Battle of the Nile, 1798

[@peternavanac9310]

Superb explanation of the battle. Had difficulty getting the full picture from a book. Thank you for making this.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

It is a pleasure! I think that I could have done a better job, but I am glad that you liked it.

[@richardhodges3593]

Having read the story myself, I alway reflect on Admiral Brueys, such a brave man whose legs were shot off during the battle, yet he stayed at his post until the explosion of the L'Orient. Nelson's brilliance as a commander usually overshadows the exploits of others.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

The French were extremely brave, as shown in their takeover of Europe in the decade after this battle, there was another French captain who also lost his legs but urged his sailors to fight on. If I remember correctly they put him in a bucket and he issued commands from there!! That is indeed true, if you are interested, have a look at the Battle of Camperdown. It was as decisive as the Nile, but because it wasn't a Nelsonic victory, it gets very little coverage. The battle effectively ended Holland's time as a naval power.

[@richardhodges3593]

@@in-depthhistory1940 Hi there I'm familiar with this battle, it would have got more general attention if Nelson had participated, such was his star status. The Royal Navy at this time were an inspiring force. To be able to recreate their qualities, that would be something.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

In my opinion they were the best navy of all-time, perhaps only the US Navy of today gets close in terms of quality.

[@IanHaywardCalvados]

@@richardhodges3593 Not sure what you mean by "...if Nelson had participated...". Or did you mean Napoleon?

[@richardhodges3593]

@@IanHaywardCalvados hi there. I meant to say, everyone remembers Nelson, rightly so. But, don’t discount others such as Admiral Bruey, who courage is known to fewer people. Admiral Bruey,s courage as the other combatants deserves equal recognition.

[@mashroomghost8456]

Wow! Just wow! It's mind blowing! I've never seen such an awesome and detailed naval battle. There's a lot of youtube channel that foucuses on land but I haven't seen anyone doing naval battles this detailed. Thank you!

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Thank you so much! Things are going slowly with the channel now but I plan to increase pace soon, eventually we will cover many naval battles.

[@tonyjames5444]

Interesting video, worth pointing out that Nelson held back on giving Captain Foley the credit he deserved for identifying the gap on the port side of the French ships and the impact this had on the battle, unfortunately this wasn't unusual for Nelson who while being brilliant was also an incredibly vain man. Reference Foley's quick thinking he noticed that the French ships only had one anchor from the bow and therefore the waters on the port side must be deep enough to allow them to swing at anchor, if not they would have had stern anchors as well.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

The only thing Nelson loved more than money was fame! He was quite vain, especially with the Nile and Cape St. Vincent. He was disappointed when he received a lower title than Admiral Jervis even though Aboukir was a better victory than Cape St. Vincent. In doing this series, I have learnt a lot about his personal life, none of which was positive. In the end though, he gave his eye, his arm and his life to his country, so that certainly makes up for his personal shortcomings. So that is how he determined the gap, very interesting!! I assumed he saw it as a result of different colour water for different depths. He deserves a good deal of the credit for the victory, I am sure the British would still have won with Nelson's original plan, but the five ships that went through the gap made a large difference.

[@tonyjames5444]

@@in-depthhistory1940 I served on HMS Victory as a Marine in 1989 and saw Foley's first hand account and it was indeed the lack of stern anchors that convinced him it was safe to proceed though it was a massive gamble in his part and credit to him for taking it, agree though Nelson would have won the battle regardless but it would have been more costly. Your spot on about Nelson's vanity I remember reading an account by the Duke of Wellington who met him briefly in the Admiralty building near Horse Guards London in 1805. He said when they started talking it was mostly Nelson boasting about himself which had a very negative effect on the Duke but when Nelson later realised who he was the arrogance disappeared and Wellington said he had an invigorating conversation with Nelson and was greatly impressed by his all round military knowledge and understanding of the war on land as well as sea.

