TRAFALGAR (trah-fal-gahr'; popularly tra-faTgar), THE BATTLE OF. The British naval victory over the French and Spanish fleets off Cape Trafalgar, on Oct. 21, 18o5, was a sequel to the breakdown of Napoleon's scheme for invading Eng land, and an account of the movements leading up to it, known as the Trafalgar Campaign, will be found under the heading NA POLEONIC CAMPAIGNS.
Admiral Villeneuve, returning from the West Indies, suc ceeded in making the port of Ferrol; thence he should have sailed for the Channel and effected a junction with the Brest fleet, but, judging that Napoleon's schemes were already de feated, he made for Cadiz instead. Nelson, after his arrival at Gibraltar from the West Indies, had fallen back on the English Channel fleet, hut Collingwood was watching Cadiz with three ships. On Villeneuve's arrival, he retreated slowly towards the Straits, and the French pursued him ; but they had no wish to be drawn into the Mediterranean, and after a time retreated to Cadiz, and Collingwood was able to resume his station; he was joined at the end of August by reinforcements amounting to 22 ships. The importance of defeating or effectively blockading this allied force which now numbered 33-15 of them Spaniards— was fully realised by the Admiralty, and in September they de cided to send Nelson to take command of the blockading force.
Nelson in Command at Cadiz.—Nelson left Portsmouth on Sept. 15 with three sail of the line, arriving off Cadiz on the 29th of the same month—his forty-seventh birthday. He had sent ahead a frigate to forbid any hoisting of colours or firing of guns, in order not to draw the attention of the Allies to the arrival of British reinforcements. But the unofficial welcome he received was such as to put heart into any commander of a fleet. During the first fortnight of October he was reinforced by a further six ships, so that his strength was at one time 34, but at the time the battle was actually fought he had only 27 ships at his disposal; six had been sent to Gibraltar to revictual, and Admiral Calder, who was going home to face court-martial for his unsatisfactory action off Finisterre, was magnanimously allowed to return in his flagship. Nelson did not keep the bulk of his
fleet close to Cadiz; only the frigates were inshore, most of the ships being some 3o to 4o miles to sea, connection being main tained by a line of signal ships.
Villeneuve Ordered to Mediterranean.—Nelson's first task was to induce Villeneuve to put to sea, and this was per formed for him by Napoleon himself. A new coalition of Euro pean powers had just been formed against Imperial France, and Napoleon, unable to use his troops against England owing to the breakdown of his schemes, had marched them against Aus tria. He thus required naval support in the Mediterranean, and Villeneuve was ordered to leave Cadiz and enter that sea; fur thermore, should he encounter an enemy fleet to which he was not inferior, he was not to hesitate to attack them. These com mands reached the French Admiral at the end of September. He knew, however, that they could never be acted on suc cessfully, and a council of war held at the beginning of October decided that, though a sortie might be possible, to give battle to the British fleet would be suicidal. At this time, too, it appears that the Allies were under-estimating the strength of the British. Later in the month Villeneuve heard that Napoleon was sending Admiral Rosily to supersede him. This he regarded as a re flection on his honour, and he decided to put to sea before his successor arrived. He did not intend to give battle to Nelson if he could get into the Mediterranean without doing so, but he fully realised that he would probably be forced into action; and he thought that, in such a case, Nelson's probable plan would be to obtain local superiority over part of his fleet. To guard against this he formed a reserve squadron of 12 ships under the Spanish Admiral Gravina, which was to keep to windward of the rest of the fleet, and thus be able to come to the assistance of any part of it that was in difficulties.