Trafalgar: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sea Battle in History (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)

Nicholas Best is a master story teller, the author of several highly successul novels as well as serious history books. He was the FINANCIAL TIMES fiction critic for ten years and reviews regularly for the SUNDAY TIMES and TLS. In his hands the story of Trafalgar comes to life as never before. Beginning with a vivid recreation of Napoleon's army assembling at Boulogne for the invasion of England, he tells how the French fleet joined with their Spanish allies and set out for a decisive battle with the Royal Navy. Following events through the eyes of eyewitnesses on the gundeck as well as the admirals' cabins, he takes us to the Mediterranean and the West Indies and back to the coast of Spain as the rival fleets manoeuvre for advantage. Then follows his gripping minute-by-minute account of the actual battle: a truly murderous affair as the rival fleets trade cannon shots as point blank range. For the fans of MASTER AND COMMANDER, this combines absolute authenticity with real page-turning style. "Two hundred years ago Napoleon Bonaparte planned to lead his Grande Armee to Britain, the only country still defying him. He drilled his huge invasion force at Calais, studied the cliffs of Dover through his telescope, and issued orders to the French naval squadrons in Toulon, Brest and Rochefort to draw off the royal Navy in the English Channel. If he could be master of the Channel for twenty-four hours, he would be master of Europe." "Nicholas Best recreates the terrible tension and uncertainty of the naval campaign that led to the most famous sea fight in history. From Bonaparte's headquarters to the admirals' flagships, from William Pitt and his volunteers on the English coast to the lower decks of the British, French and Spanish battleships, we see the story unfold at every level as the fleets manoeuvre for advantage. And when the chase is over and the battlefleets open fire off Cape Trafalgar, the only certainty is that it will be a long and bloody day. The Franco-Spanish fleet is larger and includes the most powerful battleships of the time. The British fleet has kept the sea in all weathers and drilled it gun-crews to fire and re-load at blistering speed." "Nicholas Best's original research draws on a wide range of eyewitnesses to craft a truly gripping minute-by-minute account of the most famous sea battle of all time."--BOOK JACKET Beginning with a vivid recreation of Napoleon’s army assembling at Boulogne for the invasion of England, this day-by-day chronicle tells how the French fleet joined with their Spanish allies and set out for a decisive battle against the Royal Navy. Following events through the eyes of sailors on the gundeck as well as in the admiral’s cabins, the tale travels from the Mediterranean and the West Indies back to the coast of Spain as the rival fleets maneuvered for advantage.