig Tree Church in St John's Parish on Nevis. Nelson returned to England in July, with Fanny following later. Following

4900-665: The end of 1778, which brought Nelson an estimated £400 (equivalent to £64,400 in 2023) in prize money . Parker appointed him as master and commander of the brig HMS  Badger on 8 December. Nelson and Badger spent most of 1779 cruising off of the Central American coast, ranging as far as the British settlements at British Honduras (now Belize), and Nicaragua , but without much success at interception of enemy prizes. On his return to Port Royal , he learnt that Parker had promoted him to post-captain on 11 June, and intended to give him another command. Nelson handed over

4998-412: The enemy positions had been disabled and that night Stuart, supported by Nelson, stormed the main defensive position and captured it. Repositioning their guns, the British brought Calvi under constant bombardment, and the town surrendered on 10 August. Nelson did regain partial sight in his damaged eye after the siege, but by his own account could only "...distinguish light from dark but no object." After

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5096-528: The escort for a convoy to New York. He arrived in mid-November and reported to Admiral Samuel Hood , commander of the New York station. At Nelson's request, Hood transferred him to his fleet and Albemarle sailed in company with Hood, bound for the West Indies. On their arrival, the British fleet took up position off Jamaica to await the arrival of de Vaudreuil's force. Nelson and the Albemarle were ordered to scout

5194-412: The evacuation of the garrison at Elba. He then sailed for Gibraltar. During the passage, Nelson captured the Spanish frigate Santa Sabina and placed Lieutenants Jonathan Culverhouse and Thomas Hardy in charge of the captured vessel; taking the frigate's Spanish captain on board Minerve . Santa Sabina was part of a larger Spanish force and, the following morning, two Spanish ships-of-the-line, and

5292-512: The examination, and the next day received his commission, and an appointment to HMS  Lowestoffe , which was preparing to sail to Jamaica , under Captain William Locker . She sailed on 16 May, arrived on 19 July, and after reprovisioning, carried out several cruises in Caribbean waters. After the outbreak of the American War of Independence , Lowestoffe took several prizes, one of which

5390-496: The expedition as coxswain to Commander Skeffington Lutwidge aboard the converted bomb vessel , HMS  Carcass . The expedition reached within ten degrees of the North Pole , but, unable to find a way through the dense ice floes, was forced to turn back. By 1800, Lutwidge had begun to circulate a story that, while the ship had been trapped in the ice, Nelson had spotted and pursued a polar bear , before being ordered to return to

5488-489: The factional politics of the time , he contemplated standing for Parliament as a supporter of William Pitt , but was unable to find a seat . In 1784, Nelson received command of the frigate HMS  Boreas , with the assignment to enforce the Navigation Acts in the vicinity of Antigua . Nelson hated Antigua and the only consolation was (Mrs) Mary Moutray whom he greatly admired. The Acts were unpopular with both

5586-466: The former word was in the signal book, whereas confides would have to be spelt out letter-by-letter. Nelson agreed to the change (even though it produced a less trusting impression): His Lordship came to me on the poop , and after ordering certain signals to be made, about a quarter to noon, he said, 'Mr. Pasco, I wish to say to the fleet, ENGLAND CONFIDES THAT EVERY MAN WILL DO HIS DUTY' and he added 'You must be quick, for I have one more to make which

5684-450: The future of slavery divided Britons. Wilberforce personified one type of British patriotism—arguing for an end to slave-trading on the basis that it was a blot on the reputation of a proud and Christian nation. Slaveholders offered their own patriotic arguments—maintaining that the trade was so instrumental to the imperial economy that Britain could ill-afford to stop it. Nelson had befriended several slaveholding colonists during his time in

5782-514: The good old school, and taught to appreciate the value of our West India possessions." This letter was published in 1807, by the anti-abolitionist faction; some eighteen months after Nelson's death, and out of context, in an apparent attempt to bolster their cause prior to the parliamentary vote on the Abolition Bill. The wording of the letter as published in 1807—not in Nelson's handwriting, and with

5880-518: The home front, carried the slogan; "Britain expects that you too, this day, will do your duty". Nelson's flag signal was hoisted by the Royal Navy monitor HMS Erebus at the start of the bombardment for the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944. It was also referenced by Margaret Thatcher during her crucial speech to the cabinet which finally persuaded them to rally behind her over the divisive issue of

5978-423: The influence of his uncle, Maurice Suckling , a high-ranking naval officer. Nelson rose rapidly through the ranks and served with leading naval commanders of the period before obtaining his own command at the age of 20, in 1778. He developed a reputation for personal valour and a firm grasp of tactics, but suffered periods of illness and unemployment after the end of the American War of Independence . The outbreak of

