Euryalus, off Cape Trafalgar,
22nd October 1805.
Sir,
The ever to be lamented death of Vice Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson, who, in the late conflict with the enemy, fell in the hour of victory, leaves to me the duty of informing my Lords Commissioner of the Admiralty, that on the 19th instant it was communicated to the Commander in Chief from the ships watching the motions of the enemy in Cadiz, that the combined fleet had put to sea; as they sailed with light winds westerly, his Lordship concluded their destination was the Mediterranean, and immediately made all sail for the Streights' Entrance, with the British squadron, consisting of twenty-seven ships, three of them sixty-fours, where his Lordship was informed by Captain Blackwood (whose vigilance in watching, and giving notice of the enemy's movements, has been highly meritorious) that they had not yet passed the Streights.
On Monday, the 21st instant, at day light, when Cape Trafalgar bore E. by S. about 7 leagues, the enemy was discovered six or seven miles to the eastward, the wind about west, and very light, the Commander in Chief immediately made the signal for the fleet to bear up in two columns, as they are formed in order of sailing; a mode of attack his Lordship had previously directed, to avoid the inconvenience and delay in forming a line of battle in the usual manner. The enemy's line consisted of thirty-three ships (of which 18 were French and15 Spanish) commanded in chief by Admiral Villeneuve; the Spaniards under the direction of Gravina, wore, with their heads to the Northward, and formed the line of battle with great closeness and correctness; - but as the mode of attack was unusual, so the structure of their Line was new; it formed a Crescent convexing to the Leeward, so that, in leading down to their centre, I had both their van, and rear, abaft the beam; before the fire opened, every alternate ship was about a cable's length to windward of her second a-head, and a-stern, forming a kind of double line, and appeared, when on their beam, to leave a very little interval between them; and this without crowding their ships. Admiral Villeneuve was in the Bucentaure (in the centre) and the Prince of Asturias bore Gravina's flag in the rear; but the French and Spanish ships were mixed without any apparent regard to order of national squadron.
As the mode of our attack had been previously determined on, and communicated to the Flag Officers and Captains, few signals were necessary, and none were made, except to direct close order as the lines bore down. The Commander in Chief in the Victory led the weather column, and the Royal Sovereign, which bore my flag, the Lee.
The action began at twelve o'clock, by the leading ships of the columns breaking through the enemy's line, the Commander in Chief about the 10th ship from the Van, the Second in Command about the 12th from the rear, leaving the Van of the Enemy unoccupied; the succeeding ships breaking through, in all parts, astern of their leaders, and engaging the enemy at the muzzles of their Guns: the conflict was sever; the enemy's ships were fought with a gallantry highly honourable to their officers, but the attack on them was irresistible, and it pleased the Almighty Disposer of all Events to grant his Majesty's arms a complete and glorious victory; about 3 p.m. many of the Enemy's ships having struck their colours, their Line gave way: Admiral Gravina, with ten ships, joining their frigates to leeward, stood towards Cadiz. The five headmost ships in their Van tacked, and standing to the southward, to windward, of the British line, were engaged, and the sternmost of them taken: the others went off, leaving to His Majesty's Squadron, nineteen ships of the line, (of which two are first-rates, the Santissima Trinidad and the Santa Anna) with three Flag Officers, viz. Admiral Villeneuve, the Commander in Chief, Don Ignatio Maria D'Aliva, Vice Admiral, and the Spanish Rear Admiral Don Baltazar Hidalgo Cisneros.
After such a victory it may appear unnecessary to enter into encomiums on the particular parts taken by the several Commanders; the conclusion says more on the subject than I have language to express; the spirit which animated all was the same; when all exerted themselves zealously in their country's service, all deserve that their high merits should stand recorded; and never was high merit more conspicuous than in the battle I have described.
The Achille (a French 74), after having surrendered, by some mismanagement of the Frenchmen took fire and blew up; 200 of her men were saved by the Tenders.
A circumstance occurred during the action, which so strongly marks the invincible spirit of British seamen, when engaging the enemies of their country, that I cannot resist the pleasure I have in making it known to their Lordships; the Temeraire was boarded by accident, or design, by a French ship on one side, and a Spaniard on the other; the contest was vigorous, but, in the end, the combined ensigns were torn from the poop, and the British hoisted in their places.
Such a battle could not be fought without sustaining a great loss of men. I have not only to lament in common with the British Navy, and the British Nation, in the fall of the Commander in Chief, the loss of a Hero, whose name will be immortal, and his memory ever dear to his country; but my heart is rent with the most poignant grief for the death of a friend, to whom, by many years intimacy, and a perfect knowledge of the virtues of his mind, which inspired ideas superior to the common race of men, I was bound by the strongest ties of affection; a grief to which even the glorious occasion in which he fell, does not bring the consolation which perhaps it ought; his Lordship received a musket ball in his left breast, about the middle of the action, and sent an officer to me immediately with his last farewell; and soon after expired.
I have also to lament the loss of those excellent officers, Captains Duff, of the Mars, and Cooke, of the Bellerophon; I have yet heard of none others.
