The History Book Club discussion

The Trafalgar Campaign was a long and complicated series of fleet manoeuvres carried out by the combined French and Spanish fleets; and the opposing moves of the Royal Navy during much of 1805.

These were the culmination of French plans to force a passage through the English Channel, and so achieve a successful invasion of the United Kingdom. The plans were extremely complicated and proved to be impractical.

Much of the detail was due to the personal intervention of Napoleon, who as a soldier rather than a sailor failed to consider the effects of weather, difficulties in communication, and the intervention of the Royal Navy. Despite limited successes in achieving some elements of the plan the French commanders were unable to follow the main objective through to execution.

The campaign, which took place over thousands of miles of ocean, was marked by several naval engagements, most significantly at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October, where the combined fleet was decisively defeated, and from which the campaign takes its name.

A final mopping up action at the Battle of Cape Ortegal on 4 November completed the destruction of the combined fleet, and secured the supremacy of the Royal Navy at sea.

This thread is dedicated to the discussion of this campaign.

Source: Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trafalga...

by Julian Corbett

Book Synopsis:

The naval history of this period is much more than the life of Horatio Nelson (1758–1805). In two critical texts, available in modern paperback reprints, Sir Julian Corbett (1854–1922) shaped the subject. The Campaign of Trafalgar (Longman, 1910) examined grand strategy and operations from 1803 to the end of 1805. In a text designed to educate contemporary senior officers Corbett demonstrated how Nelson’s Mediterranean fleet formed but one element in the overall war effort.

Source: BBC History

I am going to place the following book in a number of theads as it fits numerous areas of history; "The War for all the Oceans".

by Roy Adkins
Publishers blurb:
The period 1798 to 1815 - the Napoleonic Wars - has just about everything that you could wish for in a book on naval history - large fleet actions such as the Battle of the Nile and Copenhagen; many duels between pairs or small groups of ships, such as the Shannon and Chesapeake; combined operations like the disastrous Walcheren expedition; and attempts to destroy enemy ships with new inventions like torpedoes and rockets. Most naval histories stop at Nelson, but this book shows that what came afterwards is just as fascinating. Naval history is not just about broadsides and bloodshed, but the lives and experiences of real people, and for the first time extensive eyewitness accounts vividly portray aspects of life other than actual battles, including shipwrecks, press-gangs, prostitutes, spies and prisoners-of-war. At various times during this 17-year period, the British Navy took on almost every other nation that had a rival fleet: the French, Spanish, Dutch, Danes and Americans. Shipping routes all over the world were guarded to ensure that trade with Britain was not interrupted, and as Napoleon lost his empire, the British Empire formed solid foundations - all because Britain came to control the oceans.

Reviews:
“A rollicking, patriotic account of the Napoleonic Wars.” - Dominic Sandbrook (Daily Telegraph)

“A drama of blazing ships and broadsides ... an enjoyable coda to
Trafalgar year'.” - John Crossland (Sunday Times)

“A gripping portrayal ... packed with dramatic incidents and
colourful personalities.” - Colin White (Observer)

“Very readable, this is a lively example of narrative history.” - Ludovic Hunter-Tilney (Financial Times)

“A compelling picture of the triumph and tragedies of the war
against Napoleon.” - Lloyd's List

“A fascinating, lively tour d'horizon of the Royal Navy and its
battles, its trials and tribulations.” - Navy News

“A first-class book, wide in scope and gripping in detail.” - Oxford Times

“A solid, readable account.” - Saul David (Sunday Telegraph)

“Compelling and comprehensive. “ - Colin Bradley (Western Morning News)

“A splendid account ... Numerous eye-witness accounts provide a
vivid impression.” - Kathy Chater (Ancestors)

Nelson's Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed the World

by Roy A. Adkins

Synopsis:

In the tradition of Antony Beevor's Stalingrad, Nelson's Trafalgar presents the definitive blow-by-blow account of the world's most famous naval battle, when the British Royal Navy under Lord Horatio Nelson dealt a decisive blow to the forces of Napoleon. The Battle of Trafalgar comes boldly to life in this definitive work that re-creates those five momentous, earsplitting hours with unrivaled detail and intensity.

Synopsis citation:
by Antony Beevor

Seize the Fire: Heroism, Duty, and Nelson's Battle of Trafalgar

by Adam Nicolson (no photo)

Synopsis:

In October 1805 Lord Horatio Nelson, the most brilliant sea commander who ever lived, led the British Royal Navy to a devastating victory over the Franco-Spanish fleets at the great battle of Trafalgar. It was the foundation of Britain's nineteenth-century world-dominating empire. Adam Nicolson's Seize the Fire is not only a close and revealing portrait of a legendary hero in his final action but also a vivid account of the brutal realities of battle; it asks the questions: Why did the winners win? What was it about the British, their commanders and their men, their beliefs and their ambitions, that took them to such overwhelming victory?