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6076-699: The intention of establishing naval superiority in the Mediterranean—made their way to Toulon , anchoring off the port in July. Toulon was largely under the control of moderate republicans and royalists , but was threatened by the forces of the National Convention , which were marching on the city. Short of supplies and doubting their ability to defend themselves, the city authorities requested that Hood take it under his protection. Hood readily acquiesced, and sent Nelson to carry dispatches to Sardinia and Naples , requesting reinforcements. After delivering

6174-596: The marriage he became the stepfather of Nisbet's 7-year-old son, Josiah Nisbet. Nelson remained with Boreas until she was paid off in November 1787. He and Fanny then divided their time between Bath and London, occasionally visiting Nelson's relations in Norfolk. In 1788, they settled at Nelson's childhood home at Burnham Thorpe. Now in reserve and on half-pay, he attempted to persuade the Admiralty—and other senior figures he

6272-514: The matter of slavery, most notably: Nelson received orders on 23 October 1781, to take the newly refitted Albemarle to sea. He was instructed to collect an inbound convoy of the Russia Company at Elsinore , and escort them back to Britain. For this operation, the Admiralty placed the frigates HMS  Argo and HMS  Enterprise under his command. Nelson successfully organised the convoy and escorted it into British waters. He then left

6370-520: The newly commissioned third-rate HMS  Raisonnable as an ordinary seaman and coxswain under his maternal uncle, Captain Maurice Suckling, who commanded the vessel. Shortly after reporting aboard, Nelson was appointed a midshipman , and began officer training. Early in his service, Nelson discovered that he experienced seasickness , a chronic complaint that he experienced for the rest of his life. Raisonnable had been commissioned during

6468-549: The numerous passages for signs of the enemy, but it became clear by early 1783 that the French had eluded Hood. During his scouting operations, Nelson had developed a plan to attack the French garrison of the Turks Islands . 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. The French were found to be heavily entrenched and, after several hours, Nelson called off

6566-486: The occupation of Elba , but by September, the Genoese had broken their neutrality to declare in favour of the French. By October, the Genoese position and continued French advances, led the British to decide that the Mediterranean fleet could no longer be supplied. They ordered it to be evacuated to Gibraltar. Nelson helped oversee the withdrawal from Corsica and, by December 1796, was aboard the frigate HMS Minerve , covering

6664-405: The occupation of Corsica, Hood ordered Nelson to open diplomatic relations with the city-state of Genoa —a strategically important potential ally. Soon afterwards, Hood returned to England and was succeeded by Admiral William Hotham as commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean. Nelson put into Leghorn and, while Agamemnon underwent repairs, met with other naval officers at the port and entertained

6762-671: The opening of the Battle of Plattsburgh in September 1814, Commodore Thomas MacDonough of the United States Navy flew the signal "Impressed seamen call on every man to do his duty", referring to the fact that impressment of sailors had been a U.S. casus belli of the War of 1812. During the 1865 Battle of Riachuelo , a turning point of the Paraguayan War , Brazilian Admiral Manuel Barroso, Baron of Amazonas , rallied his fleet by signalling

6860-482: The opposing combined fleets of France and Spain, Nelson signalled all the necessary battle instructions to his ships. Aware of the momentousness of events to come, Nelson felt that something extra was required. He instructed his signal officer, Lieutenant John Pasco , to signal to the fleet, as quickly as possible, the message "England confides [i.e. is confident] that every man will do his duty." Pasco suggested to Nelson that expects be substituted for confides , since

6958-417: The outskirts of Bastia. However, Dundas merely assessed the enemy positions and then withdrew, arguing that the French were too well entrenched to risk an assault. Nelson convinced Hood otherwise, but a protracted debate between the army and naval commanders meant that Nelson did not receive permission to proceed until late March. Nelson began to land guns from his ships and emplace them in the hills surrounding

7056-580: The rear of the British line and realised that it would be a long time before he could bring Captain into action. Instead of continuing to follow the line, Nelson disobeyed orders and wore ship , breaking from the line and heading to engage the Spanish van—consisting of the 112-gun San Josef , the 80-gun San Nicolas , and the 130-gun Santísima Trinidad . Captain engaged all three, assisted by HMS  Culloden , which had come to Nelson's aid. England expects that every man will do his duty " England expects that every man will do his duty "

7154-484: The ship. Later, in 1809, Lutwidge had it that Nelson, and a companion, gave chase to the bear and upon being questioned as to why, replied: "I wished, Sir, to get the skin for my father." Nelson briefly returned to Triumph , after the expedition's return to Britain, in September 1773. Suckling then arranged for his transfer to HMS  Seahorse ; one of two ships about to sail for the East Indies . Nelson sailed for

