"DUTY is ours; results are God's" - British Admiral Horatio Nelson

American Minute ^ | October 21, 2019 | Bill Federer

[Perseverando]

In 1794, British Admiral Horatio Nelson lost his right eye capturing Corsica and his right arm attacking the Canary Islands in 1797.

He captured six and destroyed seven of Napoleon's ships at the Battle of the Nile, trapping Napoleon in Muslim Egypt.

Admiral Nelson assaulted Copenhagen.

Horatio Nelson is best remembered for winning one of the greatest naval battles in history, the Battle of Trafalgar, OCTOBER 21, 1805.

The daring 47-year-old Nelson defeated 36-year-old Napoleon's combined French and Spanish fleets, consisting of 33 ships with 2,640 guns off the coast of Spain.

On reason for the victory was the speed of the British ships, aided by their hulls being caulked with tar from Pitch Lake on the Island of Trinidad.

The world's largest natural asphalt lake, it was first discovered by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1595 in his search for El Dorado-the City of Gold.

Napoleon financed his military campaigns, in part, by selling 828,000 square miles, the Louisiana Territory, to the United States in 1803 for fifteen million dollars.

90,000 French troops were waiting on the coast of France to be picked up by Napoleon's ships. They were planning to cross the English Channel and invade Britain.

Admiral Nelson's victory over the French navy abruptly ended Napoleon's power at sea, and with it, his dreams of world conquest.

Britain now had the undisputed most powerful navy in the world.

During the Battle of Trafalgar, ships were ripped apart by cannonade and musket shot at point blank range. Over ten thousand were killed or wounded.

Admiral Nelson was fatally shot in the spine. He was carried below deck to the ship's surgeon.

Admiral Horatio Nelson's last words were:

"Thank God I have done my duty."

[Perseverando]

Time great American history lesson from American Minute.for another