[@cuebj]

​@tonyjames5444 Of course, Arthur Wellesley was not yet the Duke of Wellington. Not even gone to Peninsular. He was, at first glance, just another bought his commission comedy army officer... until Nelson realised he was newly arrived from ten years of near constant brilliance in India, including Assaye. From that point, as Wellington would say later, they had the most stimulating conversation of his life

[@johnnyjohnny2650]

What a crazy way to fight a battle. Just pull up next to your enemy in a long line, drop anchor, and start blasting lol. I never knew that was how it was done

[@cuebj]

It wasn't usually done that way. Usually very dependent on wind, currents, waves, fog, nightfall as ships drifted past each other in open sea and couldn't turn back. Hence Nelson at Trafalgar ensuring they created a chaotic melee. British seamanship, training, and maintenance of ships meant they were far more manoeuvrable and could fire 3 to 2 or 3 to1 cannon shots in comparison to French. Get your first broadside in and you disable lots of enemy guns plus affect their ability to work the remaining guns

[@Dawsonguidroz8538]

@@cuebj and have purged your admirals for being royalist also contributed to it

[@andybarth5928]

very good job! Thanks for the very detailed and entertaining presentation.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

I am glad that you enjoyed it!! I hope to make many more videos like it.

[@petersellers9219]

I'd like to echo that. Superb history and Splendidly visualised. A Formidable piece.

[@doug6500]

This has to be the most complete and pure naval victory in the Age of Sail, surely?

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Basically. Of course Trafalgar is another candidate, but given that battles were typically fought in a line out at sea, the amount of ships lost by either side was generally not very high, whereas with these two the British inflicted insane losses on the French and Spanish. The only major naval battle I know of with a higher percentage loss of ships is Tsushima, with a near complete destruction of the Russian fleet.

[@doug6500]

@@in-depthhistory1940 Camperdown 1797

[@thedictationofallah]

There are many more battles during the late 18th and early 19th centuries

[@cuebj]

And the Franco-Spanish ships that got away and survived the storm were hunted down and sunk or captured during subsequent weeks after Trafalgar. Total annihilation of enemy

[@yidingliu8663]

Where are your subscribers good sir? Such heartful contents deserve our support!

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Thank you for your support, I really appreciate it! I am sure that the channel will grow over time and I hope we can build a great community of history enthusiasts.

[@waverider8549]

I'm female. I literally don't know of any other women who like naval warfare. Any women subscribers?

[@YARROWS9]

Thank God we had Admiral Nelson and Admiral Cochrane. The Sea wolf.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Britain's naval system produced fine commanders, no wonder Britannia ruled the waves!

[@johndowds5770]

Captain Cochrane

[@YARROWS9]

@@johndowds5770 later Admiral of the Fleet.

[@johndowds5770]

@@YARROWS9 not until he had all but retired , but you know all this . Cochrane was a loose cannon , but one of our finest ever military seaman . A remarkable man ,his achievements read like an adventure book .

[@YARROWS9]

@@johndowds5770 Couldn't believe the exploits of this guy when I started digging into his career. Should be up there with Nelson.

[@Matteo-do3kj]

What a wonderful video, thank you mate

[@yoyo-lf3ld]

Great video. Good graphics. Alot of the big history channels on KZbin don't cover these naval battles.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Thank you very much! I put a large emphasis on the graphics, because that is what I personally enjoy the most about videos. That is true, if they cover naval history at all it is usually limited to Trafalgar and so on.

[@yoyo-lf3ld]

@@in-depthhistory1940 yep these "smaller" battles are really interesting. I hate it when they miss out all the lesser spoken about engagements. I hope you'll do more age of sail warfare.

[@joematthews2446]

These videos are excellent. I hope you continue. It is incredible to see Napoleons genius undermined by Nelson’s genius at sea.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Thanks, I am definitely going to continue. As Themistocles said, "He who controls the sea controls everything."

[@RmDIrSudoSu]

Great work, but there is a small error, Napoleon was not recalled to defend France, the government was thinking about it but never sent him an order to come back; as he saw that he was losing ground in Egypt Napoleon returned secretly to France, some were even thinking to court martial him for that, but it never happened then he did the coup of the 18 brumaire and became first consul.

[@just-dl]

I knew that Nelson was highly regarded, but never knew why. Now I know. Thanks for the videos! Very well done.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

My pleasure! I am glad you enjoyed them, Trafalgar is up next.

[@just-dl]

@@in-depthhistory1940 Trafalgar!!!! salivate/drool/like lips.....Dr. Pavlov was right! :-)

[@vincentstella5131]

Excellent video and narrative. Keep up the great work.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Thank you, I will!

