I have given this communication in full as it appears in O'Meara's book, because the scribes would have it that Villeneuve was destroyed by the Emperor's orders. There was not at the time, nor has there ever appeared since, anything to justify such a calumny on a man who challenged the world to make the charge and prove that he had ever committed a crime during the whole of his public career. No one has taken up the challenge except in sweeping generalities of slander, which are easily made but less easy to substantiate. If the Emperor had really wished to take Villeneuve's life, it would have been more satisfactory to have him condemned to death by a court-martial composed of his countrymen than to have the already ruined man secretly destroyed for mere private revenge. The common sense of the affair compels one to repudiate the idea of the Emperor's complicity in so stupid a crime. It is more likely that Napoleon wished to save him from the consequences of a court-martial, so ordered him to remain at Rennes. He rarely punished offenders according to their offences. After the first flush of anger was over, they were generally let down easily, and for the most part became traitors afterwards.
We need not waste time or space in dilating on what would have happened to Nelson had he put at defiance the authority that controlled him and the irreparable disaster that would have followed. Villeneuve has been belauded for his gallantry in the fight at Trafalgar; indeed, we learn, from sources that may be relied upon, that his bravery, dispositions in battle, and art of enthusing his followers could not be surpassed. His signals to the fleet were almost identical with Nelson's. Here is one: "Celui qui ne serait pas dans le feu ne serait pas à son poste"; the literal translation of which is: "He who would not be in the fire would not be at his post"; or, "The man who would hold his post must stand fire," which is quite an inspiring signal. But I wonder what the eulogists of Villeneuve would have written of him had he been the victor instead of the defeated. It is generous to give praise to the unfortunate Admiral for whom Nelson had such an aversion and who was constantly threatened by him with vigorous chastisement when he caught him; but generosity was not the motive—it was only part of the loose-lipped, unclean policy of decrying Napoleon. It is horrible, ungrateful, and foul brutishness of the Corsican tyrant to court-martial so amiable and brave a man as Villeneuve because he proceeded out of Cadiz against orders and suffered a crushing defeat! It is quite permissible for a French admiral to put authority at defiance if doing so complies with the sentiments of anti-Napoleon writers, who were either ill-informed, purblind critics or eaten up with insincerity or moral malaria! But it is the maintenance of discipline to have men like Sir John Byng court-martialled and shot after being tried, it is said, by a not entirely impartial court, on the supposition that he had neglected his duty in an engagement with the French off Minorca on the 20th May, 1756, and committed an error of judgment. A rather remarkable method of enforcing discipline, to shoot an admiral for an error of judgment!
Take another case of high-ordered, solemn devotion to discipline: Sir Robert Calder, who had gained an important victory over the French at Finisterre, was court-martialled, condemned and ruined, ostensibly because he did not achieve a greater victory. The decisions of both cases were crimes, not desire for the maintenance of discipline. It was, and ever will be, a stain on the name of justice. I need not carry this further, except to say that according to the solemn logic of some writers, it was murder for Napoleon or some of his ministers to have the Duc d'Enghien shot for having conspired with others for the overthrow of the established French Government, but it is the saintly enforcement of discipline to have a British admiral shot and another ruined for no other reason than an error of judgment on the one hand and an insufficient victory on the other. Sir Robert Calder's heart was broken by cruelty. Villeneuve lost his fleet and killed himself, not that he had anything to fear from the decision of the court-martial—so it is said on the authority of an English writer of note. Certainly he had nothing to fear from the Emperor, who has indicated that he had no intention of dealing severely with him. It was fitting that he should be reprimanded, and no doubt he would have been, after which, as was his custom, the Emperor would have conferred some kindly favour upon him. Serene authors have entangled themselves a good deal over this matter in their efforts to take up the impossible position of making the Emperor and not Villeneuve responsible for the disaster at Trafalgar to the Spanish and French fleet. Of course, Napoleon was badly chagrined, and so would the King of England have been, if it were thinkable that such a calamity could possibly have befallen any British fleet. The head of the French nation would have been less than human had he not felt the full force of the terrific blow to his country, and especially to himself.
Disposition of Fleets at TRAFALGAR
TRAFALGAR, 21ST OCTOBER, 1805. DETAILED LIST OF SHIPS ENGAGED.
(A) BRITISH ORDER OF BATTLE, WITH THE NAMES OF THE FLAG OFFICERS AND CAPTAINS.
VAN, OR WEATHER COLUMN.
Ships. Guns. Commanders. Killed. Wounded.
Victory 100 Vice-Ad. Visc. Nelson 51 75
Captain T. M. Hardy
Téméraire 98 Eliab Harvey 47 76
Neptune 98 T.F. Freemantle 10 34
Conqueror 74 Israel Pellew 3 9
Leviathan 74 H. W. Bayntun 4 22
Ajax 74 Lieut. J. Pilfold -- 9
Orion 74 Edward Codrington 1 23
Agamemnon 64 Sir Edward Berry 2 7
Minotaur 74 C. J. M. Mansfield 3 22
Spartiate 74 Sir F. Laforey, Bart. 3 20
Britannia 100 Rear-Ad. Earl Northesk 10 42
Captain Charles Bullen
Africa 64 Henry Digby 18 44
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154 383
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FRIGATES.
Ships. Guns. Commanders.
Euryalus 36 Hon. H. Blackwood
Sirius 36 William Prowse
Phoebe 36 Hon. T. B. Capel
Naiad 38 T. Dundas
Pickle 12 Lieut. J. R. Lapenotiere
Intreprenante 12 Lieut. R. B. Young
(cutter)
REAR, OR LEE COLUMN.
Ships. Guns. Commanders. Killed. Wounded
Royal Sovereign 100 Vice-Ad. Collingwood 47 94
Captain E. Rotherham
Mars 74 George Duff 29 69
Belleisle 74 William Hargood 33 93
Tonnant 80 Charles Tyler 26 50
Bellerophon 74 John Cooke 27 133
Colossus 74 J. N. Morris 40 160
Achille 74 Richard King 13 59
Polyphemus 64 Robert Redmill 2 4
Revenge 74 R. Moorsom 28 51
Swiftsure 74 W. G. Rutherford 9 7
Defence 74 George Hope 7 29
Thunderer 74 Lieut. J. Stockham 4 16
Prince 98 Richard Grindall -- --
Defiance 74 P. C. Durham 17 53
Dreadnought 98 John Conn 7 26
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263 794
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NOTE.—Lieutenants Pilfold and Stockham were acting for Captains W. Brown and Lechmere, absent on Sir R. Calder's trial; the Lieutenants, W.P. Camby, of the Bellerophon, and W. Hannah, of the Mars, having their Captains killed, the whole of these officers, with Lieutenant Quillam, first of the Victory, were made Post immediately.
(B) A LIST OF THE COMBINED FLEET OF FRANCE AND SPAIN, SHOWING HOW THEY WERE DISPOSED OF.
1. Spanish ship, San Ildefonso, 74 guns, Brigadier Don Joseph de Varga, sent to Gibraltar.