The Terror Before Trafalgar: Nelson, Napoleon, And The Secret War (BLUEJACKET BOOKS) - Softcover

Pocock, Tom

Softcover

ISBN 10: 159114681X ISBN 13: 9781591146810

Publisher: Naval Inst Pr, 2005

Synopsis

Behind the scenes of Napoleon's threatened invasion of England, a war of wits known as "The Great Terror."

In 1801, as Napoleon's Grande Armée faced an army of English volunteers across the Channel, a secret war of espionage and subversion was being fought by shadowy men with little-known names. New weapons—rockets, submarines, and torpedoes—were being developed in France by the American inventor Robert Fulton. Even during the lull of the Peace of Amiens, when English tourists flocked to Paris, the secret war continued.

Drawing on diaries, letters, and newspapers, Tom Pocock provides a wonderful picture of the years 1801-5, and of the people caught up in these unique events: Nelson blockading the French at sea for two years while his beloved Emma Hamilton waited at home; Jane Austen and her naval brothers; the admirals, generals, and politicians on both sides; and perhaps most interesting of all, those lesser-known men such as Congreve, Moreau, and Pichegru, who were responsible for a new kind of warfare. 16 pages of b/w illustrations.

About this title

About the Author

Author of eight books on Nelson, Tom Pocock has also written biographies of Captain Marryat, Rider Haggard, and Alan Moorehead. He lives in London.

From Booklist

Pocock, who has eight books on Lord Nelson to his credit, offers a gripping account of the four years leading up to one of the pivotal events of European history: the Battle of Trafalgar, the last great battle of sailing warships. Napoleon, ever intent on conquering anything in his path, planned to cross the English Channel and march into London. At the outset of this book, little hope is held that the British could stop him. But Pocock presents a cast of figures who created insurmountable roadblocks in Napoleon's way, including Nelson himself, who blockaded the French at sea for two years, all the while pining for his mistress, Emma Hamilton. Pocock painstakingly relates these events through diaries, letters, and newspaper articles, culminating in the great sea battle at Trafalgar that finally rid England of the fear of French invasion, while sadly taking the life of its greatest sea commander. This is a fine addition to the literature on this era. Allen Weakland
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Naval Inst Pr
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 159114681X
• ISBN 13: 9781591146810
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 255