[@charleslyster1681]

A really excellent account of the battle and the events leading up to it. It might have been interesting to say something about the planning and preparation which the British fleet did so their ships could anchor by the stern while under way? This required the highest level of seamanship. Is Copenhagen next? I think the same technique was used there.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Thank you, I tried to cover as much as possible while still keeping it interesting. Yes, the British captains met with Nelson quite often to discuss their plans. When he saw the gap, Foley was confident that if he entered it he would be supported by the rest of the fleet, because this exact scenario had come up in their discussions. Copenhagen is indeed next, and then of course Trafalgar. After I am done with the series on Nelson, I plan to do one on Ancient Egypt, which I am extremely excited for.

[@brucelee-wo5ge]

It is an excellent account but like Mr Lyster I was hoping for an explanation and/or demonstration of how the fleet utilised the maneuver known as a spring on the bow anchor {?} !! It is described in his first hand account of the battle in the journal book titled "Life and Adventures" by John Nicol, a seafarer from Scotland who was a cooper on board "Goliath"!

[@janoosting7574]

Hello, I am Jan, a dutch (asspiring) board game designer and very impressed with your documentary! I have a board game prototype and am looking for someone to review it form a naval/ historical perspective. Do you have 15 minutes to chat? Thank you in advance!

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Hello Jan! That sounds very cool, I am more than willing to review it😁 Just let me know how.

[@bernardavenant7454]

Really enjoyed this one, thank you Erik.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Thank you so much Bernard!! It was the first one I made but I uploaded it second. Hope things are going well with you down there!😁

[@davidsmall2944]

11-0 and one own goal !!

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Poetry in Motion!! Nelson's score was 49-0 before he was taken out by a foul ;)

[@just-dl]

love this....

[@knightswarm1]

Great videos, but please could you get a better mic, i have to turn my volume up to over 50% to hear you speak. Love what you do though! :)

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Thank you for the kind words! At the moment I am looking at ways to improve the voice recordings. Luckily making it louder is quite easy, so I will do that for the next video. I plan to get a new microphone eventually.

[@knightswarm1]

@@in-depthhistory1940 Thank you, your content is great though! Keep it up :)

[@waverider8549]

I'm not the one for flying flags. But, for once, a South African channel to be proud of. Thank you SIR 🇿🇦

[@in-depthhistory1940]

My pleasure!😁

[@barry7608]

Thanks well explained and simple graphics

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Glad it was helpful!

[@luigizuin]

Hello. This is a great video. Mind if I ask where did you get the historical data from? I'm planning to use this video as one of the main information sources for a presentation, and I’d like to know the source that you consulted to make it.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Hello, I used a variety of sources, namely The Age of Nelson by Geoffrey Marcus. There should also be some diagrams that you can find online. Another book is Nelson and the age of fighting sail. I unfortuantely can't remember which of the two describes this battle the best. Best of luck!

[@luigizuin]

@@in-depthhistory1940 That's more than enough, thank you so much!!

[@harryharring2423]

I read sometime ago that this battle was commemorated by a rich land owner by making large mounds of earth laid out to represent the positions of the ships at the start of the battle. Later these mounds were replaced by small copses of trees. They are mostly still there. They can be found about a mile to the east of the standing stones of Stonehenge out in the fields along side the A303 on the northern side just as the 2 lane road turns into dual carriage way[4 lanes] Some were destroyed when the A303 was widened.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

That is a really interesting way of commemorating it, especially if you could have a bird's eye view. There are many interesting things to visit there then! At the time, this was Britain's greatest single naval victory (The Spanish armada was defeated over time) so I am not surprised that someone spent money to honour it.

[@deepanshchaudhary5094]

Great work man👍

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@tedthesailor172]

Nice clear explanation. Many thanks.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Glad it was helpful! I plan to improve with every video.

[@edwinmorene2817]

I have a Relative that was Captain of the 74 Gun Ship Bellerophon at the Battle of the Nile.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

That is extremely interesting!! The Bellerophon is easily one of the most famous third rates, it was the ship that transported Napoleon to Saint Helena. You have great heritage to be proud of.

[@sd3457]

Billy Ruffian.

[@iroscoe]

If you haven't already read it David Cordingly has written a good book about Bellerophon titled 'Billy Ruffian' .

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Thank you for letting me know, that is a book I haven't heard of yet but sounds like a good one.

