Nelson the Commander

Description

He is revered as England's greatest naval leader.The man who saved his nation from the French - and established British dominance of the oceans.But two centuries after his death, does Nelson still deserve his reputation as one of the world’s great commanders?Nelson’s triumphs have so caught the public imagination that his failures are barely remembered.His only victorious battle at sea was Trafalgar -- at Copenhagen and the Nile he destroyed ships at anchor -- while his infatuation with Emma Hamilton, his role in the judicial murder of the Neapolitan Commodore, Caracciolo, and his flagrant disobedience of orders brought him disgrace and dishonour.Yet this was the man who, in an age when the Royal Navy thrived on ‘rum, sodomy and the lash’, turned his captains into a ‘Band of Brothers’ and whose death brought tears to the eyes of the toughest sailor.Did England’s naval hero possess the inner steel and strategic genius which marks one of the world’s great captains? Or has his role been inflated by history?In answering this question, Geoffrey Bennett, a distinguished historian who himself served in the Royal Navy for thirty-five years, provides a full and meticulously researched account of Nelson’s life and career, which will enthral students of history and the general reader alike.'Nelson: The Commader' is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand his contribution to British history.'Excellent balanced accounts and judgements' Richard Hough, author of 'The Great War at Sea: 1914-18'.Captain Geoffrey Bennett RN (1909-1983) served in the Royal Navy from 1923 until 1958, during which time he was for three years Naval Attache in Moscow. He is the author of several distinguished books on the history of naval warfare, including ‘The Battle of Jutland’, ‘Coronel and the Falklands’ and ‘Naval Battles of the First World War’.Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.