http://tspwiki.com/index.php?title=1805
Here are some one liners...
Admiral Nelson Saves England but not Himself -- Outnumbered and outgunned Horatio Nelson throws away the rule book and attacks the combined French and Spanish fleets. He wins but dies in the process. He becomes a national hero.
To the Shores of Tripoli -- The battle on the shores of Tripoli bogs down when peace breaks out. Nevertheless, the battel becomes legend and is recounted in the Marine Corp Hymn.
The Old Man of the Mountain -- A rock formation that looks like a man's face is noticed in New Hampshire.
In Other News -- Several important people are born... Joseph Smith, Alexis de Tocqueville, and Hans Christian Anderson (the guy who wrote the story for the movie "Frozen").
Admiral Nelson Saves England but not Himself
Admiral Nelson lost an eye in battle and later his arm. He is in constant pain, and no one would blame him if he simply quit, but the Admiral is his own man and he NEVER, EVER QUITS. He goes out to meet the enemy off the Cape of Trafalgar. The enemy fleet is a combination of French and Spanish ships-of-the-line, under command of the French. Ships-of-the-line are designed to line up and fire their guns in a massive broadside. There are good reasons for fighting this way, but Nelson comes at them in two lines, perpendicular to the enemy broadsides. This minimizes the exposure of his ships to the guns and allows his ships local superiority. In other words, he can kick the snot out of three or four enemy ships at a time while the other ships are too far away to lend support. As each of Nelson's ships takes damage, it is soon replaced by a fresh ship just behind which continues the previous ship's pounding. 22 enemy ships are sent to the bottom and ALL of Nelson's ships survive. Unfortunately, as Nelson's ship, HMS Victory, makes its pass, a musket shot hits Admiral Nelson, passing through a lung and his spinal cord. He hangs on for three hours until it is reported he has won. His last words are "God and Country" and he passes into history. Nelson has won the greatest one-sided British naval victory of all time. His body is carried back to England in triumph and sorrow. They erect a monument in his memory in what is now called Trafalgar Square. [1] [2]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson has appeared in popular fiction in various forms. The Horatio Hornblower series is based on Admiral Nelson. I've read "Beat to Quarters." It is a fascinating technical study in the strategy of battles at sea. I loved it. I gave it a try was because of the science fiction books centered around Honor Harrington. It is Admiral Nelson as a woman... IN SPACE! (Yes. She loses an eye and an arm.) Like the Horatio Hornblower series, the Honor Harrington novels are a detailed study in weapons and tactics. She was supposed to die like Nelson defending her home system, but as the storyline reached that point, the author, David Weber, felt like he might get lynched if he killed off the main character. (He was right.) The story begins with "On Basilisk Station". No cliffhangers. It is free as an ebook at Amazon.com and Baen Books. [3] [4]
Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson has appeared in popular fiction in various forms. The Horatio Hornblower series is based on Admiral Nelson. I've read "Beat to Quarters." It is a fascinating technical study in the strategy of battles at sea. I loved it. I gave it a try was because of the science fiction books centered around Honor Harrington. It is Admiral Nelson as a woman... IN SPACE! (Yes. She loses an eye and an arm.) Like the Horatio Hornblower series, the Honor Harrington novels are a detailed study in weapons and tactics. She was supposed to die like Nelson defending her home system, but as the storyline reached that point, the author, David Weber, felt like he might get lynched if he killed off the main character. (He was right.) The story begins with "On Basilisk Station". No cliffhangers. It is free as an ebook at Amazon.com and Baen Books. [3] [4]
To the Shores of Tripoli
Tripoli has declared war on the United States. William Eaton is a career Army officer, appointed as a Navy Agent, and charged with finding the rightful sovereign of Tripoli, Hamet Caramanli, restoring him to his throne and thereafter establishing peace between the United States and Tripoli. Eaton knows the area and knows the deposed "Prince". First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon of the United States Marines, a man of action, is commanding a detachment of 7 Marines and 2 Navy midshipmen. Eaton is going need them. They find the Prince, hire 400 mercenaries and march across the desert. (I'm leaving out a lot of stuff, but the trek does get exciting.) They reach the shores of Tripoli and meet with the Navy for resupply and to pay all of those exciting mercenaries. They must pass through the port city of Derne but the governor says "My head or yours!" It is going to be a fight. O'Bannon and his men fire into the port batteries while Eaton and his Arab mercenaries outflank the defenses. O'Bannon charges, takes the fortress, and raises the American flag for the first time on foreign soil in a time of war. Eaton turns the battery guns on the city and they surrender. Tripoli sends a force to retake the city, and in the midst of the struggle, word comes that Thomas Jefferson has signed a peace treaty with the other guy. Prince Hamet has lost his bid to retake his throne. Naturally, William Eaton is a little upset with the President right now. [5] [6]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
