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NAPOLEONIC & PENINSULAR WAR ARCHIVES 1804 - WONDERFUL LORD NELSON NAVAL LETTER WRITTEN ABOARD THE "HMS ROYAL SOVEREIGN" BY FLAG CAPTAIN JOHN STUART OFF CAPE ST. SEBASTIAN WITH THE ARRIVAL OF ADMIRAL ORDE OFF CADIZ WITH A SQUADRON, THERE IS CONSTERNATION AMONGST THE FLEET AS TO WHETHER LORD NELSON WILL BE REPLACED. THIS DOCUMENT IS COVERED BY OUR WRITTEN, SIGNED AND SEALEDLIFETIME GUARANTEE OF AUTHENTICITY "The masterly manner he has conducted the Fleet and the attention he has shown to unpatronized merit when ever it has been conspicuous has gained him the hearts of all under his Command." Grandson of John Stuart, the 3rd Earl of Bute, second son of General Charles Stuart of Military renown, and brother to Ambassador Sir Charles Stuart, Lord Rothesay; John James Stuart chose a naval career which placed him as Flag Captain on board the "HMS Royal Sovereign" on December 22nd 1804, the ship that broke the line at Trafalgar. A wonderful concordance connecting Nelson with the legendary Royal Sovereign, later Collingwood's flagship. It is perhaps apocryphal, but it is said that during the Battle of Trafalgar, as Nelson stood on the quarter deck of the Victory and watched Collingwood and his flagship "HMS Royal Sovereign" go "straight at them", cutting the enemy line alone, and engaging the "Santa Ana", he pointed to her and said, "See how that noble fellow Collingwood carries his ship into action!" At approximately the same moment, Collingwood reportedly remarked to his captain, "What would Nelson give to be here?" Neither would have to wait long as this monumental naval battle soon encompassed all the ships of the line. Nelson was assigned to HMS Victory in May 1803 and joined the blockade of Toulon, France. He would not set foot on dry land again for more than two years. On 23 April 1804, Nelson had been promoted to Vice Admiral of the White (the fifth highest rank) while still at sea. A wonderful relevant Nelson content letter that epitomizes Nelson's character and the esteem in which he was held by the fleet, and the nervousness felt by a pending change in Command. A moment not lost on those present as Nelson, Collingwood and Stuart would all be sailing the seas of heaven by the time of Waterloo. Royal SovereignOff Cape of SebastianDec. 22nd 1804 My Dear Charles, We still continue much in the same place & with the same hopes as when I last wrote to you by way of Malta. Several Spanish vessels have been taken by the Fleet which will give me sufficient at least to reimburse a year's expenses. Sir John Orde has arrived with a Squadron off Cadiz - we are as yet uncertain whether he will supersede Lord Nelson in the whole Command or remain there separately. It is the unanimous wish of the Whole Fleet that the latter may remain here. The masterly manner he has conducted the Fleet and the attention he has shown to unpatronized merit when ever it has been conspicuous has gained him the hearts of all under his Command. The War at present seems dull - That's unprofitable in the extreme. We have waited with patience for about 18 months for the Toulon Fleet & perhaps may have to wait as much longer. I am well contented to remain while the war lasts but shall be happy when an end is put to it that an Englishman need not be ashamed to own. I have not heard from you here since your arrival at your new post but am in daily expectation of a line. Believe my dear Charles, I remain your dear friend & Affectionate Brother John Stuart The connection between the young Captain John Stuart and Nelson went somewhat deeper. John's father, a younger son of the 3rd Earl of Bute, the Hon. Charles Stuart, embarked upon a military career in 1768 when he enlisted as an ensign in the 37th Regiment of Foot. In 1770, he became a lieutenant in the 7th Regiment of Foot (Royal Fusiliers), and was promoted captain in 1775. Later that year he became a major commanding a battalion of the regiment, and in 1777 was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the 26th Regiment of Foot, which he commanded until 1779. He was promoted colonel in 1782. He had been elected MP for Bossiney in 1776, succeeding his elder brother Viscount Kingarth, who had been created Baron Cardiff. In 1792, on the death of his father, he inherited the estate of Highcliffe House in Hampshire (later rebuilt by his eldest son Lord Rothesay). On April 19, 1778 , he married Anne Louisa Bertie, daughter of Lord Vere Bertie . They had two sons: Charles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay (1779 – 1845) and Captain John James Stuart (1782 – 1811). On May 23, 1794 General Stuart was given command of the army in Corsica and with Nelson's help drove the French from Calvi (the action in which Horatio Nelson lost an eye), their last remaining stronghold on the island. His energy and bravery during the siege won him the admiration of Sir John Moore (of later Peninsular War Fame), who served as his second in command. Stuart was promoted to Lieutenant-General for this action. Unfortunately he quarreled with Admiral Lord Hood, who commanded the Mediterranean Fleet, over the conduct of the siege, and later with Sir Gilbert Elliot, Viceroy of Corsica. His unwillingness to take orders from a civilian (albeit a Viceroy), his siding with the Corsican patriot General Pasquale Paoli in disputes with Elliot, and his conviction that Corsica could be ruled only by a military man, led to his resignation of his command in February 1795. In January 1797 Stuart was given command of a force sent to Portugal at the urgent request of the Portuguese government, threatened with invasion by France and Spain. There he succeeded in transforming his army, made up partly of foreign troops who lacked discipline and motivation, into a very effective force. The foreign regiments later fought in Egypt and there "displayed a steadiness and resolution which spoke volumes for what Charles Stuart's influence had done". In 1798 he received a commission to capture Minorca from the Spanish with a force of 3000 men drawn mostly from Gibraltar. His appointment received the approval of the British Admiral Lord St Vincent, who told the Secretary of State that Stuart was "the best general you have … no man can manage Frenchmen so well and the British will go to hell for him". Though unequipped with siege artillery, he successfully dissimulated and bluffed the Spaniards into surrendering the island and their numerically superior forces in November 1798 without the loss of a single man. In recognition he was created knight of the Bath and Governor of Minorca from November 15, 1798 until 1800. He radically reformed the island's administration, bringing about changes described by a French historian as "the most important ever effected in a country which had not been ceded by treaty" . While in Minorca, in March 1799, Stuart responded at once to a plea by Admiral Nelson to send troops to Messina. Stuart brought the 30th and 89th Regiments under Col. Blayney to Palermo where they were dispatched to secure Messina against the threatened French and Spanish invasion. Nelson had the highest opinion of Stuart, whom he described as an officer who "by his abilities would make a bad army into a good one" (Dispatches and Letters, 3.226). Stuart accompanied two regiments to Messina and then paid a fleeting visit to Malta, where the French still held out in Valletta. He reported to Pitt that, contrary to the views of other senior officers, Valletta could be reduced only by continuing with the naval blockade. Stuart died in 1801 and is buried in St. Peter's Church, Petersham. Nelson was clearly familiar with the quality of a Stuart. A Note on Captain John James Stuart Born on 29 August 1780, Stuart entered the RN on 23 March 1794. He made Lieutenant on 12 August 1800, Commander on 18 March 1802, and Captain on 6 August 1803; a very fast career, no doubt helped along by his family's connections and relationship with Nelson. He is listed from Sept 1803 until Oct 1804 as flag-captain to Rear Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton on board the Kent (74) then on board the Royal Sovereign (100) from April 1805 till Sept 1805. Interestingly, both these letters (see other Stuart letter) are datelined "Royal Sovereign" in June of 1804 and December 1804. Bickerton was Second in Command under Nelson. Collingwood took command of the "Royal Sovereign" only in October 1805, just prior to Trafalgar. Captain John Stuart was in command of the "HMS Saldanha" Frigate when he died on board in March 1811. His memorial at St. Peters Church, Petersham, London sates: "Sacred to the Memory of Captain John Stuart, R.N. second son of the Honourable Lieutenant General Charles Stuart K.B. whose great example he steadily pursued supporting discipline by manly firmness and benevolence and encouraging virtue by the precepts and practice of religion. He died on board the "Saldanha" Frigate which he commanded on the 19th day of March 1811 aged 30 years and was interred here near the remains of his beloved father whom he strongly resembled". "Saldanha" (named