Horatio Nelson facts for kids
Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was an English sea captain in the Royal Navy. He was born at the rectory of the village of Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk.
Nelson commanded the British fleet during the Napoleonic Wars, fighting the French and Spanish. Nelson was blind in one eye, after being wounded in battle. During the Battle of Trafalgar, his greatest victory, he was killed by a French sniper.
Last words
At least three versions of his last words exist, and are shown in wikiquote.
His most well-known last words are, "Kiss me, Hardy".
Another statement during his last hours was, "Thank God I have done my duty."
Alternatively, he may have said both of these statements; "Kiss me, Hardy" and Hardy kissed him on the cheek. Then Nelson said, "Now I am satisfied. Thank God I have done my duty." Then Hardy kissed him again on the forehead and Nelson called out, "Who is that?" Hardy replied, "It is Hardy." Then Nelson said, "God bless you, Hardy." Then he murmoured to those around him to look about Emma Hamilton and his daughter.
Most recently are accounts of his chaplain, Alexander Scott; his steward, Chevalier; and the purser, Walter Burke. "Drink, drink. Fan, fan. Rub, rub" was a request to ease his symptoms of thirst, heat, and the pains of his wounds.
Scott, who remained by Nelson as he died, recorded his last words as 'God and my country'.
Images for kids
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The site of the rectory in Burnham Thorpe where Nelson was born in 1758
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Captain Horatio Nelson, painted by John Francis Rigaud in 1781, with Fort San Juan – the scene of his most notable achievement up to that point – in the background. The painting itself was begun and nearly finished prior to the battle, when Nelson held the rank of lieutenant; when Nelson returned, the artist added the new captain's gold-braided sleeves.
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Nelson's wife, Lady Nelson, formerly Frances "Fanny" Nisbet of the island of Nevis, West Indies. A painting of the British school, circa 1800, formerly attributed to Richard Cosway, from an earlier copy.
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The fight of the Ça Ira
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Nelson receives the surrender of the San Nicholas, an 1806 portrait by Richard Westall
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Nelson wounded during the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife; 1806 painting by Richard Westall
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Battle of the Nile, 1 August 1798 at 10 pm, painting by Thomas Luny, 1834
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Lady Hamilton as either a bacchante or Ariadne, by Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, c. 1790; a painting owned by Nelson, which hung above his bed until his death
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The Battle of the Malta convoy
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Emma Hamilton in an 1800 portrait owned by Nelson
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An antique photograph of a portrait of Horatia Ward (née Nelson) from the Style/Ward Family collection; Horatia was the daughter of Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson and Lady Emma Hamilton.
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The Battle of Copenhagen, 2 April 1801, by Nicholas Pocock (National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London). Nelson's fleet exchanges fire with the Danes, with the city of Copenhagen in the background
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This glass was one of a set commissioned by Lord Nelson to commemorate his victory at the Battle of Copenhagen
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Admiral Sir Robert Calder's action off Cape Finisterre, 23 July 1805, by William Anderson (National Maritime Museum, Greenwich)
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The Battle of Trafalgar by J. M. W. Turner (oil on canvas, 1822–1824) shows the last three letters of the signal, "England expects that every man will do his duty" flying from Victory
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The Death of Nelson by Daniel Maclise (Houses of Parliament, London)
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Print of the royal barge carrying Nelson's body
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Nelson's coffin in the crossing of St Paul's, during the funeral service; the dome hung with captured French and Spanish flags
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The sarcophagus of Nelson in the crypt of St Paul's
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Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, London
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Contemporary drawing of Nelson's heraldic achievement before the Battle of Trafalgar.
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See also
In Spanish: Horatio Nelson para niños
