NEW LIGHT ON TRAFALGAR.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14668, 17 May 1913, Page 3

NEW LIGHT ON TRAFALGAR.

THE MOORSOM LETTERS.

Wo published the other day a summary, cabled from Sydney of two } newly-published letters throwing light lon the battle of Trafalgar. These were written by Captain Moorsom, of tho Revenge. Tho following is tho full ! text of the letters, taken from tho "Sydney Morning Herald":— "Revenge, Gibraltar, Nov. 1. ISOS. '•Dear, Sir,—l told E some timo ago that I should reserve my letter to you for eomo great occasion, and I hopo tho victory gained by Lord Nelson en October 21st will be considered in England a.<j glorious and decisive as any in tho annals of the country. I will endeavour, as near as I can, to describe to you the mode of attack, though I could myself only see what passed in that part of tho line I was in. Having information that the combined fleets were coming out of port, Lord Nelson made tho best of his way from Cape St. Mary's to tho Straits' mouth, and at daylight on October 21st he saw them to leeward. Cape Trafalgar bearing east by south about six to seven leagues. The wind all tho morning was light from the north-west, sometimes calm, and towards noon a light breeze about W.S.V.". The enemy's licet bore (the body of them) about east. As wo approached them they joined their lino in tho larboard tack, with their heads to the northward, and wo kept going down in two columns pointing towards their centre. All our ships were carrying studding sails, and many bad sailers were a long way astern, but litLlo or no stop wan mado for them. Admiral Collingwood dashed directly down, supported by such ships as could get up, and went cHrectly through their line. Lord Nelson the same, and tho rest as fast as they could ; Iteveugo got through between the fifth and .sixth ships from their rear. They closed so wall together that Frenchman's jibboom took my mizien-topsail as 1 passed, and he was neir jan-.bing mo between himself and his second ahead. Perhaps it would havo bom better for me if h.v. had donq so, for a Spaniard three-deck ship, with Admiral Gravina's ih;c. directly shot upon my leo quarter; tho Frenchmen were inder my stern, and I was obliged to endure a raking fire for a considerable time, without being ablo to help myself, for all our ropes were cut to pieces in going down, ai.d tho wind so light that we were a long timo exposed to their iiro before wo "ot near. °

"From whoro I passed through to a little ahead of their ..-tntro the ships were nearly in a similar situation all mingled together, and there the great mtprjssiou was mado, their van couid not alro:d any -succojr to their centre wu-liout passing through the sternino»t part of our weather column. "11l about three hours they gavewav. boir.o woii olf to windward, somo to leeward, as fast as they could. My Ineiid the Spanish Admiral was trying hard to dismast me, and succeeded in carrying away all my topsail yards, and nt last bore up, on tho aooroach of ono of our three-deck ships* towards him. Tho van in their flight as they caino down, raked us on tue bow. lour sail went off to wind™rd and received a heavy fire from tho Victory, Mars, Revenge, and another ship as they passed. A fifth, a Spaniard, attempting to follow them, was attacked by three of our ships, who were in good conditiou, aid was to strike. He stood out a long time, and his striking ended tho battle. ''Just as tho fleet was going into action, Lord Jselsou, by signal, expressed tho following words: "England expects every man will do his duty.' Ho lived long'enough to hear of , tho victory, and. that was all. A musket ball • struck him. about tho shoulder and went down into the body. ■ '"I have given, ns hear as I can, iny idea of, tho attack, but it varied so much in different parts of the lino that any ono person can scarce give a just account of it. My station was tho sixth in the rear of the lee column, but, as Revenge sailed well, "Admiral Coilihgwood made my Signal to keep a line bearing from him, which made mo one of tho leading ships through the enemy's line. lam not certain that our mode of attack was the best. However, it succeeded. Ido not yet know what tho returns are, but^ I fancy it will bo fouud that the weight of the action fell on a few ships only. "ROBERT MOORSOM."

"Revenge, Spithead, Dec. 4, ISOS. "Dear Sir, —You will receive a loiter from mo from Gibraltar which I scut by tho Victory, and she sailed a week before me. I then gavo you the last account 1 could procure of the action, but I had neither seen the Admiral's letters nor any returns till my arrival at Kpithead. Tho reason of the Victory being so lon<£. after us has been occasioned by strong gales from the south-east, and coining round stiil more to the southward as tho sLips got northward. I got as far as tho latitude Gldey. north, and never could nrako any easting without giving a great deal to the northward also. The Victory, 1 nee, is now coming in with Lord .Nelson's flag half-mast down. I havo seen several plans of the action, but none- answer to my idea of it; indeed, scarce- any plan can bo given. It was irregular and tho ships got down as fast as they could, and into any space where they found the enemy,- without attending to their plnco in the line. A regular plan .was laid down by Lord jSeisou some time before tho action, but was not acted upon. llis great anxiety seemed to be to get to leeward of them, lest they should make off to Cadiz before he could get near. "1 must tell yen an anecdote of a Frenchwoman. The Pickle (schooner) sent to mo about fifty people saved from the Achillc, which was burnt and blew up. Amongst them was a young Frenchwoman, about five-and-twenty, and the wife of one of the maintopir.cn. When toe Aehille was burning, she got out of tho gun-room port and sat on tho rudder-chains till som-e melted lead ran down upon her and forced her to strip and leap off. She swam to a spar where several men were, but one of them bit and kicked her till she was obliged to quit and get to another, which supported her tiJ. she was taken up by tLe i'ickle and sent on board tho Revenge. Amongst the men she was lucky enough to find her husband. We were not wanting in civility to iho ladv- I ordered her two pursers' shirts to make a petticoat, and most of the officers found her something to clot lie her. In a few hours Jeannetto was perfectly happy, and hard at work n-.iking her "petticoats. She was sent ashore," and the man also, to on our arrival at _ Gibraltar Tho Spaniards wore all released at Gibraltar, but the French we have brought homo, in the squadron with me we had about SiX) taken ont of different ships. "ROBERT MOORSOM."