The four-page manuscript takes the form of a memorandum and includes a number of observations on the difficulties of successfully engaging the enemy at sea just days before the ultimate test of his tactical ability at the Battle of Trafalgar.
The Admiral’s parting shot is a practical order: When in the presence of the enemy all the Ships under my command are to wear White Colours, and a Union Jack is to be suspended from thye Fore top gallant stay. But the spirit of his intentions is to be found in the body of his memorandum where he states: Something must be left to chance, nothing is sure in a sea fight beyond all others, but leaves his officers in no doubt as to his general wishes by emphasising: In case signals can neither be seen or perfectly understood, no captain can do very wrong if he places his ship alongside that of the enemy. Greg Martin expects a six-figure sum.
On the eve of the battle of Trafalgar
Greg Martin is a name synonymous with the finest and the most spectacularly expensive of American firearms. In this respect the June 16 Greg Martin Auctions sale will live up to expectations with a rare 1849 Colt revolver, but most British attention will be focused on a group of Nelson memorabilia which includes Vice Admiral Collingwood’s copy of Nelson’s standing orders for battle, drawn up on the Victory on October 9-10, 1805 and signed Nelson & Brontë.
