nelson Flashcards
qs of leadership
Battle of the Nile in August 1798
N ordered RN ships to sail close to F and sandwich
then fire on both sides -> led to annihilation of French fleet + destruction of the Orient (120 guns)
Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805
use of crossing the T -> barged the redoutable -> split French fleet in half
allowed for broadsiding and destruction of V’s fleet w/ only 5 French ships fit to serve afterwards
regular involvement of captains
encouraged captains to follow his orders through policy of ‘delegation and trust’
led to greater cohesion amongst British forces
selection of Collingwood
worked in tandem at Trafalgar with 2 columns being very effective at defeating the French
his progression through the navy ranks
greater respect -> more loyal captains -> less chances of mutiny -> readily available fleet to defeat the French (all ships could be deployed)
use of naval weaponry
- RN ships = fast and reliable UNLIKE FRENCH
coppering introduced in 1763 increased the reliability of ships -> more ships available for N
brit ships > manoeuvrability than French
allowed N to adopt tactic of broadsiding which led to rapid destruction of French fleets at Nile and Trafalgar - strong naval discipline gave nelson capable seamen to run his ships in battle
practicing of firing guns led to faster rates of fire than French and allowed brits to destroy F
BUT this naval weaponry needed aggression and efficient use, something only N could achieve - Battle of Cape St Vincent February 1797 w/ HMS Captain
N used British navy’s speed and manoeuvrability when he broke formation
culminated in his first victory as a naval commander -> took San Nicholas and San Josef
other naval commanders (like Jervis) did not achieve the same success as Nelson despite having the same ships as him
mistakes made by the french
- poor leadership by Villeneuve
o incapable leader in both Egypt and in the Atlantic
o failed to rendezvous with Napoleon at Boulogne in April 1805 - stopped a potential invasion of Britain as he went south to Cadiz instead
o by stationing his fleet at Cadiz, he had allowed Nelson to simply hold a blockade against the V’s fleet —-> led to Trafalgar happening
o both preventing a French invasion and the battle of Trafalgar were successes of nelson’s - French Spanish combined fleet
o lack of coordination between the 2 sides
o more vulnerable to a unified British fleet with a common aim
o evident at Cape St Vincent Feb 1797 - combined Spanish French fleet outnumbered brits 15 to 38 but failed to beat the British who won due to Nelson’s actions
contributions of other commanders
- Richard Howe w/Glorious First of June 1794
Howe was instrumental in sinking 7 French grain ships
first commander to implement short range combat with French ships
by winning, Howe had allowed for RN blockade of French in Atlantic for rest of the war
allowed Nelson to have greater freedom in naval actions –> led to more successes - Sir John Jervis w/ Cape St Vincent in Feb 1797
didn’t reprimand Nelson for disobeying orders and breaking formation
allowed Nelson to continue in command and allowed him to rise further up in the RN
this action culminated in Nelson’s glorious career as a naval officer by achieving a great victory at Trafalgar
conclusion
- N’s Qs of leadership were the main reason
- need to highlight strength of RN as it allowed N to adopt the tactics which he had adopted
- other commanders also played big part in allowing Nelson to attack the French in open seas
- poor French ability made life easier for N to defeat the French
NEVERTHELESS - N’s leadership Qs were paramount in destroying the French fleet and allowing for utter naval dominance in the Atlantic
- N will forever go on to be an important figure in RN history and his ability was second to none