after a bay in South Africa) was a 36 gun frigate of the Royal Navy, launched in 1809. The "Saldanha" herself, then under Captain Packenham, was shipwrecked in Lough Swilly, Donegal in a gale on the night of 4 December 1811. There was one survivor, who later died, out of the estimated 253 aboard. (The ship's complement was 274 men, and 21 are known to have been off the ship at the time.) A Note on Admiral John Orde In the event, Admiral Orde did not "supersede" Nelson: Sir John Orde, 1st Baronet (1751 – 1824), was the third son of John Orde, of Morpeth, and the brother of Thomas Orde-Powlett, 1st Baron Bolton. He joined the Royal Navy, promoted Captain 1778, Rear Admiral 1795, Vice Admiral 1799 and was eventually promoted to an Admiral of the Red. He served as Governor of Dominica from 1783 until 1793. and on 9 August 1790 he was made a baronet. In 1797 he became so exasperated with the Earl St Vincent that he challenged him to a duel. Arriving in the Mediterranean December of 1804 as a Vice Admiral, Orde subsequently commanded his squadron of six ships of the line off Cadiz, his flagship "HMS Glory". From 1807 until 1812 he served as Member of Parliament for Yarmouth. A Note on Cape St. Sebastià n/Cap Sant Sebastià n/Cabo de San Sebastian) Cape San Sebastian (not to be confused with the Spanish city of San Sebastian on the Bay of Biscay on the northern shore of Spain) is on the Costa Brava (Rugged Coast) of Spain's Mediterranean Coast and one of the last headlands before the Pyrenees tip into France. Here in 1857 was built one of the most important and famous Spain's lighthouses. The cape is a bulge in the coastline that marks the southeastern end of the Pyrenees and the southwestern corner of the Golfo de Léon, or Golfe du Lion as it is better known in French. The listed range of the light is 37 nautical miles (59 km) but the port authority claims it can often be seen at a distance of 50 nautical miles (93 km). Located high on the cape on the east side of Llafranc, now a tony resort town, and about 4 km (2.5 mi) southeast of Palafrugell. Site and tower closed, but the lighthouse can be viewed from nearby. (from Lighthouses of Catalonia) The "HMS Royal Sovereign" was a first-rate launched in 1786. A 100-gun first rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, she served as the flagship of Admiral Collingwood at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. She was the third of seven Royal Navy ships to bear the name. Designed by Sir Edward Hunt, she was launched at Plymouth Dockyard on September 11 1786, at a cost of £67,458, and was the only ship built to her draught. On June 16 1795, as the flagship of Vice-Admiral William Cornwallis, she was involved in the celebrated episode known as "Cornwallis' Retreat".The first ship of the fleet in action at Trafalgar on October 21 1805, Collingwood's "Royal Sovereign" led one column of warships; Nelson's "Victory" led the other. Due to the re-coppering of her hull prior to her arrival off Cadiz, "Royal Sovereign" was a considerably better sailer in the light winds present that day than other vessels and pulled well ahead of the rest of the fleet. Although pounded nearly to a wreck by the Spanish fleet, she forced the "Santa Ana" to surrender and was herself rescued by the arrival of the rest of her column. After her useful active life she was converted to harbour service as a receiving ship at Plymouth before being renamed "HMS Captain" on August 17 1825. Becoming a hulk in June 1826, "Captain" was finally broken up at Plymouth, with work being completed on August 28 1841. Four of her guns were saved and are incorporated in the Collingwood Memorial in Tynemouth. A Note on Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood Cuthbert Collingwood was born in 1749 near the river Tyne. Joining the Royal Navy in 1761, he first sailed aboard the frigate "Shannon". Serving under an uncle, he made midshipman and in 1772 was posted to Jamaica where he met another young midshipman, named Nelson. They rose through the ranks over the years and began a life-long friendship that would see them both through Trafalgar, where Nelson was given the command over the arguably more experienced Collingwood. Over his career Collingwood spent even less time ashore than Nelson, logging only three years of land time. The quintessential Battle of Trafalgar has long been linked with the name of Lord Nelson, but Collingwood's participation was on an equal, if much less publicized, footing. On October 21, 1805 the combined forces of France and Spain were met