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Introduction
On 21 October, 1805, the allied Franco-Spanish fleet under Admiral Villeneuve was ‘annihilated’ by the British fleet under Admiral Nelson. After four hours of particularly fierce fighting (indeed much fiercer than the British had expected) the French had had 15 ships captured (soon to be twenty), 3,499 killed or drowned, 1,138 wounded and 2,200 prisonniers, the Spanish had 1,050 killed (including the Admiral Gravina, commander of the Spanish Fleet) and 1,390 wounded. The British for their part had only 1,214 wounded and 449 killed, one of which was however Admiral Nelson, commander in chief of the British vessels.
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Documents
Documents
– Villeneuve’s report on the Battle of Trafalgar
– Gravina’s report of the Battle of Trafalgar
– Captain Lucas’s report concerning the loss of the vessel Redoutable at the Battle of Trafalgar
– A spanish flag captured at the Battle of Trafalgar
– The Franco-Spanish and British forces present at the Battle of Trafalgar
– ‘A Harsh, But Necessary, Apprenticeship’: New French Accounts and a Previously Unknown Sketch of the Battle of Trafalgar (Article by Peter Hicks) -
Commentary
Articles
– John Holland Rose: The true significance of Trafalgar
– P. Hicks: The British Navy, 1793-1802 -
Biographies
Biographies
– VILLENEUVE, Pierre-Charles de, (1763-1806), vice-admiral
– NELSON, Horatio (1758-1805), British admiral
– GRAVINA, Ferdinando Carlos, Spanish admiral -
Bibliography
Bibliography
– Selection of works in English, French and Spanish
A close-up on: Trafalgar, 21 October, 1805
On 21 October, 1805, the allied Franco-Spanish fleet under Admiral Villeneuve was ‘annihilated’ by the British fleet under Admiral Nelson.
