Nelson & His World

It's always good to welcome new members to the forum, but it has been especially pleasing to have young people like Starhawk and Raerae joining us in recent weeks. I thought it might be interesting to have a thread in which we explore which aspects of Nelson's character and achievements first got us 'hooked'.

Irascibility, vanity, impetuosity..yes, he had all of those faults and more; but which of his virtues make him your hero?

To me it is his gift for friendship, his humanity and perhaps most of all, his “never giving up” mentality. After an accident with my dog several years ago, I can only walk with the support of crutches, and after a stroke I am partially blind. Nelson is such an example for me in facing and dealing with that in every day life. Also his way of leadership. Yes, he could be harsh and stern if he had to be, but I read letters written by him, which were so full of understanding towards his sailors and officers and even the French/Spanish enemy.
Sylvia

I too admire Nelson for the reasons Sylvia has stated. I also admire him for his all-round mastery of his role. We tend to forget that Nelson's courage and daring were admirable but not exceptional - the Georgian Navy abounded in men of similar courage, stoicism and resolution. What is remarkable, I think, are all the other attributes that go to make a great leader - not just personal courage but also the ability to inspire others to great deeds and to connect with individuals on a personal level. But keeping a fleet seaworthy demands huge amount of administrative drudgery and Nelson excelled at this too: he kept his eye on the accounts and pounced on anyone not giving value for money or 'fiddling', not in a 'bean-counting' way but simply because fiddling short-changed his seamen whose lives were already hard enough. I recall the incident when Nelson complained about the shoddy garments which he measured after washing to see how much they had shrunk and ranting that 'the contractor should be hanged that would send such stuff to my poor sailors.' He dealt with yards of paperwork every day with speed and efficiency. 'I have been working all day like a horse at a mill,' he wrote to Emma. I admire his ability to do the unglamorous drudgery that underpinned the heroic exploits of the fleet.

He was a man of his time and accepted both corporal and capital punishment as necesary tools in maintaining discipline; but he could also incredibly modern in his attitudes. He was deeply sympathetic to two sailors who were mentally ill, offering to pay for their care ashore. When one thinks how cruelly the mentally ill were treated in his day, his humanity and compassion were all the more remarkable. He was also more saddened than outraged by an officer convicted of homosexuality, referring to it as 'a melancholy business' rather than with disgust or censure, even though it was a capital offence.

Nelson sought glory but not at the expense of others: he was always ready to praise those who shared in his achievements and not claim the sole honour. He wrote a most generous letter to Collingwood who supported him so readily at the battle of St Vincent and was always eager to praise officers under his command who achieved distinction. Even more admirable was his willingness to shoulder blame exclusively when things went wrong. This undoubtedly spurred on junior officers to act on their own initiative. if they achieved success, Nelson would heap praise on them; but if things went wrong, he would not leave them exposed. It was this protectiveness of those under his command - whether making sure their clothes were adequate, or seeking to help them in difficulties with the law - such as speaking in defence of the seaman Carse charged with murder, or defending them after a failed action - that engendered the devotion and love that Nelson inspired.

Thanks Anna!

I have to be honest, I struggled to think of what it was that got me hooked all of those years ago! Back then my knowledge of him and his world was about as basic as it could possibly be. Initially, all I knew of him, after a day of learning about him and the Battle of Trafalgar at school, was that he was very brave, very successful and very popular with his men for treating them well. I also knew that he'd died in his "finest hour" in a manner very befitting of a hero. Despite me knowing very little, what I did know was instantly appealing and that was enough get me hooked. As time went on and my knowledge increased, I found myself liking him even more.

