Nelson & The Morning of Trafalgar 1805

   200 years ago, Admiral Horatio Nelson writes in his private diary as he leaves his home of England for the last time to embark on what would become the most unorthodox sea victory in the age of sail:

"...Where I left all of which I hold dear in this world, to go serve my king and country. May the great God whom I adore enable me to fulfill the expectations of my country; and if it is His good pleasure that I should return, my thanks will never cease being offered up to the throne of His mercy. If it is His good providence to cut short my days upon earth, I bow with the greatest submission, relying that He will protect those so dear to me that I may leave behind..."

Nelson resumes command and sets sail with a fleet of 27 British ships off Europe's southeastern coast on September 28th, 1805, the day of his forty-seventh birthday. In order to pierce the line of a combined fleet of 33 French and Spanish warships near Spain's Cape Trafalgar, Nelson devises a plan to sail two columns of ships directly at the enemy fleet rather than taking the customary approach of cruising alongside... the "Nelson touch," as hailed by the captains under his command.

On the morning of October 21, 1805, the fleets sight one another. Nelson writes in his diary:

"... May the great God whom I worship, grant to my country, and for the benefit of Europe in general, a great and glorious victory..."

Nelson's fleet would win the battle in about 4 hours, which would help turn the tide in the war with Napoleon... but not without personal sacrifice. While on the quarterdeck of his flagship Victory, Nelson is felled by a sharpshooter positioned up in the rigging of the French ship Redoubtable. Nelson is covered in sail cloth, so as not to discourage his fighting men, and carried below deck. Nelson is given the news of their victory before dying in severe pain 3 hours later.

The Right Honorable Lord Viscount Nelson, K.B. & Commander in Chief, gave his life to a single end... making his country great through the means of its navy.

"...immersed in maritime history..."

   Artist Matt Sheaffer is an avid scuba diver and maritime history enthusiast. He produces about three         paintings a year, each with a limited number of giclée prints.

200 Limited Edition Giclée Prints / Signed and numbered by the artist

  Each 12.5" x 15" print includes certificate of authenticity with history summary

  *Original and print pricing presented below.