Trafalgar: The Men, the Battle, the Storm

by Tim Clayton

Synopsis:

Two hundred years ago, Napoleon Bonaparte dominated Europe and threatened Britain with invasion. Against him stood the Royal Navy and the already legendary Admiral Horatio Nelson. In October 1805, a massive naval battle off the coast of Spain decided mastery of the seas, and over the following days and nights, the battleships and their exhausted crews endured a gale of awesome fury. The authors tell this story through the diaries, letters, and memoirs of the men involved, as well as through the eyes of their wives and children.

Terror Before Trafalgar: Nelson, Napoleon, and the Secret War

by Tom Pocock (no photo)

Synopsis:

Behind the scenes of Napoleon's threatened invasion of England, a war of wits known as "The Great Terror." In 1801, as Napoleon's Grande Armee faced an army of English volunteers across the Channel, a secret war of espionage and subversion was being fought by shadowy men with little-known names. New weapons--rockets, submarines, and torpedoes--were being developed in France by the American inventor Robert Fulton. Even during the lull of the Peace of Amiens, when English tourists flocked to Paris, the secret war continued.

Drawing on diaries, letters, and newspapers, Tom Pocock provides a wonderful picture of the years 1801-5, and of the people caught up in these unique events: Nelson blockading the French at sea for two years while his beloved Emma Hamilton waited at home; Jane Austen and her naval brothers; the admirals, generals, and politicians on both sides; and perhaps most interesting of all, those lesser-known men such as Congreve, Moreau, and Pichegru, who were responsible for a new kind of warfare.

Nelson and Napoleon: The Long Haul to Trafalgar

by Christopher Lee (no photo)

Synopsis:

Horatio Nelson is Britain’s greatest naval hero, and Trafalgar in 1805 is her greatest naval victory. Through the prism of the events of the preceding years, historian Christopher Lee reexamines the myths surrounding Trafalgar. He also paints a detailed picture of the personalities and the intrigues, particularly the creation of Nelson as national hero and his intense rivalry with Napoleon. Finally, he explores the "what ifs" of Trafalgar—for instance, what if Nelson had lived?This is an illuminating account of a victory that changed the course of the Napoleonic wars and led to Britannia ruling the waves for more than 100 years.

Very good Jerome - very much appreciated.

The battle that ended Napoleon's dreams......and career.

Trafalgar: The Nelson Touch

by David Howarth (no photo)

Synopsis:

The battle of Trafalgar decided a nation's fate, and this fascinating account tells the story of that crucial confrontation as it has never been told before. Many people know the facts about Nelson's death, but far less of the battle in which he died: a single afternoon's fighting that forever ended Napoleon's hope of invading England. With Napoleon's failure, the British navy reigned supreme on the high seas-a supremacy that lasted until the age of air power. David Howard, who served as a war correspondent during the battle of Dunkirk and won awards for his service as a secret agent during that war, writes with great understanding about fighting amidst the perils of the sea.

If you like this historian's Napoleonic works, this is a good companion read to post #7 above.

Trafalgar: An Eyewitness History

by Tom Pocock

Synopsis:

The battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805, in which the British fleet routed French and Spanish ships off the coast of Spain, marked the final defeat of Napoleon's plot to invade Britain and made Nelson his nation's greatest hero, even though it cost him his life. This book brings together first-hand accounts of the lead-up to battle, the horrors of the conflict and its aftermath. It is a story told through the letters, diaries and naval documents many previously unpublished of the people who witnessed it, from Nelson and his officers to the crews from both sides. They show sad farewells between sailors and their loved-ones; the pursuit of the French navy; the tension of waiting as the fateful day dawns; carnage and chaos in the heat of the battle as guns fire from all sides; and Nelson's agonizing death on the Victory after being hit by a musket ball. Vivid, exciting and moving, this graphic recreation tells the very human story behind these historic events.

Thanks Jill for all of the adds in this folder

The Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805 halted Napoleon’s plans to conquer Europe, established Britain as the dominant world naval power for the next century and confirmed Nelson’s reputation as one of the greatest military strategists of all time.

Here are five facts about the Battle of Trafalgar…

1) BATTLE LINES
Under the command of Admiral Nelson, 27 ships engaged 33 vessels of both the French and Spanish navies at Cape Trafalgar, off the coast of Spain. Following five hours of battle, the French and Spanish had lost 18 ships – some of which were wrecked in a storm as they tried to retreat – and suffered at least 3,000 deaths. The British, despite losing 500 sailors during the day, did not lose a single ship.

