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BRITISH HISTORY THE STORY of
Freedom & justice walk hand in hand
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 HORATIO NELSON
A Heroic (not modern) Horatio Nelson was born on September 29, 1758, spent a few, brief years in school, and went to sea at the age of twelve. In 1773, when he was fifteen, he shipped aboard the Carcass, which joined the Racehorse in searching for a passage to India close to the North Pole.
Nelson was almost killed in an encounter with a polar bear, which are enormous, curious, and extremely aggressive. Wild polar bears will quickly size up any animal they encounter as potential prey. The teenage Nelson was determined not to be eaten. Here artist Richard Westall imagines Nelson's encounter . Painting by Richard Westall, 1809 By the age of twenty the young polar bear survivor and midshipman had risen to ship's captain. A modern view of the world would call Nelson's early life a prime example of child abuse. The other view would marvel that mere boys were once given so much scope and responsibility.In Nelson's view, he would never trade the sheer excitement of walking a deck at sea for any other occupation, no matter how lucrative or easy. Going to sea as a boy was bliss, even if he did get seasick. Nelson's career was advanced by his uncle, his mother's brother, because his mother had died when Horatio was nine. In a modern view of the world, Nelson was the recipient of gross nepotism. In another view, his uncle was looking out for the motherless boy, and helping the boy's harassed father, who had ten other children in his care. As a commander Nelson was known for bold, unorthodox action, deep respect for his men, and an occasional disregard for orders. In 1797 Nelson in HMS Captain single-handedly won the battle of Cape St. Vincent when it seemed lost. Acting entirely on his own initiative, he sailed out of the line and engaged six Spanish ships at once. His ship was immobilized by a barrage of enemy fire, but Nelson and his men were now close enough to board and capture two of the ships.In Nelson's view, it didn't matter what helpful boosts you received. It only mattered whether you could command men, defy hardships, and imagine and implement new and successful strategic thinking. In various engagments he lost the sight in his right eye and his right arm. In the modern view of the world, his injuries made him a victim, a "handicapped" or "challenged" person. In another view, his war wounds made him a hero. In Nelson's view they meant nothing whatsoever. What counted was not his injuries, but his actions. Nelson's victories prevented the invasion of Britain by Napoleon, and contributed to an unexpected outcome: The Royal Navy took charge of the world's sea lanes, and stopped the slave trade, as described HERE. That would have pleased him. In his last dispatch before he died in the Battle of Trafalgar on October 21, 1805, Nelson prayed: "May humanity after Victory be the predominant feature in the British Fleet."
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