In terms of what I admire most about him now, well, that's a difficult question to answer. Because with Nelson there are so many qualities to admire it's almost unbelievable. But, also, the fact that he was a very flawed, "human" hero, I believe, adds to the appeal. He was a very normal man. But he also had a set of traits that enabled him to inspire thousands of people, most of whom he hadn't even met, and become one of the most beloved leaders in history.
I think that's why he was so successful, he just had all of the right ingredients to make him a great leader and hero. He felt compassion for his men and understood their needs, he treated his fellow officers like dear friends and he trusted them all to do what they felt was necessary in battle. He was very friendly towards most of the people he met with, whoever they were, and many people have noted his "charm" and energy. He was obviously very charismatic and this helped him to inspire those around him and make him very popular. He was impulsive and a quick thinker, and seemed rarely to lose his cool. His bravey was without fault. He did not fear death in any circumstance, and certainly not in battle, condsidering it to be glorious to sacrifice his life for his country. Not only that, he was always the one at the front, setting the example, and wouldn't have it any other way. He had a strong belief in fate and always believed he had a purpose, giving him enormous motivation- nothing was going to stop him and he stayed determined to do what he needed to do his whole life.

I think out of all that, what I find most likeable about him is his kindliness and childlike charisma. He was always happy to talk to people no matter what their social standing, be they a royal or a poor seaman. He was often a very selfless person, rarely putting himself before others and actively helping people as much as he could. His style of leadership meant that many of those under him truly respected him, even to the point of loving him, so that they would always do the best they could and would have followed him anywhere. I think that's special and very few people in history have been as loved and admired as Nelson has.

I've been thinking of my response to this question since you posted it, but I find it quite hard to pinpoint an answer!

Apart from what has already been said, for me I think a lot of the appeal is in the contradictions within his personality. Ruthless yet compassionate; self-confident but with deep insecurities; dominant in his element, yet submissive to his women; a drama-queen with regards to his ailments and prospects, yet level-headed and calm in battle; a focused, dedicated genius in the world of naval warfare, but awkward, even inept, at a life away from his duty; a man capable of inspiring and commanding entire fleets of men, yet child-like in his need for attention, praise and mothering. I think what continues to fascinate me is how completely multifaceted his personality was. There is also, I think, the fact that there are so many biographies, and each biographer has a different understanding of him. That there are so many widely varying views and proofs and disproofs of every tale, even that his portraits all seem to vary enough that there is some debate over which most resemble him and thus we can't be 100% sure even of what he truly looked like, shrouds him in legend and myth, beneath which is a very human, very flawed and yet perfect man.

But I think, above all, the greatest appeal for me is that I find the vulnerability, humanity and insecurities of a genius man of war and a hero of almost demi-god status, along with his beautiful need to express his every emotion to the greatest extent, quite endearing.

Hello,

first of all, being Portuguese, please forgive me for any errors in my writing.
As for the topic in question I'm still puzzled why I became so fascinated with Nelson. For starters, he’s not even known here. It was a mixture of Hornblower TV series, curiosity and luck that lead me to Nelson’s entry on the Wikipedia. The fact that he was considered a hero and died at the moment of his greatest victory caught my attention. From then on, the more I read, the more I got this feeling that everything about him seemed larger than life. A penchant for disobeying orders when he thought a different course of action was better, boarding not one, but two ships of the line at Cape St. Vincent, the amputation of his arm without anaesthetic, the annihilation of the French fleet at Aboukir Bay, a scandalous love affair with Lady Hamilton, the “England expects…” signal and a glorious death at Trafalgar. This is the stuff that legends are made of!

Now, as my knowledge about him increases (although it’s still nothing when compared with the users I read here) it’s his personality traits, the complexity of his virtues and flaws, that continues to appeal to me.

A warm welcome to the forum, Ahneler, and thank you for your contribution, excellently expressed, if I may say so! You belong to a nation of great sea-faring explorers, so perhaps your interest in Nelson is not so surprising!

You're right - it's the complexity of his character that makes him endlessly fascinating. One aspect that I find interesting is the mixture of sophistication and simplicity in his nature: he was a confident and shrewd operator as a tactitian, as an administrator and as leader of men, but when you read his letters, there is a sort of innocence, an engaging lack of affectation about him, and despite his vanity, no assumption of grandeur. On the contrary, his delight in his medals and the flattering praise heaped upon him never made him arrogant or dismissive of those who served under him. There is something charmingly child-like in his love of praise and recognition of his achievements.

Thank you for your kind welcome!

And just to add an example, I'm reading now about Nelson's time on the Leeward Islands station and it baffles me how someone who fought so hard for the enforcement of the navigation acts got so bedazzled with Prince William Henry.