7252-419: The ships blockading the French coast as a commodore . Nelson spent the first half of the year conducting operations to frustrate French advances and bolster Britain's Italian allies. Despite some minor successes in intercepting small French warships—such as in the action of 31 May 1796 , when Nelson's squadron captured a convoy of seven small vessels—he began to feel the British presence on the Italian peninsula

7350-491: The signal books created earlier by Admiral Lord Howe . This code assigned the digits 0 to 9 to ten signal flags, which were used in combination. Code numbers 1–25 represented letters of the alphabet (omitting J and with V=20 before U=21); higher numbers were assigned meanings by a code book. The code numbers are believed to have been hoisted on the mizzenmast , one after another, with the "telegraphic flag" (a red-over-white diagonally-split flag) also being flown to show that

7448-453: The signal was sent at around 11:45 a.m. on 21 October 1805 and relayed using a numeric flag code known as the Telegraphic signals; or Marine vocabulary . Although there was much confusion surrounding the precise wording of the signal in the aftermath of the battle, the significance of the victory and Nelson's death during the battle led to the phrase becoming a standard representation of

7546-416: The signal was sent is not known (one account puts it as early as 10:30), as the message was repeated throughout the fleet, but Pasco puts it at "about a quarter to noon" and logs from other ships of the line also put it close to this time. The signal was relayed using the numeric flag code known as the "Telegraphic Signals of Marine Vocabulary", devised in 1800 by Rear Admiral Sir Home Popham , and based on

7644-402: The signal. It is reported that a great cheer went up as the signal was hoisted and repeated throughout the fleet. According to the historian John Knox Laughton : It is said that, as he saw the flags going up, Collingwood remarked half-peevishly to his flag-lieutenant, "I wish Nelson would make no more signals; we all understand what we have to do." When, however, the signal was reported, he

7742-413: The signals employed Popham's code. As well as digit flags, the code used "repeat" flags so that only one set of digits was needed; thus the word do , coded as "220", used a "2" flag, a "first repeat" flag here serving as a second 2, and a "0" flag. The word duty was not in the codebook (and was not replaced as confides had been), so had to be spelt out, and the whole message required twelve "lifts". It

7840-516: The sixth of eleven children of the Reverend Edmund Nelson and his wife, Catherine Suckling . He was named " Horatio " after his godfather Horatio Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (third creation), (1723–1809), the first cousin of his maternal great-grandmother Anne Turner (1691–1768). Horatio Walpole was a nephew of Robert Walpole , 1st Earl of Orford, (second creation) the de facto first prime minister of Great Britain . Nelson retained

7938-451: The surrender of the Fortress of the Immaculate Conception and its 160 Spanish defenders after a two-week siege. Despite this initial success, the British forces never reached Lake Nicaragua and, decimated by yellow fever , were forced to return to Jamaica. The British destroyed the fortress when they evacuated in January 1781. The failed campaign cost the lives of more than 2,500 men, making it

8036-801: The time he arrived in Britain, in September. His patron, Suckling, had risen to the post of Comptroller of the Navy in 1775, and used his influence to help Nelson gain further promotion. Nelson was appointed acting lieutenant aboard HMS  Worcester , which was about to sail to Gibraltar . Worcester , under the command of Captain Mark Robinson , sailed as a convoy escort on 3 December, and returned with another convoy in April 1777. Nelson then travelled to London to take his lieutenant's examination on 9 April; his examining board consisted of Captains John Campbell , Abraham North, and his uncle, Suckling. Nelson passed

8134-421: The town. On 11 April, the British squadron entered the harbour and opened fire, while Nelson took command of the land forces and commenced bombardment. After 45 days, the town surrendered. Nelson then prepared for an assault on Calvi , working in company with Lieutenant-General Charles Stuart . British forces landed at Calvi on 19 June, and immediately began moving guns ashore to occupy the heights surrounding

8232-448: The town. While Nelson directed a continuous bombardment of the enemy positions, Stuart's men began to advance. On the morning of 12 July, Nelson was at one of the forward batteries when a shot struck one of the nearby sandbags protecting the position, spraying stones and sand. Nelson was struck by debris in his right eye and forced to retire from the position. However, his wound was soon bandaged and he returned to action. By 18 July, most of

8330-425: The two fleets shadowed each other on 12 March. The following day, two of the French ships collided, allowing Nelson to engage the much larger, 84-gun Ça Ira . This engagement went on for two and a half hours, until the arrival of two French ships forced Nelson to veer away, having inflicted heavy casualties and considerable damage. The fleets continued to shadow each other before making contact again on 14 March in

