The Greatest Navel Hero
... them and all their cargo. Shortly after the incident Nelson was sued by the ships' captains, supported by the Charlestown merchants and traders, for assault and imprisonment in the amount of 40,000 pounds. Nelson unfortunately was unable to attend the trial because he was out to sea for 8 months on his frigate. He really was out so long to avoid imprisonment any punishment that was set for him. In the end the judge upheld Nelson's right to seize the American ships, so he was acquitted. During these times he happened to meet a girl named Francis Nisbet. Frances Herbert Woolward was the daughter of William Woolward. She married, firstly, Josiah Nisbet before 1787. Nelson later went to her Montpelier Estate and was amazed by her refinement and her ability to operate a large house by herself. On top of that she also was a musician and a fluent speaker of the French language. He found himself falling in love with her, and she was falling in love with him. Shortly after they admitted to being in love they got married on March 11, 1787. In 1793, he was newly married and didn’t have much money and no work. Captain Nelson finally was assigned the 64-gun Agamemnon. This started the period which supports the belief of him being the greatest Navel Hero of all times and lead to his greatest triumphs. A tactical genius, Nelson also had a unique ability to command adamant loyalty and draw out the particular skills and abilities of his fellow soldiers. This style became known as “The Nelson Touch”. The "Nelson Touch" went beyond military plans and became the phrase used to refer to the ability of one man to touch the lives of many and command an almost unwavering loyalty. Unlike most officers of the day, Nelson included his subordinate officers or lower ranking ones, in the tactical planning of engagements, and many who served under him regarded him as a personal friend in addition to an awesome commander. As the captain of the Agamemnon he sailed in the Mediterranean and helped capture Corsica. In 1974 the British were at war with the French revolutionary government. They thought the best place to fight would indeed be Corsica. It held the two fortress-cities of Bastia and Calvi on the east and west coasts. Nelson and his men joined the other ships and reigned fire upon these shores for days. Nelson went to a vantage point where was thought to be safe, but was wrong. A loose shell came out of no where and slammed into the bunker he was in and sent rocks and debris all though the air. When the whole ordeal was over he realized he had a serious injury on his right eye brow that extended down past his eye. This attack was not fatal, but injured him in such a way he lost most the sight out of his right eye. He didn’t lose all his sight for he could distinguish light from dark, but couldn’t see shapes. His eye healed to where it wasn’t disfigured so there was no need for an eye patch, and he was relieved once he found this out. He was quite gratified that the British now had Corsica and the fortresses under their control, and he merely lost the sight in one eye. He sometimes acted boldly and without orders, but that proved to be a good thing because he had the victory over the Spanish off Cape St. Vincent in 1797. He was made an admiral by seniority and was created a knight of the Bath. In the unsuccessful British attempt to capture Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Nelson lost his right arm from a shot that hit him above the elbow and was returned to England. Then in 1798 he showed up at the Battle of the Nile where he successfully destroyed Napoleon's fleet and got an overland trade route to India. Nelson returned in triumph to Naples in his ship HMS VANGUARD to a hero's welcome from Emma Hamilton. Emma 1761-1815, was the daughter of a blacksmith from Cheshire. Her rise in society came after her marriage to the much older Sir William Hamilton, British envoy to Naples. Despite her humble origins, and earlier relationships, Emma was a great success in Naples society, and became well known for her performance of classical works. They pretty much fell in love and although they remained married to others, they considered each other soul-mates. The parliament awarded him with the title Baron Nelson of the Nile and gave him 2000 pounds sterling a year. The East India Company awarded him 10,000 pounds sterling and the King of Naples gave him the title of Duke of Bronte, in Sicily. Why would the king show him so much favor you might ask? Well that’s because he showed great courage towards the royal family. There was lots of uprising going on and he evacuated the family risking his own life to do so to Sicily where they were safe. Then he and his men crushed all oppositions and restored tranquility in the kingdom, which definitely deserved the gratification of the King. After the French took possession of Naples in 1799 and set up the Parthenopean Republic, Nelson blockaded the city. Nelson was called away for a short while and left the royalist commander, Fabrizio Ruffo in charge. He made a generous peace with the Neapolitan republicans. When Nelson returned he was angry of this mighty decision made with out him and annulled the treaty and executed the Neapolitan admiral, Francesco Caracciolo, for desertion to the French. When the British commander in chief in the Mediterranean ordered him to Minorca, Nelson refused to obey on the grounds that his presence in Naples was politically necessary. We all know it was really he just didn’t wish to leave Lady Hamilton. In 1800 he returned to England with the Hamilton’s and one year later separated from his wife. The same year, Lady Hamilton bore him a daughter, Horatia. Her birth was kept a secret because her parents' relationship remained outside marriage, although Nelson regarded Emma as his wife in the sight of God. Nelson took second in command, under Sir Hyde Parker, of the fleet sent against the armed neutrality of the Baltic powers. He defeated the Danes at Copenhagen, ignoring Parker's order to cease action by putting his telescope to his blind ey...