Trafalgar: The Nelson Touch

So many books about famous battles are written about the strategies used. They are very high level, like "this general moved his armies here and this general moved his armies there". David Howarth tells this story from the perspective of the men who actually fought the battles, which makes the battle so much more memorable and meaningful. A very compelling read!

With the 200 year anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar approaching, several books have recently been released about the battle. "Companion" books are being published, books describing all of the roughly 73 vessels involved are being published, and while some of these may be good, I would be willing to bet that they don't compare to Howarth's. In Trafalgar - The Nelson Touch, you get it all. The blockade. How and why the particular Navies were positioned where they were. The events leading up to the battle and why it was fought were it was fought. The character and moral of the Navy's as well as the character of the men involved. You get insight into Napoleon's failed attempts to direct his Navy like he did his Army. Howarth describes the abilities (or lack of) of the Navies as well as the quality of the ships and armament. He describes the 'novel' strategy used by Nelson, and how although it appears to be a bad one on paper, given the circumstances, it was ingenious. You get the betrayals, including Napoleon's ultimate betrayal of one of his Admirals that led to a suicide. And finally you get the disastrous aftermath of the battle, including the storm which elevated the casualties of the battle. ...and you get all of this in 180 fact filled pages, as opposed to the 300 - 400+ pages of some of the more recent books. The book does bog down a bit during the actual battle(s). This is not so much Howarth's fault as the subject matter. Due to the fact that he was outnumbered vessel-wise, Nelson wanted the battle to be a melee, in which he separated the French/Spanish fleet and then attacked the confused boats individually. This led to a series of engagements, and by the midway point, the battle consisted of two fleets of de-masted vessels floating around blasting any vessel that happened to float across her path. The reader does get a great glimpse as to what it must have been like on board as the vessels blasted each other with their cannons, as well as the 'brotherhood' that the Navies demonstrated by helping to rescue each other during the ensuing storm. So if you are interested in Trafalgar, and have a empty afternoon in front of you, pick up this book and give it a read. You will not be disapointed..

David Howarth is one of those great historical narrative writers 60s style. All of this books have been reissued a number of times and there is good reason why: his style is fast, intelligent, and he is able to give you a wide-sweep of history while at the same time concentrating on the intricacies of a single historical event (usually a battle -- such as in his books on Hastings, Trafalgar, and Waterloo). All in a format under 200 pages. Writing like this is a lost art. Howarth begins buy giving the strategic situation and rightly concludes that England had already won the strategic sea battle long before Trafalgar. Trafalgar was the ultimate forordained denouement: France could not sally into the seas for trade or battle in either the North Sea, the Atlantic, or the Mediteranean. No Invasion of England could be contemplated. Moreover French (and their reluctant Spanish Allies) had conceded superiority to the British long before Trafalgar. The last act -- battle -- merely tactically sealed the strategic truths. Howarth still paints an intense picture of the motivations of the French and English. French and Spanish tars were less in training and commitment, but they did engage in equal ardour when it came time for the killing. Moreover Admiral Villeneuve is a very sympathetic figure and Howarth seems to have much the measure of the man for this slender volume... ironically there is more here on Villeneuve than in the longer standard versions of this battle (such as by Schom). Howarth has a special chapter on the Storm immediately following the battle, something that is either glossed over as an ending paragraph in much larger works or often omitted. My favourite part is when the ships are sailing close-hauled for their ultimate encounter. You can feel the tension build as they slowly close for battle. Keeping all in mind this is a great place to start a study of the battle, or the general strategic situation surrounding the Napleonic Naval Wars. There is a lot missing, Lady Hamilton represents three pages of dedicated text (quite enough for some readers), there is little review of the naval battles preceding Trafalgar, St Vincent, the Nile etc. and there is little on the long life of Nelson --- but all the essential elements are here! All in all this is one ripping read and if you love the clash of tall ships in battle and the feeling of wind whistling through the rigging, then this is the book for you.

This book by David Howarth is one of two that portrays the great Lord Nelson. Nelson is portayed as a leader with uncommon touch for bold military strategy and even more uncommon touch for leading men with affection and raport. This was very unusual in 1800. This book also portrays the battle of Trafalgar in the terrible ways of naval battle with 800 men ships demolishing eachother at point blank range. The French loss was inevitable and Lond Nelson was the man who build the winning ways of the British Navy over a 30 year period. The background and mood of the times are compelling.