“No Captain can do very wrong if he places his Ship alongside that of an Enemy”

The secret memorandum that Nelson sent to all of his captains on the eve of the Battle of Trafalgar, outlining his plan to divide the fleet into three squadrons and thus be able to direct at least 24 ships against any part of the enemy’s line, has become one of the more celebrated documents in the history of naval warfare.

At Bonhams (New Bond Street) on November 9, a copy of that memorandum, accomplished by a clerk but s…

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