[@iroscoe]

@@in-depthhistory1940 It’s essentially the biography of the ship touching on the sourcing of the oak for building her the contract for her construction at a private yard the long time her hull spent in the frame there contributing to her longevity how she was crewed and equipped And of course her knack of being present at major fleet actions like The Glorious First of June , The Nile and Trafalgar culminating with the arrival of Napoleon on board after he fled from Waterloo .

[@juancamilobarberanduran5529]

awesome video!!

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Thank you! I am glad that you enjoyed it.

[@strontiumstargazer3124]

Subscribed

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Cool!

[@donaldtrumpuncensored6728]

Thanks for your hard work.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

My pleasure!

[@ia4049]

great work! love your videos

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Thank you!! I plan to make many more.

[@jeanbotes8898]

Lekker man ! Baie goed gedoen.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Baie dankie!

[@waverider8549]

I also guessed the narrator is from SA. Blown by the quality content and precise narration 🇿🇦

[@cometblazt]

Awesome video enjoyed it much

[@in-depthhistory1940]

I am glad that you enjoyed it!!

[@Stephen-gp8yi]

Quality content✌️

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Thank you, I hope to make much more!

[@pplpaul4747]

My several greatx3 grandad was killed by chainshot during this battle.

[@davitsurguladze6643]

Last part, the summary was very interesting

[@in-depthhistory1940]

I am glad you enjoyed it!!

[@alanruyten8226]

Yes, well done Sir, have subscribed! I thought the “aftermath” might have mentioned that after the battle, Nelson went to Naples to recover from the slight head wound he received on Vanguard where he was feted by the Neapolitan royals and the British Ambassador and his wife - Emma Hamilton! The result of that encounter was to change Nelson’s life and to a certain extent career...

[@janebrown1706]

Brueys could be the one when his legs were gone they sat him in a vat of oatmeal which absorbed blood and maybe slowed down the bleeding(?).

[@in-depthhistory1940]

It is possible, he did lose both his legs. I know there was another captain who also lost his legs and was placed in a large bucket.

[@waverider8549]

From what the British say, Brueys was strapped to a chair and continued to command.

[@jedimasterlex13]

Good stuff. Just found your channel. Have a like and a subscribe.👍

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Thank you good sir!!

[@ae4042]

Please make the battle of trafalgar I'm dying for it

[@in-depthhistory1940]

I am working on Trafalgar as we speak. I want to do a proper job of it so it is going take sometime, but I should have it done in about two weeks time. I am glad you enjoyed the ones I made so far!

[@ae4042]

@@in-depthhistory1940 you're the best mate, gained yourself another subscriber!

[@fangexploring]

Thanks for the video. I really like watching naval battles on youtube. Maybe you can label the ships, or Nelson's flagship in future videos? I didn't know the names of most of them. So the French Navy was doomed from the start? Have always wondered what chances they had, if any, against the British Navy.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

It is a pleasure, I really enjoy making these and I am glad that you enjoyed it! I am going to do two more videos on Nelson and then the next naval battles will be Greek and Roman ones, I want to do a series on both countries after I have done one on Egypt. I will put in something to identify Nelson, but labelling each ship unfortunately makes the video very messy. I tried it with my first video, but the nametags get in the way of each other and the ships. I think they were doomed from the start. From the beginning of the revolution, France was at war with most European powers, so just to survive a large emphasis had to be placed on the army, and the navy suffered as a result. If the battle was fought at the peak of the French Kingdom, it would be 50/50 and whoever lost would not have lost so badly.

[@fangexploring]

@@in-depthhistory1940 Looking forward to them! Thanks for answering my question. :D

[@in-depthhistory1940]

No problem ;)

[@iroscoe]

The French Navy showed remarkable resilience to replace losses and keep a fleet in being powerful enough that the RN would need to have sufficient resources available to counter any foray by them , other European navys essentially lost the capacity challenge the RN in fleet actions after bad defeats and/or political problems .

[@doug6500]

@@iroscoe The war at sea during this conflict was no joke. The ships of the line took up a silly percentage of a nations GDP.

[@Scottirulez]

One of my ancestors died in this battle …

[@chesthoIe]

Yeah, Nelson's injury wasn't all that serious. That is why you have two eyes.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Reminds me of some woodworking guy who lost three fingers and said, "It's chilled I got 7 more."

[@wroot1]

YES!!!

[@in-depthhistory1940]

I am glad you enjoyed it!!

[@PaulLunnySuccess]

Great channel

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Thank you.

