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Manuscript DS, signed “Nelson & Bronte,” one page, 8 x 13, October 10, 1805. Document headed "Order of Battle," addressed to "H. W. Bayntun Esq., Captain of His Majesty's Ship Leviathan by Command of the Vice Admiral…Given on board His Majesty's Ship Victory of Cadiz the 10th of Octob'r 1805." Issued eleven days prior to the Battle of Trafalgar, the document lists the "Frigates, Sloops, &c" in Lord Nelson's fleet. On October 21, 1805, in the defining naval clash of the Napoleonic Wars, Nelson shattered the combined French and Spanish fleets, thwarting Napoleon’s plans to invade and securing British command of the seas, even as he fell in victory. In his triumphant death, Nelson was immortalized as a national hero.
The document enumerates the ships of Nelson’s fleet alongside their captains, with several struck through by Bayntun and annotated as “not in the battle.” The revised list reflects the roster that would comprise Nelson’s force at Trafalgar, including the ships Téméraire, Victory, Neptune, Conqueror, Agamemnon, Leviathan (commanded by Henry William Bayntun), Ajax, Orion, Minotaur, Africa, Spartiate, Prince, Mars, Royal Sovereign, Tonnant, Belleisle, Bellerophon, Colossus, Achille, Polyphemus, Revenge, Britannia, Swiftsure, Defence, Thunderer, Defiance, and Dreadnought. Bayntun also records the fate of some of the captains, noting that George Duff and John Cook were "killed," and Charles Tyler and James Nicoll Morris were "wounded." Signed at the conclusion in ink by Horatio Nelson, "Nelson & Bronte," and by his secretary, "John Scott." In fine condition, with archival reinforcement to the perimeter of the verso.
Distributed to Nelson’s captains as the fleet prepared for its decisive engagement, this “Order of Battle” represents a rare surviving example of the operational papers that governed one of history’s most consequential naval encounters. Approximately thirty copies are believed to have been prepared for commanding officers, most long since lost, destroyed, or absorbed into institutional archives.
Captain Hugh William Bayntun’s copy stands among the most significant forms of Nelson material to reach the market: not a routine letter or order, but a battle-related command document signed by Nelson and his secretary, John Scott, both of whom would be killed in the engagement.
On October 21st, Scott stood on the quarterdeck of Victory beside Nelson, prepared to record the day's events. One of the first cannonballs to strike the ship killed him instantly. Nelson himself was mortally wounded later that afternoon by a French sharpshooter, falling near the same spot. Bayntun, as commander of HMS Leviathan, fought admirably in the battle, engaging and capturing the Spanish ship San Agustín. That this document carries the autographs of both Nelson and Scott—signed in the final days before the battle that would claim their lives—lends it exceptional historical poignancy.
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