It's no wonder that Horatio Nelson is viewed as a heroic figure by the British, 200 years after he walloped the Frenchies with six sixes over deep fine leg in the same over.
According to journals in the National Archive, Nelson was giving orders to his men just 30 minutes after losing his arm. And there's nothing the British love more than a man who doesn't let the minor irritation of losing a limb or two get him down.
Nelson was hit in his right arm by a musket ball shortly after stepping ashore on the Spanish island of Tenerife in July 1797. He was then taken aboard HMS Theseus where his arm was amputated (and, remember, there was no anaesthetic in those days, so Nelson was probably in sheer agony).
But this wasn't all. In 1798, Nelson was shot in the head during the Battle of the Nile. The surgeon's log of HMS Vanguard claims he was discharged from the ship's hospital after only one month despite having endured a gaping hole in his head.
Nelson died during the Battle of Trafalgar against the French and Spanish in 1805. He had been hit by a marksman from the French ship the Redoutable, firing at a range of 50 feet. The bullet had entered his left shoulder, pierced his lung, and come to rest at the base of his spine.
Sir Thomas Hardy, the commanding officer of the Victory, rushed to Nelson's aid. "Hardy, I do believe they have done it at last... my backbone is shot through," said Nelson.
He was taken below decks where he was given lemonade and watered wine and was fanned. Amongst those present at Nelson's deathbed were the chaplain Alexander Scott, the purser Walter Burke, Nelson's steward, Chevalier, and Beatty. Nelson, fearing that a gale was blowing up, instructed Hardy to be sure to anchor!
The dying Nelson told Hardy to "take care of poor Lady Hamilton." At one point, he even said "Kiss me, Hardy." So Hardy kissed him on the cheek - and then on the other cheek a moment later (this was despite the fact that homosexuality was was a capital offence in both the Royal Navy and in Britain. In 1805, there were more hangings for sodomy in Britain than for murder).
According to some of those present as Nelson died, his last words were "God and my country."
Lord Nelson returned to work half an hour after losing arm
By Alastair Jamieson
28 Oct 2009
The Telegraph
Portrait of Lord Horatio Nelson by Lemuel Francis Abbott
Lord Horatio Nelson was giving orders 30 minutes after his arm was amputated, according to journals in the National Archive that illustrate the importance of medical skill in securing Britain's naval might.
A collection of 1,200 naval journals, not seen for 200 years, depicts the horror of life on board British fighting vessels in the 18th and 19th centuries, including details of the medical treatment given to Nelson.
Researchers at the National Archives in Kew have gathered personal accounts written by surgeons at sea, revealing some of the first scientific investigations into diseases such as scurvy.
Among the documents, reported in The Independent, is a handful of journals describing the remarkable speed and skill with which medics nursed Nelson back to health from surgery – twice.
It is claimed that within 30 minutes of having his right arm cut off, Nelson was again issuing orders to his men. He had been hit in the right arm by a musket ball shortly after stepping ashore on the Spanish island of Tenerife in July 1797.
Lord Nelson was taken to HMS Theseus for treatment, where he was bleeding heavily. On 25 July the ship's surgeon, James Farquhar, wrote in his journal: "Compound fracture of the right arm by a musket ball passing thro a little above the elbow; an artery divided; the arm was immediately amputated."
On 1 August Farquhar noted: "Admiral Nelson; amputated arm; continued getting well very fast. Stump looked well; no bad symptoms whatever occurred... The sore reduced to the size of a shilling in perfect good health, one of the ligatures not come away."
At the start of August 1798, Lord Nelson was shot in the head at the Battle of the Nile. The surgeon's log of HMS Vanguard claims he was discharged from the ship's hospital after only one month despite having endured a gaping hole in his head.
Nelson was shot in the head during the 1798 Battle of the Nile
"Wound on the forehead over the right eye, the cranium is bare for more than an inch, the wound three inches long. Discharged 1 September. The wound was perfectly healed on the first September but as the integuments were much enlarged, I applied (every night) a compress wet with a discutient embrocation for nearly a month which was of great service."
