I really enjoyed this very long piece by Henry Oliver on Nelson and Trafalgar.
The Admiralty was shrouded in fog. The messenger arrived at one a.m. He had ridden 31 horses and post-carriages over 271 miles since landing in Falmouth two days earlier. Lieutenant Lapenotière saw the First Secretary of the Admiralty just a few minutes after his arrival. He was carrying the dispatch of Admiral Collingwood, which contained the news from the Battle of Trafalgar. It was 6th November, 1805, sixteen days after the battle.
I’d never really given much thought to it before, but both the man and the battle are so interesting and so colourful that I’m tempted to dive into a couple of bios simply to write a few Easter eggs into the final Cruel Stars novel; the one I submitted a year ago and am still waiting on for edits. Might as well get something out of the delay.