The Battle of Trafalgar:
Breaking the Line

24" x 36" — oil on canvas

SOLD

The Battle of Trafalgar was the most famous sea battle of the age of sail. England’s greatest naval hero, Lord Horatio Nelson, commanded the British fleet from the deck of HMS Victory. By winning the battle, Admiral Nelson foiled Napoleon’s plan to invade England.

Off Cape Trafalgar, Spain, in October of 1805, Nelson and his fleet of 27 ships spotted the 33 men-o-war of the French and Spanish. The enemy ships were lined up one behind the other, with their hundreds of cannons facing the approaching British. But Nelson had a daring and unorthodox plan. Instead of lining up opposite the enemy ships in a line-of-battle, Nelson’s fleet charged directly toward the enemy, “breaking the line.” During this moment of his greatest glory, Nelson was shot down by a French musket ball. But when the smoke of battle had cleared, Napoleon’s navy was in shambles. Nelson’s body was returned home in a cask of brandy to a hero’s funeral.