by the British fleet off Trafalgar. Nelson was not the only hero that day as Collingwood on his flagship "Royal Sovereign" broke the line and following Nelson's death took command and successfully finished the battle for the British without losing a ship. This decisive battle left Britain in control of the seaways and effectively forestalled Napoleon's hopes of an invasion of England with his army assembled at Boulogne. Following Trafalgar, Collingwood received a pension of £2,000 per annum and was made Baron Collingwood. He died at sea near Minorca in 1810. ___________________________________________________________________________Name: HMS Royal Sovereign Ordered: 3 February 1786Builder: Plymouth Dockyard Laid down: 7 January 1774Launched: 11 September 1786Renamed: HMS Captain, 17 August 1825Fate: Broken up, 1841 Notes: Harbour service from 1826General characteristics Class and type: 100-gun 1st rate ship of the line Tons burthen: 2175 tons Length: 183 ft 10 1/2 in (gun deck) Beam: 52 ft 1 inDepth of hold: 22 ft 2 1/2 in Propulsion: Sails Armament: 100 guns:Gun deck: 28 × 32 pounders Middle gun deck: 28 × 24 pounders Upper gun deck: 30 × 12 pounders Quarter deck: 10 × 12 pounders Forecastle: 4 × 12 pounders ___________________________________________________________________________ Biographical Note Lord Horatio NelsonVice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, KB (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) Horatio Nelson was born on 29 September 1758 in a rectory in Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk, England. He was educated at Paston Grammar School, North Walsham, and Norwich School, and by the time he was twelve he had enrolled in the Royal Navy. His naval career began on 1 January 1771 when he reported to the third-rate "Raisonnable" as an Ordinary Seaman and coxswain. Nelson’s maternal uncle, Captain Maurice Suckling, commanded the vessel. Shortly after reporting aboard, Nelson was appointed a midshipman and began officer training. Nelson found that he suffered from seasickness, a chronic complaint that dogged him for the rest of his life. Suckling became Comptroller of the Navy in 1775 and used his position to help Nelson's rapid advance. By 1777 Nelson had risen to the rank of lieutenant and was assigned to the West Indies. During his service as lieutenant he saw action on the British side in the American Revolutionary War. By the time he was 20, in June 1779, he was made post-captain. The 28-gun frigate "Hinchinbroke", newly captured from the French, was his first command as post-captain. From 1780 to 1783 Nelson served in the Caribbean with a hiatus back in England to recover from illness. Following the America War, Nelson led a 100 man force in an unsuccessful attempt to dislodge a French force from the Turks Islands. In 1784 he was given command of the frigate "Boreas", and assigned to enforce the Navigation Act in the vicinity of Antigua where Nelson met and married Frances (Fanny) Nisbet, a widow native to Nevis in 1787 at the end of his tour of duty in the Caribbean. Nelson returned "ashore" to England on half pay until he was recalled to service ad given command of the 64-gun "Agamemnon" in 1793, this started a long series of battles and engagements that would seal his place in history. First assigned to the Mediterranean in 1794, he was wounded in the face by stones and debris thrown up by a close cannon shot during a joint operation at Calvi, Corsica. As a result, Nelson lost the sight in his right eye and half of his right eyebrow. Despite popular legend, there is no evidence that Nelson ever wore an eye patch, though he was known to wear an eyeshade to protect his remaining eye. By 1796, the position of Commander-in-Chief of the fleet in the Mediterranean passed to Sir John Jervis (of St. Vincent fame), who appointed Nelson to be Commodore and to exercise independent command over the ships blockading the French coast. Nelson was now appointed to the 74-gun HMS "Captain". In 1796, on leaving Elba for Gibraltar, Nelson transferred his flag to the frigate "Minerve" (commanded by Captain Cockburn). 