Osprey Elite 48 : Nelson's Navy

Despite the many celebrated victories of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars, the role of the Royal Navy should never be overlooked. The 'wooden walls' formed the country's first and most important line of defence, and ranged throughout the world to protect Britain's trade-routes and in support of the land forces and overseas possessions. It thwarted attempted invasions of Britain at St. Vincent, Camperdown and Trafalgar and ended French campaigns at a stroke at the Nile and Copenhagen. Most of these battles are associated with the most outstanding naval commander of the era, Horatio Nelson. Philip Haythornthwaite covers the huge variations in uniforms not just in the Navy but the Royal Marines and Infantry regiments which served alongside naval crews and looks at the organisation, training and recruitment of the force and corrects a number of misconceptions regarding impressment and training. The text is accompanied by illustrations by Bill Younghusband.

Contents

• Introduction
• The Officers
• The Lower Decks
• Auxiliaries
• Uniforms
• Royal Marines
• The Plates