This was the battle that the Marine Corp Hymn refers to when it says "To the shores of Tripoli." As legend has it, Prince Hamet presented First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon with a Mameluke sword (a curved sword) in recognition of his tenacity and courage. (He certainly had that and a lot more.) There is no documented evidence that this ever occurred, but it has become part of the American tradition as much as Betsy Ross sewing the Stars and Stripes has. I mean, we didn't hear about this story until much later, and we believe them. Why not? The heroes of the American Revolution still loomed large at that time, so Eaton and O'Bannon became heroes to a generation that needed a few of their own. Currently, Marine officers are presented with a Mameluke sword just as First Lieutenant O'Bannon was presented one on the shores of Tripoli. [7]
This was the battle that the Marine Corp Hymn refers to when it says "To the shores of Tripoli." As legend has it, Prince Hamet presented First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon with a Mameluke sword (a curved sword) in recognition of his tenacity and courage. (He certainly had that and a lot more.) There is no documented evidence that this ever occurred, but it has become part of the American tradition as much as Betsy Ross sewing the Stars and Stripes has. I mean, we didn't hear about this story until much later, and we believe them. Why not? The heroes of the American Revolution still loomed large at that time, so Eaton and O'Bannon became heroes to a generation that needed a few of their own. Currently, Marine officers are presented with a Mameluke sword just as First Lieutenant O'Bannon was presented one on the shores of Tripoli. [7]
The Old Man of the Mountain
A survey team traveling through the mountains of New Hampshire notices a strangely shaped outcropping. It is the face of a man. This artifact from the Ice Age can be seen for miles and becomes an inspiration. In years to come, the Old Man of the Mountain will show up on stamps and coins, and as a symbol of the "The Granite State." Nathaniel Hawthorne will write a short story about "The Great Stone Face" and the New Hampshire native, Daniel Webster, will comment: [8] [9] [10] [11]-
- "Men hang out their signs indicative of their respective trades; shoe makers hang out a gigantic shoe; jewelers a monster watch, and the dentist hangs out a gold tooth; but up in the Mountains of New Hampshire, God Almighty has hung out a sign to show that there He makes men."
My Take by Alex Shrugged
It pains me to report that the rock formation called "Old Man of the Mountain" collapsed in 2003 due to erosion. In the early 20th century it was noticed that the natural freezing and melting cycle of the seasons was taking its toll. Efforts were made to repair the damage and to divert water away from it, but it finally succumbed to wind and weather. It's collapse so upset citizens that flowers were laid at the base of the cliff where its remnants lay. We can only experience the Old Man of the Mountain through pictures today. [12] [13]
It pains me to report that the rock formation called "Old Man of the Mountain" collapsed in 2003 due to erosion. In the early 20th century it was noticed that the natural freezing and melting cycle of the seasons was taking its toll. Efforts were made to repair the damage and to divert water away from it, but it finally succumbed to wind and weather. It's collapse so upset citizens that flowers were laid at the base of the cliff where its remnants lay. We can only experience the Old Man of the Mountain through pictures today. [12] [13]
In Other News
- Hans Christian Anderson is born. He will author children's stories, such as "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Little Mermaid", and "The Snow Queen" which will be adapted into the animated film, "Frozen". [14]
- Joseph Smith is born. He will publish the "Book of Mormon" and found the Church of Latter-day Saints. It is going to be one heck of a ride. (Oh, yeah.) [15]
- Alexis de Tocqueville is born. He will tour the United States, and publish the book "Democracy in America." It is a brilliant piece of work that is worth reading even today. (I re-read it last week. It is still good.) [16]
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