Bibliograph

In the hour of victory, the Royal Navy at war in the age of Nelson, Sam Willis

Type

Label

In the hour of victory, the Royal Navy at war in the age of Nelson, Sam Willis

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references and index

Illustrations

illustrationsmaps

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

In the hour of victory

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

864709690

Responsibility statement

Sam Willis

Sub title

the Royal Navy at war in the age of Nelson

Summary

When Napoleon eventually died in exile, the Lords of the Admiralty ordered that the original dispatches from seven major fleet battles--The Glorious First of June (1794), St Vincent (1797), Camperdown (1797), The Nile (1798), Copenhagen (1801), Trafalgar (1805), and San Domingo (1806)--should be gathered together and presented to the nation. These letters, written by Britain's admirals, captains, surgeons, and boatswains and sent back home in the midst of conflict, were bound in an immense volume, to be admired as a jewel of British history. Sam Willis, one of Britain's finest naval historians, stumbled on this collection by chance in the British Library in 2010 and soon found that only a handful of people knew of its existence. Willis here shapes that material into wonderful character portraits of the commanders on both sides, assessing their strengths and weaknesses. He also provides concise and illuminating explanations of the convoluted political circumstances surrounding each battle as he expertly reinterprets these key engagements in extraordinary and revelatory detail

Table Of Contents

The glorious First of June -- St Vincent -- Camperdown -- The Nile -- Copenhagen -- Trafalgar -- San Domingo

Classification