Young Nelsons

Boy sailors during the Napoleonic Wars

Young Nelsons cover

Young Nelsons

Boy sailors during the Napoleonic Wars

Description

This book takes us into the fascinating and sometimes tragic world of the boy sailors of the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, fighting and dying for their country across the oceans of the world.

They 'fought like young Nelsons.' The words of a schoolmaster, writing from aboard the Mars after the battle of Trafalgar, describing the valour of his pupils in the heat of battle. Made immortal by the novels of Patrick O'Brian, C. S. Forester and Alexander Kent, these boy sailors, alongside those of every other Royal Navy ship, had entered the British Navy to fight the French across every ocean of the world.

There was a long-standing British tradition of children going to sea, and along the way found adventure, glory, wealth and fame. During the Napoleonic Wars, these children, some as young as eight or nine, were also fighting for the very survival of Britain.

Drawing on many first-hand accounts, letters, poems and writings, this book tells the dramatic story of Britain's boy sailors during the Napoleonic Wars for the very first time.

Table of Contents

Foreword By Alexander Kent
Preface And Acknowledgements
Prologue

1 'Younkers n the Top Continually'
2 Scape Gallowses
3 A Royal Sailor
4 A Sink of Vice and Abomination
5 Young Squeaker
6 Rites of Passage
7 The Little World
8 Into the Glorious Fray
9 Mutiny, Punishment and Promotion
10 The Battle of the Nile
11 The Nelson Family at War
12 Land Ahoy
13 Trafalgar
14 Spoils of War
15 The War of 1812
16 Napoleon on the Bellerophon
17 'Ah! The Peace Has Come Too Soon'

Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Product details

Published 20 Mar 2012
Format Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
Edition 1st
Extent 320
ISBN 9781780965857
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations 1 b/w; 6 col
Series General Military
Short code GNM
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

D. A. B. Ronald

D. A. B. Ronald is a writer and historian. He stud…

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