Edward Fraser

The Sailors Whom Nelson Led - Their Doings Described by Themselves Edward Fraser

Originally published in 1913, this work contains a wealth of information on the lives and operations of the sailors who worked under one of Britain's most famous military leaders. The following passage is taken from its preface: 'MY aim here has been, as far as possible throughout, to describe how Nelson's sailors won their battles, using the words of officers and men who fought on board ship, and were actual eyewitnesses of what took place under fire. In regard to that, I think I may venture to claim for this book a place on its own account, as taking a line of its own that is original and new. Nelson himself and some of his officers and men, for example, relate in their own language the doings before the enemy of the ever-famous Agamemnon, which Nelson commanded as Captain. The ""Band of Brothers"" tell of things that occurred within their own knowledge and before their own eyes at the Battle of the Nile. The Copenhagen Captains and others in that battle contribute narratives of personal experiences in like manner, and a number of those who fought at Trafalgar, Captains and Lieutenants, midshipmen, seamen, and marines, answer between them for events on that triumphant final day. In this manner, and by these means, I have attempted to call up a series of living pictures, as it were, which I trust will have an interest of their own, and prove alike instructive and attractive.'