Nelson died onboard HMS Victory (which is still in commission with the Royal Navy today) during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805
Graphic drawings and illustrations in the journals reveal the attempts by navy doctors to find ways of dealing with scurvy.
telegraph.co.uk
According to journals in the National Archive, Nelson was giving orders to his men just 30 minutes after losing his arm. And there's nothing the British love more than a man who doesn't let the minor irritation of losing a limb or two get him down.
Nelson was hit in his right arm by a musket ball shortly after stepping ashore on the Spanish island of Tenerife in July 1797. He was then taken aboard HMS Theseus where his arm was amputated (and, remember, there was no anaesthetic in those days, so Nelson was probably in sheer agony).
But this wasn't all. In 1798, Nelson was shot in the head during the Battle of the Nile. The surgeon's log of HMS Vanguard claims he was discharged from the ship's hospital after only one month despite having endured a gaping hole in his head.
Nelson died during the Battle of Trafalgar against the French and Spanish in 1805. He had been hit by a marksman from the French ship the Redoutable, firing at a range of 50 feet. The bullet had entered his left shoulder, pierced his lung, and come to rest at the base of his spine.
Sir Thomas Hardy, the commanding officer of the Victory, rushed to Nelson's aid. "Hardy, I do believe they have done it at last... my backbone is shot through," said Nelson.
He was taken below decks where he was given lemonade and watered wine and was fanned. Amongst those present at Nelson's deathbed were the chaplain Alexander Scott, the purser Walter Burke, Nelson's steward, Chevalier, and Beatty. Nelson, fearing that a gale was blowing up, instructed Hardy to be sure to anchor!
The dying Nelson told Hardy to "take care of poor Lady Hamilton." At one point, he even said "Kiss me, Hardy." So Hardy kissed him on the cheek - and then on the other cheek a moment later (this was despite the fact that homosexuality was was a capital offence in both the Royal Navy and in Britain. In 1805, there were more hangings for sodomy in Britain than for murder).
According to some of those present as Nelson died, his last words were "God and my country."
Lord Nelson returned to work half an hour after losing arm
By Alastair Jamieson
28 Oct 2009
The Telegraph
Portrait of Lord Horatio Nelson by Lemuel Francis Abbott
Lord Horatio Nelson was giving orders 30 minutes after his arm was amputated, according to journals in the National Archive that illustrate the importance of medical skill in securing Britain's naval might.
A collection of 1,200 naval journals, not seen for 200 years, depicts the horror of life on board British fighting vessels in the 18th and 19th centuries, including details of the medical treatment given to Nelson.
Researchers at the National Archives in Kew have gathered personal accounts written by surgeons at sea, revealing some of the first scientific investigations into diseases such as scurvy.
Among the documents, reported in The Independent, is a handful of journals describing the remarkable speed and skill with which medics nursed Nelson back to health from surgery – twice.
It is claimed that within 30 minutes of having his right arm cut off, Nelson was again issuing orders to his men. He had been hit in the right arm by a musket ball shortly after stepping ashore on the Spanish island of Tenerife in July 1797.
Lord Nelson was taken to HMS Theseus for treatment, where he was bleeding heavily. On 25 July the ship's surgeon, James Farquhar, wrote in his journal: "Compound fracture of the right arm by a musket ball passing thro a little above the elbow; an artery divided; the arm was immediately amputated."
On 1 August Farquhar noted: "Admiral Nelson; amputated arm; continued getting well very fast. Stump looked well; no bad symptoms whatever occurred... The sore reduced to the size of a shilling in perfect good health, one of the ligatures not come away."
At the start of August 1798, Lord Nelson was shot in the head at the Battle of the Nile. The surgeon's log of HMS Vanguard claims he was discharged from the ship's hospital after only one month despite having endured a gaping hole in his head.
Nelson was shot in the head during the 1798 Battle of the Nile
"Wound on the forehead over the right eye, the cranium is bare for more than an inch, the wound three inches long. Discharged 1 September. The wound was perfectly healed on the first September but as the integuments were much enlarged, I applied (every night) a compress wet with a discutient embrocation for nearly a month which was of great service."
Nelson died onboard HMS Victory (which is still in commission with the Royal Navy today) during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805
Graphic drawings and illustrations in the journals reveal the attempts by navy doctors to find ways of dealing with scurvy.
telegraph.co.uk
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