1797 found Nelson was largely responsible for the British victory at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent. Here he showed his flair for dramatic and bold action. Under the command of Sir John Jervis, the British fleet was ordered to "tack in line," but Nelson disobeyed these orders and "wore ship" to alter course and prevent the Spanish fleet from escaping. He then boarded two enemy ships in succession, an unusual and bold move which was cheered by the whole fleet. Nelson himself led the boarding parties, which was not usually done by high ranking officers. In the aftermath of this victory, Nelson was knighted as a member of the Order of the Bath and promoted to Rear Admiral of the Blue. Promotion to admiral at this time was not based on merit but solely on seniority and the availability of positions to fill. Nelson's popularity with his men was largely based upon his rise from Ordinary Seaman to Admiral by-passing the normally rigid hierarchy of the British Navy. Later in the year, while commanding "Theseus" he was shot in the right arm with a musket ball, fracturing his humerus bone in multiple places. Since medical science of the day counseled amputation for almost all serious limb wounds (to prevent death by gangrene), Nelson lost almost his entire right arm and was unfit for duty until mid-December. In 1798 Nelson won a great victory over the French. The Battle of the Nile took place on 1 August 1798. Given its huge strategic importance, some historians regard Nelson's achievement at the Nile as the most significant of his career, Trafalgar notwithstanding. In 1801 Nelson was promoted to Vice Admiral of the Blue (the sixth highest rank). Within a few months he took part in the Battle of Copenhagen which was fought in order to break up the armed neutrality of Denmark, Sweden, and Russia. During the action, Nelson's commander, Sir Hyde Parker, signaled him to break off the action but Nelson held the telescope to his blind eye and commented. "I really do not see the signal!" His action was later approved and in May he became commander-in-chief in the Baltic Sea. As a reward, he was created Viscount Nelson, of the Nile and of Burnham Thorpe in the County of Norfolk. Assigned to HMS "Victory" in May 1803, Nelson joined the blockade of Toulon, France. He would not set foot on dry land again for more than two years. He was promoted to Vice Admiral of the White (the fifth highest rank) while still at sea. In 1805 he was called upon to oppose the French and Spanish fleets which had managed to join up and take refuge in the harbour of Cádiz, Spain and on 21 October 1805 Nelson engaged in his final battle, the Battle of Trafalgar. Document Specifications: A very fine handwritten letter signed by Flag Captain John James Stuart, RN aboard the HMS "Royal Sovereign", later Admiral Collingwood's Flagship, and dated December 22nd 1804. Folded letter measures 9" tall x 7¼" wide (227mm x 185mm). On single sheet of batonne laid paper watermarked "A. BLACKWELL - 1804". Several slits resulting in some edge tears either from disinfection procedure or is an example of the Italian Nizza. This was a method of ensuring that letters were not read by unauthorized persons, first known used in Italy in the 15th century. A ribbon or part of the paper which was not written on was folded (or cut) to resemble a tongue, and threaded or folded back through the cover into slits made for the purpose. It could then be sealed with wax or a wafer for security and evidence of tampering. A scarce and meaningful letter concerning Britain's Greatest Admiral and confirming that: "the attention he has shown to unpatronized merit when ever it has been conspicuous has gained him the hearts of all under his Command."From the Sir Charles Stuart, Lord Rothesay, Correspondence. Stuart was His Britannic Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Portugal during the greater part of the Peninsular War (10 January 1810 to 26 May 1814). He was a personal friend and confidante of Wellington and Nelson, member of the Portuguese Regency (the only British Subject in the war ever permitted to hold an official position in a foreign government while also representing Britain), and later ambassador to Netherlands & France. The most important foreign diplomat of the Peninsular War, his archive of diplomatic, military and intelligence dispatches are second only to Wellington's Dispatches. Offered by Berryhill & Sturgeon, Ltd No Reserve - Free Shipping – No Auction Buyer’s FeesWhat You Bid Is What You Pay!! All items include a written guarantee of authenticity to the successful bidder and are accompanied by a full color picture receipt for your insurance and inventory records. All items are shipped fully insured and archivally packaged to your address with proof of delivery confirmation/signature. Please note that although we take great care in scanning our document images, color may vary from original. 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