2) SECURING VICTORY
The flagship of Nelson’s navy was HMS Victory. To build the 104-gun battleship, 6,000 oaks and elms were felled for the wood and it needed 26 miles of rope and rigging for the three masts. At Trafalgar, the ship had a crew of 821 men.

3) THE NELSON TOUCH
Nelson was arguably the Royal Navy’s most gifted and brilliant commander, and that was no better demonstrated than at Trafalgar. His battle plan, known as ‘The Nelson Touch’, went against traditional sea-battle tactics (where the two sides would form parallel lines). Nelson broke up his fleet into two sections, one of which flanked the French and Spanish vessels and attacked from the rear while the other smashed through the front, cutting the enemy line in half.

4) AN APPLE A DAY
The section that attacked the allied rear line was commanded by Admiral Collingwood, Nelson’s second-in-command. As his ship, the Royal Sovereign, was engaged in fierce gunfire, Collingwood was spotted by his crew pacing the deck and calmly eating an apple.

5) DEATH OF NELSON
After dealing with the enemy ship Bucentaure, Nelson turned HMS Victory and locked with another French ship, the Redoutable. Even though a hail of bullets rained down on Victory’s quarterdeck, Nelson continued to stand in full view in his admiral’s uniform until he was hit by a lone musket ball. He was carried into the ship where he died – but not before he was told that he was victorious. His last words were, “Thank God I have done my duty”.

(Source: Historyextra)

Trafalgar: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sea Battle in History

by Nicholas Best

Synopsis:

Nicholas Best is a master story teller, the author of several highly successul novels as well as serious history books. He was the FINANCIAL TIMES fiction critic for ten years and reviews regularly for the SUNDAY TIMES and TLS. In his hands the story of Trafalgar comes to life as never before.

Beginning with a vivid recreation of Napoleon's army assembling at Boulogne for the invasion of England, he tells how the French fleet joined with their Spanish allies and set out for a decisive battle with the Royal Navy. Following events through the eyes of eyewitnesses on the gundeck as well as the admirals' cabins, he takes us to the Mediterranean and the West Indies and back to the coast of Spain as the rival fleets manoeuvre for advantage. Then follows his gripping minute-by-minute account of the actual battle: a truly murderous affair as the rival fleets trade cannon shots as point blank range. For the fans of MASTER AND COMMANDER, this combines absolute authenticity with real page-turning style.

by Patrick O'Brian

Might be interesting to look at since it's difficult to understand what could still be 'untold' about this battle.

Betsy wrote: "Might be interesting to look at since it's difficult to understand what could still be 'untold' about this battle."

I'm curious if its claim that it's page-turning like Master and Commander is worthy.

by Patrick O'Brian

You've got a point since this book is truth not fiction.

Voices from the Battle of Trafalgar

by Peter Warwick (no photo)

Synopsis:

By 1803 Napoleon Bonaparte was master of continental Europe and readying his troops for the invasion of England. The decisive action at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805, under the command of Vice Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson, established British naval superiority and effectively made a French invasion impossible. These are the experiences of those who were there. This is a stunning and vivid collection of contemporary eye witness accounts of the Battle of Trafalgar. published for the bicentennial anniversary of the historic battle. Here you will find original accounts from the great military leaders of the time - including Nelson and Napoleon - as well as the experiences of the ordinary seamen and civilian witnesses. This is a unique opportunity to experience the momentous battle through the accounts of those who were involved.

Trafalgar: Countdown to Battle

by Alan Schom (no photo)

Synopsis:

The Battle of Trafalgar is well-known for the magnanimous nature of the British victory, even though it cost the nation its greatest hero Lord Admiral, Horatio Nelson. For this reason, the battle itself has been remembered as a momentary success, the resulted only from a stroke of immediate genius or from a brief plan.

But as Alan Schom shows, the Battle of 21 October 1805, a meeting of the might of the British and French navies, was the result of a strategy laid out by the British Admiralty two years earlier, in 1803.

The period from that year until the Battle of Trafalgar was known as ‘the Great Terror’, when British naval forces were on constant alert for attacks by the Frenchman. Various political figures are written about, debating manoeuvres and quota of ships to be constructed, and putting down mutinies.

Exploring previously unexplored archives of both England and France, Schom places Trafalgar in the context of the era. He draws portraits of the key personnel on both sides, such as Dumouriez, Decrès, Talleyrand, Berthier, Pitt, Cornwallis and Castlereagh.

There is also a comprehensive discussion of the growth of the French naval fleet, helped by Dutch ships, and the preparations to build ports, which were hampered by their extraordinary costs and inclement weather.

There are detailed descriptions of the fleets meeting during the run-in to Trafalgar, and Schom is engaging and sometimes humorous in his commentary on events. He also debunks several myths which should put an end to certain debates pertaining to a great battle of modern history.