The 1st of August 1798 saw the British fleet sailing towards Alexandria into a land of classical history and mythology, the sun setting like blood over the River Nile and French flags flying over the city. The scene could not be more perfectly suited to the cataclysmic battle that would soon take place there, in which Horatio Nelson would guild his legend forever. Charged with leading a squadron of fourteen ships into the Mediterranean to find Napoleon Bonaparte and his vast fleet, Nelson had chased him all the way to Alexandria which the French had seized along with the rest of Egypt. At last, lookouts spot the masts of Napoleon’s ships - a moment of near transcendent excitement for Nelson and the men of his fleet. At last, it seemed, the moment had come for their battle of total annihilation in all its gore and glory. Wary of this, the French commanders urged Bonaparte to withdraw, but in his hubris the French general refused. So it was that the greatest naval battle of the 18th century began, to the thunder of cannons, screaming sailors, and the chaos of gun smoke, soot, splinters and blood…. Join Dominic and Tom as they describe one of the most decisive and dramatic moments of both naval history and Horatio Nelson’s life: the Battle of the Nile. _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Did you know that our Sunday Times bestselling book, The Rest Is History Returns, is now out in paperback? From finding out who British history's biggest lad was to tracing the admittedly hazy ancient origins of Raiders of the Lost Ark, it's filled cover to cover with more curious historical moments than you can crack a lasso at, plus puzzles and a pub quiz.
The Rest Is History Returns, available now in all good bookshops. On the quarterdeck of the vanguard, a slim, slender man in his late thirties, pale and sandy-haired, bowed his head in silent prayer. At long last, God had given Horatio Nelson the battle he wanted.
Now, on every ship in the fleet, the drums were pounding, and every face was glowing with eagerness, excitement, and just a hint of nerves. On his flagship, Nelson turned to face the east. The light was fading, but for the first time in months, he felt happy. All his life he had been preparing for this moment. Now was his chance to join the heroes of history. He did not intend to waste it.
So, ladies and gentlemen, Forrester, O'Brien, Sandbrook, modern masters of prose who have brought the age of Nelson to life. And that, of course, was from Nelson, Hero of the Seas by our very own Dominic Sandbrook, describing the scene on the evening of the 1st of August 1798 as the British fleet sails towards the Battle of... Of the Nile. Dominic, unbelievable drama.
It is an incredibly melodramatic scene, Tom. The sun setting over the coast of Egypt. The Nile. And the Nile. Yeah, this place of legend, this place of classical history, which is the classical history that has fascinated so many people in the late 18th century. And now on the greatest stage of all, Horatio Nelson is meeting his moment of destiny.
So listeners who've stuck with us from the beginning of this series will remember that Nelson had been sent into the Mediterranean with a squadron of 14 ships of the line to search for Napoleon Bonaparte and the armament, this enormous fleet and expeditionary force that has been sailing south. The British didn't know where it was going. They missed the French by an hour and a day.
The French landed in Alexandria. They seized control of Egypt. Napoleon marched into Cairo as the master of the sands. Really? And then Nelson arrived in Alexandria on the morning of the 1st of August. He saw the tricolour flags flying over the city, the city founded by Alexander, the city of the Ptolemies.
Nelson sends a couple of ships east to see if by any chance the French fleet are still there. And the lookouts spot the fleet in Aboukir Bay. The midshipman, George Elliott, 16 years old, up there on the yards, sees the masts.
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