Nelson, the New Letters

Front Cover
Boydell Press, 2005 - 525 pages
Nelson - The New Letters, edited by Colin White, presents around 500 of the most important letters uncovered during the course of the epic Nelson Letters Project, a five year search of archives throughout the world.
Dating from 1777 and including the earliest extant Nelson letter, this collection shows us both Nelson the officer and Nelson the private man, and, uniquely among the plethora of new Nelson books, it records his life and exploits in his own words.
Written in Nelson's free-flowing and conversational style, these letters introduce a very real and human figure bringing us much closer to an otherwise distant historical hero. Colin White's accompanying annotations and essays place Nelson's life and letters in full context.
So alongside letters to the Duke of Clarence (later King William IV), Prime Minister Addington, and dignitaries like the King and Queen of Naples, covering treaty negotiations, battle orders and campaign plans, we can also read warm missives to family and friends, informal notes and instructions to colleagues and subordinates and some eloquently passionate letters to Emma Hamilton.
Other highlights include Nelson's account of the Battle of Copenhagen; detailed orders for the Trafalgar and Nile campaigns; notes of his careful diplomatic negotiations; his network of personal contacts; and his concern with his public image.
In the Maritime Foundation's 2005 Media Awards, Nelson - The New Letters was short-listed for the Mountbatten Maritime Prize, and Dr White was short-listed for the Desmond Wettern Maritime Media Award.
Dr COLIN WHITE was Director of the Royal Naval Museum. In an extraordinarily busy 2005 he was also Director of Trafalgar 200, guest curator of the acclaimed Nelson and Napoleon exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, chaired the Official Nelson Commemorations Committee, and gave dozens of talks on Nelson throughout the country and North America. He was also the author of The Nelson Encyclopaedia The Nelson Companion, and 1797: Nelson's Year of Destiny.

From inside the book

Contents

Family
4
4
38
5
54
6
75
Humanity
107
17711777
125
9
141
10
152
The Task
295
Setting off AprilJuly 1803
308
Orders to Captains
319
The Admirals Files
330
Diplomacy
350
Intelligence
368
Sardinia
381
JanuaryOctober 1805
399

11
158
12
167
13
205
The Italian Campaign September 1798July 1799
218
The Wider Campaign 17991800
235
June 1800January 1801
241
Copenhagen and the Baltic Command JanuaryJune 1801
245
The Channel Command JulyOctober 1801
271
October 1801April 1803
291
18031805
293
The First French Breakout JanuaryMarch 1805
403
The Second Breakout and the Chase AprilAugust 1805
418
Buildup to Battle SeptemberOctober 1805
439
Appendices
451
Chronology
453
Nelsons Ships
456
A Nelsonian Whos Who by John Graves
461
Bibliography
499
Index
511
Copyright

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About the author (2005)

Colin White is Director of Trafalgar 200 at the National Maritime Museum and Deputy Director at the Royal Naval Museum

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