On October 21, , President Warren G. Harding delivers a speech in Alabama in which he condemns lynchings—extrajudicial murders usually hangings committed primarily by white supremacists against Black Americans in the Deep South and elsewhere.
Although his administration was In Washington, D. More than 50, of the protesters marched to the Pentagon to ask for an end to the conflict. The protest was the most dramatic sign of waning U. On October 21, , German soldiers go on a rampage, killing thousands of Yugoslavian civilians, including whole classes of schoolboys.
Live TV. Over the next three hours the Franco-Spanish force would collapse. Nelson's attack had broken all the rules of tactics, treating a fleet waiting for a fight like one running away, substituting speed for mass, precision for weight, and accepting impossible odds. At the start of the battle, when the first British ships arrived, they were initially fighting a far greater number of enemy ships.
They won the day because of their speed and flexibility, and by the time they were weakening, a later wave of vessels was in place to administer the coup de grace. In fact the battle was won while the enemy had far more ships in the fight than the British. The real triumph was not of 27 ships against 33, but of 12 against British casualties tell the story - 12 ships fought the early and decisive phase of the battle, suffering some deaths and injuries.
The French repeatedly tried to board the Victory , only to be driven back by heavy fire, and at 1. The genius of his opponent, the power of the Royal Navy and the failure of his lead squadron to come to his aid had doomed his brave effort. He lived to return to France, only to be murdered by Napoleon. That last answer betrayed Nelson's anxiety about the outcome of the battle.
Hardy, however, could not linger, the lead enemy squadron was belatedly trying to join the battle, only to be bettered by Edward Codrington's brilliantly handled Orion , the Minotaur and the Spartiate. Hardy went back on deck and signalled the ships nearby to support the flagship. Hardy visited Nelson again at 3. Hardy knelt and kissed him, as Nelson struggled to breathe and kept repeating his motto: 'Thank God I have done my duty. Nelson died shortly before 4. Nineteen enemy ships had been taken.
Some 1, British were killed or wounded, with 6, enemy casualties and nearly 20, prisoners. Many of those lives, as well as Villeneuve's flagship, were lost in the storm that followed the battle.
The following day, Nelson's oldest friend, Admiral Collingwood, opened his wonderful Order of Thanks for the men of the fleet with the following lines:. This powerful document only heightened the emotional impact of the news across the nation - for Britons the triumph over Napoleon was cancelled out by the loss of Nelson. The loss, however, provided a national hero to help enhance the newly formed British identity. Trafalgar, as the battle was named by George III, had crushed the naval power of a deadly enemy, and - although they had fought like heroes - the Spanish and French had been annihilated.
Trafalgar was the coda to Nelson's achievement. He had destroyed Napoleon's maritime strategy and invasion plans when he pursued Villeneuve to the West Indies and back.
This had set the limit to Napoleon's empire, and plotted the course of his downfall. Other British admirals could have won at Trafalgar, but only Nelson could have settled the command of the sea for a century. Trafalgar was the product of one man's obsessive genius and unequalled commitment to his country. Logs of the Great Sea Fights, Vol. Collection of ships' log books dealing with the day of the Battle of Trafalgar, also the battles of the Nile and Copenhagen.
The definitive study, written by a master of strategic and tactical history. Used to teach naval officers before By 28 September, when Nelson took command of the British fleet blockading Cadiz, the threat of immediate invasion no longer existed.
Even at Cadiz men and supplies were hard to find and it was October before the ships were ready to leave. Villeneuve knew that the Emperor was displeased with him and rumours of his imminent replacement had reached the press. However, the Spanish view and that of the French officers was to wait behind the defences of Cadiz, until bad weather provided an opportunity to put to sea without fighting.
Nelson withdrew his fleet towards the Portuguese coast, leaving an advance squadron of frigates to watch Cadiz, and a chain of ships to pass their signals to him. Nelson expected the French and Spanish fleet to come out when the weather broke and urged maximum vigilance. If there was to be a battle, he had a plan and he explained it to all his captains over dinner on 29 and 30 September.
Collingwood was at liberty to direct his own ships within the guidelines of the general plan. The divisions would approach in column in order to conceal the point of attack. To further confuse the enemy Nelson would probably steer for the foremost enemy ships.
Then, using a signal created for the occasion, he would instruct Collingwood to manoeuvre into line abreast to attack the rear 12 ships of the enemy line.
Each ship would seek to pass the stern of its opponent, raking her and then engaging from the leeward the side furthest from the wind. Having led the enemy vanguard or van, ships at the front of the line to expect an attack, Nelson would actually break the line close to the centre, where he expected the enemy admiral to be.
He had powerful three-deckers massed at the front of his line. Together, Nelson and Collingwood would destroy the centre and rear of the enemy before the van could intervene to save them. These complex evolutions would show off the skill of the British seamen, whilst employing it to devastating effect. To minimise the time during which the approaching ships took enemy fire without being able to reply, the British would attack under full sail. Everything would be done at top speed.
The main reason why the British fleet won was the superior training and discipline of the crews. They had been at sea for years and most had been together in the same ship for at least two years. They knew their drills and worked as a team. While most French and Spanish ships had recent experience at sea and in battle, some Spanish ships had inexperienced crews who had only served together for a few weeks.
There was no shortage of skilled seamen in British ships to make the instant corrections to speed and direction that enabled the ship to manoeuvre into an advantageous position. Nearly every duel involving manoeuvre during the battle was won by the British. Having got into a position where more guns could be brought to bear, British gunnery was usually more effective.
The rate of fire of most British crews was probably superior and they also had technical advantages. The casting of their guns and quality of their powder were both better. Fewer guns blew up and shot went faster. Most British ships were relatively heavily armed compared with their opponents. The replacement of long guns with heavy-calibre carronades on the quarterdeck, poop and forecastle of British ships gave them a great advantage in close range killing power.
Dumanoir was confused and the centre and rear were overwhelmed before the van could intervene. On 2 October Nelson sent six of his best ships to Gibraltar for supplies. This proved the catalyst. Warned by his scouts, Nelson raced towards the Strait of Gibraltar, reaching it well ahead of the enemy whose favourable wind had faded away.
The next day was rough, but the British frigates maintained contact while the fleet moved out to sea. At dawn on 21 October the British saw the Combined Fleet eleven miles away, approaching Cape Trafalgar and still heading for the Strait. Nelson weighed up the odds, reckoning the westerly swell and the smoke of their own guns would reduce the accuracy of enemy gunnery. The country wanted an annihilating victory; Admiral Calder, who had fought Villeneuve in July, was court martialled for not pressing home his attack.
Nelson decided he must fight. It was apparent to all that the leading ships would inevitably take heavy punishment.
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