8428-409: The wildlife and in particular a bird—now believed to be the white-necked jacobin . Locker, impressed by Nelson's abilities, recommended him to the new commander-in-chief at Jamaica , Sir Peter Parker . Parker duly took Nelson onto his flagship, HMS  Bristol . The entry of the French into the war, in support of the Americans, meant further targets for Parker's fleet. It took many prizes towards

8526-503: The withdrawing army and prevent them from being surrounded, but he had too few ships and men to materially alter the strategic situation. The British were forced to withdraw from the Italian ports. Nelson returned to Corsica on 30 November, angry and depressed with the British failure, and questioning his future in the navy. In January 1796, the position of commander-in-chief of the fleet in the Mediterranean passed to Sir John Jervis , who appointed Nelson to exercise independent command over

8624-472: The words of the signal. The song became popular almost immediately and was performed throughout the British Empire during the 19th century. To make the words fit the metre, they were altered to "England expects that every man this day will do his duty". This version of the wording is also persistent. Between 1885 and 1908 it was believed that the signal had been sent using the 1799 code book, as in 1885 it

8722-492: Was a signal sent by Vice-Admiral of the Royal Navy Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson , from his flagship HMS  Victory as the Battle of Trafalgar was about to commence on 21 October 1805. During the battle, as Nelson's fleet closed in on the allied fleet, he ordered Lieutenant John Pasco to signal the British fleet as soon as possible. After Pasco suggested some changes, and Nelson agreeing to them,

8820-476: Was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy . His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars . He is widely regarded as one of the greatest naval commanders in British history. Nelson was born into a moderately prosperous Norfolk family and joined the navy through

8918-580: Was acquainted with, such as Hood—to provide him with a command. He was unsuccessful, as there were too few ships in the peacetime navy, and Hood did not intercede on his behalf. Nelson spent his time trying to find employment for former crew members, attending to family affairs, and cajoling contacts in the navy for a posting. In 1792, the French revolutionary government annexed the Austrian Netherlands (modern Belgium), which were traditionally preserved as

9016-460: Was delighted, and ordered it to be announced to the ship's company, by whom it was received with the greatest enthusiasm. The message "engage the enemy more closely" was Nelson's final signal to the fleet, sent at 12:15 p.m., before a single British cannon had been fired at the enemy. This message was signalled using the telegraphic flag and flags 1 and 6. Nelson ordered this signal hauled up and kept aloft. It remained up until shot away during

9114-601: Was dispatched to the Baltic Sea and defeated neutral Denmark at the Battle of Copenhagen . He commanded the blockade of the French and Spanish fleets at Toulon and, after their escape, chased them to the West Indies and back but failed to bring them to battle. After a brief return to England, he took over the Cádiz blockade, in 1805. On 21 October 1805, the Franco-Spanish fleet came out of port, and Nelson's fleet engaged them at

9212-456: Was given command of a small squadron consisting of Agamemnon , three frigates, and a sloop, and ordered to blockade the French garrison on Corsica. The fall of Toulon at the end of December 1793 severely damaged British fortunes in the Mediterranean. Hood had failed to make adequate provisions for a withdrawal and 18 French ships-of-the-line fell into republican hands. Nelson's mission to Corsica took on an added significance, as it could provide

9310-529: Was now advancing on Genoa, but could excite little interest in Hotham. In November, Hotham was replaced by Sir Hyde Parker , but the situation in Italy was rapidly deteriorating: the French were raiding around Genoa and strong Jacobin sentiment was rife within the city itself. A large French assault at the end of November, broke the allied lines, forcing a general retreat towards Genoa. Nelson's forces were able to cover

9408-403: Was pointed out that this had not been replaced until 1808. In 1908 it was discovered that the Admiralty had, in fact, changed the signal code in November 1803, after the 1799 version had been captured by the French, and new code books had been issued to Nelson's fleet at Cadiz in September 1805. As a result, books published between these two dates show the signal using the wrong flags. The signal

9506-495: Was rapidly becoming useless. In June, the Agamemnon was sent back to Britain for repairs, and Nelson was appointed to the 74-gun HMS  Captain . In the same month, the French thrust towards Leghorn and were certain to capture the city. Nelson hurried there to oversee the evacuation of British nationals and transport them to Corsica. After which, Jervis ordered him to blockade the newly captured French port. In July, he oversaw

9604-465: Was taken into Navy service as Little Lucy . Nelson asked for, and was given, command of her, and took her on two cruises of his own. As well as giving him his first taste of command, it gave Nelson the opportunity to explore his fledgling interest in science. During his first cruise in command of Little Lucy , Nelson led an expeditionary party to the Caicos Islands, where he made detailed notes of

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