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Fight like Nelson
In the Age of Sail, naval battles were an attritional process. Each warship would line up against its opponent and open fire. Eventual victory would go to the ship that was 5 per cent faster at reloading, or marginally more accurate.
As a young commander, Vice Admiral Nelson had made a name for himself as a maverick. During the Battle of Copenhagen, when ordered to retreat by Admiral Parker, he reputedly lifted his telescope to his blind eye and claimed, ‘I really do not see the signal.’
His defining battle was at Trafalgar. Facing the standard line of the opposing French fleet, Nelson resolved to abandon the standard rules of engagement. Rather than advancing on all fronts, he arranged his fleet into two lines. He drove ...
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