I fear the numbers that have fallen will be found very great, when the returns come to me; but it having blown a great gale of wind ever since the action, I have not yet had it in my power to collect any reports from the ships, and when their Lordships consider that I have 23 infirm ships, 18 of them hulks, without a stick standing, and scarce a boat in the fleet, I am sure they will have due consideration for the slowness with which all that kind of duty must necessarily be done, but as I feel the great importance of these reports to the Public, and to the individuals, they may trust that I will leave nothing undone to obtain them speedily. The Royal Sovereign having lost her masts, except the tottering foremast, I called the Euryalus to me, and the action continued, which ship lying within hail, made my signals, a service Captain Blackwood performed with great attention; after the action, I shifted my flag to her, that I might more easily communicate my orders to, and collect the ships, and towed the Royal Sovereign out to seaward. The whole fleet were now in a very perilous situation, many dismasted, all shattered, in thirteen fathom water, off the Shoals of Trafalgar, and when I made the signal to prepare to anchor, few of the ships had an anchor to let go, their cables being shot; but the same good Providence which aided us through such a day, preserved us in the night, by the wind shifting a few points, and drifting the ships off the land except four of the captured dismasted ships, which are now at anchor off Trafalgar, and I hope will ride safe until these Gales are over.
Having thus detailed the proceedings of the Fleet on this occasion, I beg to congratulate their Lordships on a victory, which, I hope will add a ray to the Glory of his Majesty's Crown, and be attended with public benefit to our country.
I am, Sir
Your most obedient
humble Servant
Cuthbert Colllingwood
The order of attack
The first report was accompanied by the following table which was also released to the London Gazette Extraordinary.
The order in which the Ships of the British Squadron attacked the Combined Fleets, on the 21st of October 1805,
| VAN | REAR |
| Victory | Royal Sovereign |
| Temeraire | Mars |
| Neptune | Bellisle |
| Conqueror | Tonnant |
| Leviathan | Bellerophon |
| Ajaz | Colossus |
| Orion | Achille |
| Agamemnon | Polyphemus |
| Minotaur | Revenge |
| Spartiate | Swiftsure |
| Britannia | Defence |
| Africa | Thunderer |
| Euryalus | Defiance |
| Sirius | Prince |
| Phoebe | Dreadnought |
| Naiad |
|
| Pickle Schooner |
|
| Entreprenante Cutter |
|
The Second Report of Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood
Euryalus, off Cadiz, Oct 24 1805.
SIR,
In my letter of the 22nd, I detailed to you, for the information of my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, the proceedings of his Majesty's squadron on the day of the action, and that preceding it, since which I have had a continued series of misfortunes; but they are of a kind that human prudence could not possible provide against, or my skill prevent.
On the 22nd, in the morning, a strong southerly wind blew, with squally weather, which, however, did not prevent the activity of the Officers and Seamen of such ships as were manageable, from getting hold of many of the prizes (thirteen or fourteen), and towing them off to the Westward, where I ordered them to rendezvous round the Royal Sovereign, in tow by the Neptune: but on the 23rd the gale increased, and the sea ran so high that many of them broke tow-rope and drifted far to leeward before they were got hold of again: and some of them, taking advantage in the dark and boisterous night, got before the wind, and have perhaps, drifted upon the shore and sunk; on the afternoon of that day the remnant of the Combined Fleet, ten sail of the ships, who had not been much engaged, stood up to leeward of my shattered and straggled charge, as if meaning to attack them, which obliged me to collect a force out of the least injured ships, and form to leeward for their defence; all this retarded the progress of the hulks, and the bad weather continuing, determined me to destroy all the leewardmost that could be cleared of the men considering that keeping possession of the ships was a matter of little consequence, compared with the chance of their falling again into the hands of the enemy; but even this was an arduous task in the high seas which was running. I hope, however, it has been accomplished to a considerable extent; I entrusted it to skilful Officers, who would spare no pains to execute what was possible. The Captains of the Prince and Neptune cleared the Trinidad and sunk her. Captains Hope, Bayntun, and Malcolm, who joined the Fleet this moment from Gibraltar, had the charge of destroying four others. The Redoubtable sunk astern of the Swiftsure while in tow. The Santa Anna, I have no doubt, is sunk, as her side was almost entirely beat in: and such is the scattered condition of the whole of them, that unless the weather moderates I doubt whether I shall be able to carry a ship of them into port. I hope their Lordships will approve of what I (having only in consideration the destruction of the enemy's fleet) have thought a measure of absolute necessity.
I have taken Admiral Villeneuve into this ship; Vice-Admiral Don Aliva is dead. Whenever the temper of the weather will permit, and I can spare a frigate (for there were only four in the action with the fleet, Euryalus, Sirius, Phoebe and Naiad; the Melpomene joined the 22d, and the Eurydice and Scout the 23d) I shall collect the other flag officers, and send them to England, with their flags, if they do not all go to the bottom), to be laid at his Majesty's feet.
There were four thousand troops embarked, under the command of General Contamin, who was taken with Admiral Villeneuve in the Bucentaure.
I am, (Signed) C. COLLINGWOOD
The Admiralty's Timestamp
In the margin of the first report is the admiralty receipt notation showing the time Lapenotiere arrived with the dispatch.
Euryalus, off cape Trafalgar 22nd October 1805. Vice Adm Collingwood. Rd 6th Nov at 1 A.M.
