The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1917-10-18


ulgar cost him England. N"' unli' ja'
dnv of his death on 81 Helena did hr
ceaSc 10 bprate the unfortunate" Adj
miral Villcupuyc. who lost tin" day.
lost his fleet and in losing the latter
lost for Napoleon all chance of trans
porting safely across the channel I'll"
great French army which Ia, %.
BOuluguc ready for the crossing In
fIutbuatS the moment the mcnac" at
the British navy could be removed.
Nelson. having chased tho allied
French and Spanish feet 10 the West
Indies and back. was doing watching
duty off Cadiz wherein lay Tho French
and the Spaniard>. 81 sail of the line
and : frigatrS. Vellcncuvc was
dlstrustful of the skill of his crews
and the equipment of his vessels. NJ
poleou was in "A rage az Nillencuve.
whom he denounced for excessive
pusillanimity" and 10 replace whom he
started RoSily for Cadiz. Nilleneuye.
hearing Of his intended successors
approach and possessing certain dis
crctiOnary orders which directed him
to proceed TO Naples. fighting the
English should he encounter them in
inferior number, put Ia sea. leaving
one Of his ships behind him. Thereup-
on Nelson, with - sail of the line and
four frigates, sprang AZ his throat
The action was fought on the TWEEN
ty-firsi Of October. 1905. Nelson, com
ing on deck at daylight. could see the
enemy in line of battle l. miles 10
leeward. His captains already pos
sessed his memorandum of battle,
which called for attack in two columns,
one led by CollingwOOd in the Royal
Sovereign and one by Nelson himself
in the Victory. Nelson, however, was
far too able a man 10 expect rigid ad-
berence to any rule Of thumb pro-
gram. His memorandum made broad
provisions. mo captain" he wrote,
can do wrong if he places his ship
alongside that of an enemy"
TO meet the attack VilleneuvV
formed in double column, his line curry
ing something after the fashion of a
crescent. Nelson observed this dispO-
sition with approval. Attack AT once
he directed. and hoiSted his famous last
signal: England expects every man
To do his duty"
To cut the enemy'S escape. Nelson's
column was headed about two points
farther north than was Collingwoods.
In consequence il was his latter Off
Ger in his faSt-Sailing flagship who
first came into action. The Royal Soy
ereign plunged into the enemy line
just astern of the Spanish Admiral
Alava'S craft. the big three decker
Santa Anna. which caught the Sever
eigns starbOard brOadside.
CollingwOod was in his element
What would Nelson give TO be here"
he cried TO Rotterdam, his captain.
Nelson for his part called Collingwood
noble fellow" as the Victory, flying
every battle ensign her flag locker
would yield. plunged into the fighting
The admiral headed for his old ac-
quaintance, the Santissima Trinidad. a
huge craft of no less than four decks,
which greeted him with n terrific blast
from her tiers of cannon. Scott, the
admirals secretary, fell ut the first
fire \ dOubl"-h"aded shot moved
eight marines. Drawn up with the
guard close by the Admiral'S side. An
other shot whiZzed between Nelson and
Hardy. the Nictory's commander.
Warm work" said Nelson; Too
warm Ia last long"
III the tops of the cnemy's ships
soldier rifleman We're busily AT work.
To them Nelson, in his admiral'S uni
form, with four stars of the orders
with which he was invested on his
left breast. was Il shining mark. Beat
~, the NictOry's surgeon, and Scott.
her chaplain, begged him TO remove
these decorations, but Nelson an
swered: in honor ] gained them and
in honor l Will die with them
No less than 30 men aboard the Vic
tory had been killed before she fired IA
gun Then she was laid along side
the Redoubtable. her guns touching
the French ship through the timber of
which their shot went crashing. Her
larbOard battery, meanwhile, was
busily engaged with the Bucentaure.
Villeneuve'S flagship, and the Saints
sima Trinidad. Harvey, who saw her
thus engaged from the Temeraire, de-
clared afterward that she seemed To
belch fire. All the other British ships
were similarly occupied. The cannon
ade was terrific, the slaughter dread
full. The French and Spanish, who for
the most part had gone into action
without flags, were now producing
them in order to surrender. VII
leneuve's fleet was being knocked to
pieces about him.
Twice Nelson gave the order to cease
firing upon the Redoubtable, believing