[@PaulLunnySuccess]

@@in-depthhistory1940 100% love the level of detail and really appreciate you making them please keep it up!

[@in-depthhistory1940]

The detail is what I am aiming for, I will definitely continue making videos, I am currently busy with Trafalgar.

[@JM-cg2mj]

Can anyone discuss if this was ever winnable for the French ? If they had closed their line properly it would have been interesting.

[@andrewclayton4181]

The poem The boy stood on the burning deck derives from the burning of the French flagship. Divers have found the charred timbers still at the bottom of the bay.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

There was another poem, Casabianca, also written as a result of the battle. Nelson's coffin was made from the mainmast of L'Orient. I would say that is quite fitting!

[@waverider8549]

@@in-depthhistory1940 I think Casabianca's son was the boy on the burning deck. I think that Nelson (vain or not) knew that he may die young. The nature of warfare was brutal. Hence keeping the mast for his coffin.

[@thedictationofallah]

It's ship of the line not battleship

[@jjcustard6378]

Born less than 20 miles from where I live

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Fantastic stuff! He is surely one of Britain's greatest heroes.

[@segaranpillay7154]

speaker reads his material too fast- people need to hear and think for a fraction of a second as well

[@godspeedthunder]

good vid but sound too low

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Thanks, I will increase the volume in the next video :)

[@discover854]

What the fuck were the other French ships doing down the line when there's fighting ahead? Fucking watching their fleet gets slaughtered? By the time all of Nelson ships were engaging the enemy, half of the French fleet were still down the line.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

They should have done more, but in their defence the wind was blowing done the line, meaning it was effectively impossible to reinforce the van. That is the mistake of the admiral though: if you are immobile and waiting for the enemy to come to you, they can attack when conditions suit them the most.

[@cuebj]

At anchor, unable to get under way, tide and currents (such as they are in Med), and breeze against them. And stripped for action as stationary gun platforms. No sea room to get moving

[@SmartassX1]

Those were not really "battleships". They were "ships of the line (of battle)". The term "battleship" is a much later word that was invented for large steam-powered armored ships from the late 19th to early 20'th century. Those ships were not really even successors to the ships of the line, because they evolved out of "protected cruisers" (smaller metal-armored steam ships).

[@in-depthhistory1940]

You are technically correct, although the term battleship is a contraction for "line of battle ship", it was never widely used in the era of sail. I just use it because everyone knows what a battleship does and is.

[@matthewferro4449]

Many who might watch this video are new to all this so using “battleship” is much better understood.

[@West_Coast_Mainline]

Haha first rate go boom

[@1990pommie]

rn trained seamen vs mostly conscripted fr peasants

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Professionals vs Amateurs indeed. The French spent so much time blockaded in ports that they rarely got time to improve their seamanship, and it showed at battles like these. Before the revolution, a battle like this could have gone either way, and the losing side would not have lost as badly.

[@cuebj]

Mostly correct. Press gang was pretty much like kidnapping for enslavement as sailors but they were better fed and healthier than people on land, paid, could gain prize money and promotion to the very top, so pros and cons of British 'recruitment '

[@Dawsonguidroz8538]

@@in-depthhistory1940 fr considering they purged most of there officers who were loyalist this is there fault im sure robesspierre and others are mad in there graves

[@stephenhall3515]

Bad narration and audio levels.

[@in-depthhistory1940]

Thank you for the feedback, I am working to improve on that.

[@stephenhall3515]

@@in-depthhistory1940 Thank you for your gracious reply. I note that others have said much the same. Having been at school with S.Africans I have no problem with the accent but audio levels need to be higher and delivery a bit slower. This will make your channel one of the very top military history ones anywhere with simple graphics, directions and exact distances given. The fact that so many are saying he same is a tribute to your scholarship. Best wishes, Dr Stephen Hall, Ireland

[@in-depthhistory1940]

No problem, I just saw your comment as constructive criticism. I also did not like the audio, so I started editing it using Audacity. This was only after I completed the video on Trafalgar, so it doesn't appear that way in any video on my channel. I will upload the first video on Egypt soon, and the audio will be a lot better. I will be the first to admit that I have a lot to learn, so I have no problem with people pointing out my mistakes.

[@waverider8549]

The narrator is South African. Just get used to it. It's a matter of taste. I find a lot of American programs too over the top. Each to his own.