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Admiral Lord Nelson’s well-known final phrases might not have been “kiss me, Hardy,” in line with a newly unearthed letter.
As a substitute, the British naval hero is claimed to have declared, “Thanks be to God, I’ve however lived this present day and now I die content material,” after being fatally shot throughout his victory over the Franco-Spanish fleet at Trafalgar in 1805.
The letter, set to be auctioned, challenges the long-held official account, which has Nelson uttering his well-known line to Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy, his flag captain.
The letter will go below the hammer on Wednesday (18 December) at Bonhams, New York, and is alleged to have been written by petty officer, George Sievers, six days after Nelson’s killing.
Sievers, a master-at-arms on HMS Belleisle, is reported to have fought within the battle, however he was not current on the demise of the Admiral. The letter is predicted to be offered for $2,000 (£1,600).
The Battle of Trafalgar noticed the Royal Navy defeat a joint Franco-Spanish fleet thus stopping it from taking management of the English Channel, which might have enabled the French dictator to launch a land invasion of Britain.
The letter, dated 27 October 1805, additionally claims that Lord Nelson was shot not as soon as as initially thought, however twice.
“Lord Nelson within the Victory engaged the French Admiral most intently, through the warmth of the motion his Lordship was wounded with a grapeshot within the aspect and was obliged to be carried under,” he wrote.
“Instantly on his wound being dressed he insisted once more on being introduced on deck when shortly afterward he rec’d [received] a shot by means of his physique he survived nonetheless until the night: lengthy sufficient to be told of the seize of the French Admiral and of the extent of the wonderful victory he had obtained.
Addressed to Sievers’ landlord, Thomas Tunnard, the two-page letter written from Gibraltar provides: “His final phrases had been, ‘Thanks be to God, I’ve however lived this present day and now I die content material’.”
The 2-page letter provides: “I’ve the satisfaction to tell you of a most full victory gained by our Fleet over the mixed fleet of France and Spain on Monday the twenty first of October.
“Once they commenced a most terrible hearth on us we had been at first engaged by Eleven sail of the Line once we had been completely dismasted they lower our Bowsprit in Items and dismounted various our Weapons [and] left us an entire wreck.
“I’m completely satisfied to tell you that after three hours on this dreadful state of affairs I had the satisfaction to see one three Decker and two seventy fours strike to the Belleisle and one Frigate we sunk and each soul on board perished within the Ocean.”
Darren Sutherland, Bonhams senior specialist of wonderful books and manuscripts in New York, mentioned: “This seaman’s account from aboard the Belleisle gives an enchanting have a look at the Battle of Trafalgar, in addition to an essential early description of the demise of Nelson.
“The accepted model of his final phrases typically contains ‘kiss me, Hardy’ – this explicit development has not been seen earlier than and was conveyed inside every week of his demise.
“Though Sievers was not current on the Victory, he was on an adjoining ship and would have picked up the story very close to the occasion.”