Abneler,

A welcome from me too!

It doesn't surprise me either that you have a regard for Nelson and Britain, after all your country is known as her oldest ally. Even before Nelson the Royal Navy was familiar with Portugese waters, and often used the Tagus as an anchorage. I believe your ships also sailed with those of the RN, on occasion. Then of course Wellington's army gained a first footing in Portugal, before fighting it's way into Spain and then France.

As regards Nelson's relationship with Prince William Henry, this illustrates just another facet of his character – his high opinion of Royalty and the status quo. However, I believe he became rather disillusioned by the Prince's actions when he was in command of, I think, the frigate Pegasus and his treatment of its crew. The Prince also had something a disagreement with his first lieutenant, who I seem to remember was called Schomberg, who didn't agree with his methods. Nelson probably felt himself in something of a cleft stick!

On a personal note, I have visited Lisbon twice – once as part of the crew of a sailing vessel in a Tall Ship Race (way back in 1982 I seem to remember). I returned some years later with my wife. We thought it an interesting and historic city. I particularly liked the maritime museum and the navigator's monument, the latter of course with those magnificent carvings of all the Portuguese explorers.

Nelson, as Devenish said, was very conservative in his social attitudes, believing in hierarchy and the status quo. This did not make him uncaring of the poor and desperate, but his solution was that people with power, status and money should be kinder, not that the social order should be overturned.

He revered the King as the pinnacle of the established order so it is not surprising that a very young captain, from a very modest background, should initially be dazzled by the attentions of Prince William, not least because that kind of contact might prove socially useful. He might well have suppressed any private reservations about the Prince for this reason. He was always pleased by flattery too, so the admiration of the King's son perhaps 'went to his head' a little.. In fact, the Prince's friendship was not advantageous to Nelson as the Prince had little influence with his father the King. Prince William never lost his high opinion of Nelson, though, and kept contact with him until the end of his life. Nelson always replied in a business-like fashion but there is none of the warmth in his letters of the kind that appears in letters to other friends.

I too have happy memories of a visit to Lisbon many years ago. I have a picture of my daughter, then aged five, sitting by the feet of the navigators on the famous monument.

Now as you mentioned it, the Portuguese age of discoveries and the appeal of the Sea is still so strongly present in our culture that I guess is all too easy to overlook them as reasons that drew me to Nelson. And of course one of the first things I noticed about Nelson was that his first big victory was at Cape St. Vincent, off the coast of Portugal and near Sagres, the mythical birth place of our golden age of discovery (perhaps a way of Destiny saying that his best years were coming?!).

Devenish, funny that you speak about Tall Ship Races as they will be in Lisbon this weekend.
I’m glad that both of you liked your stay in Lisbon. I’ve been to Portsmouth where I could see just how beautiful the Victory is and London where I visited Trafalgar Square and St. Paul’s Cathedral, I shall never forget the way I felt standing there next to Nelson’s tomb… I hope to visit Stockholm in the near future, I’m specially curious about Vasa.

Ahneler,

You never know!

I'm not surprised that the Tall Ships are visiting Lisbon again, it's a favourite port. I did go aboard your training ship Sagres once; very smart and I liked the red crosses on the sails, reminiscent of the ships of the Age of Exploration. As you know she has a lovely figurehead of Henry the Navigator, and I wondered if there are any remains of his navigation school at Sagres?

I'm sure you would enjoy Stockholm, which is a beautiful city too! It has many interesting and historic buildings, plus the square rigger 'af Chapman' moored opposite the Royal Palace, and of course the Vasa. It is situated in a purpose built building, and as soon as you come through the double doors (to preserve the enviroment inside) there she is, and she takes your breath away, when you see her. Actually, you have to stop in any case to get used to the lower light levels. There are also many displays of the artefacts found, reconstructions of parts of the ship, and a large scale model with sails. A cinema shows films of the ship's building, her sinking, and the raising of her in 1961. They always seem to have things going on there and new ideas, and there are guides on hand. I haven't seen her for some time, something I must rectify!