I plan that TL to be written following an elliptical construction, so to have an overall description and leave imagination of the readers filling the voids; that also avoids that TL to take too much of my time, busy as I am, and allows guest updates.
I hope you will enjoy that reading.
In 1798, how the French army led by General Napoleon Bonaparte managed to take Malta and invade Egypt under the nose of the Royal Navy under RearAdmiral Sir Horatio Nelson was a matter of incredible luck for the former, and of great misfortune for the latter.
After the fall of Malta, Nelson was informed of the French fleet sailing eastwards and correctly assumed Egypt to be its target, but overestimated its advance so he ordered to sail right to Alexandria. By the way, the British fleet passed not far from the French fleet but without noticing its presence in the darkness. The Royal Navy arrived in Alexandria on June 28th but the French were not there ...
The French fleet arrived in Alexandria on June 29th, less than a day after the British fleet had left.
It wouldn't be until a month after that Nelson learned of the French attack and ordered his fleet back towards Alexandria, arriving there on August 1st, only to find the French fleet already gone.
Rear Admiral Armand Blanquet who had taken over the French fleet after Admiral Brueys died from malaria [POD] had left with the fleet the day before, sailing towards Corfu.
Only there would Nelson catch the French fleet. Still, the British fleet could only blockade Corfu. Unfortunately, that came too late.
The perceived British failure to catch the French invasion force persuaded the Sublime Porte to accept the fait accompli. Effective control of the province had already been lost to its Mameluk governors and the French takeover didn't make a great difference, explaining so why General Bonaparte was able to negociate a settlement with emissaries of Sultan Selim III, the Treaty of Cairo in which the French officially governed Egypt in the name of the Sultan.
In 1799, the invasion of Neapolitan Kingdom by the French under General Championnet and the defeat of Cardinal Ruffo's Sanfedisti in Calabria threatened the British position in the Mediterranean Sea, forcing Nelson to alleviate pressure on Corfu to protect the Royal Navy bases in Sicily, giving Blanquet the occasion to break out when storm came over the Ionian Sea.
The French fleet did not escape unscathed, losing several ships to the pursuing British fleet, mostly during the evasion from Corfu and near Malta where the runaway fleet was caught; it did finally reach the safety of Toulon from where it would assist French operations in Liguria.
Corfu wouldn't be taken until 1801 after a lengthy siege and its status would later be the pretext for the demise of the Treaty of Amiens.
In London, such strategic setbacks, such an humiliation was deeply ressented and that wasn't hard to find a scapegoat. The memory of Admiral John Byng fate was still there, but the disgrace of ''Unlucky Nelson'' fell short of it, the rear admiral being demoted and forced into retirement.
I hope you will enjoy that reading.
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Chapter I
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The disgrace of Nelson
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Chapter I
-
The disgrace of Nelson
In 1798, how the French army led by General Napoleon Bonaparte managed to take Malta and invade Egypt under the nose of the Royal Navy under RearAdmiral Sir Horatio Nelson was a matter of incredible luck for the former, and of great misfortune for the latter.
After the fall of Malta, Nelson was informed of the French fleet sailing eastwards and correctly assumed Egypt to be its target, but overestimated its advance so he ordered to sail right to Alexandria. By the way, the British fleet passed not far from the French fleet but without noticing its presence in the darkness. The Royal Navy arrived in Alexandria on June 28th but the French were not there ...
The French fleet arrived in Alexandria on June 29th, less than a day after the British fleet had left.
It wouldn't be until a month after that Nelson learned of the French attack and ordered his fleet back towards Alexandria, arriving there on August 1st, only to find the French fleet already gone.
Rear Admiral Armand Blanquet who had taken over the French fleet after Admiral Brueys died from malaria [POD] had left with the fleet the day before, sailing towards Corfu.
Only there would Nelson catch the French fleet. Still, the British fleet could only blockade Corfu. Unfortunately, that came too late.
The perceived British failure to catch the French invasion force persuaded the Sublime Porte to accept the fait accompli. Effective control of the province had already been lost to its Mameluk governors and the French takeover didn't make a great difference, explaining so why General Bonaparte was able to negociate a settlement with emissaries of Sultan Selim III, the Treaty of Cairo in which the French officially governed Egypt in the name of the Sultan.
In 1799, the invasion of Neapolitan Kingdom by the French under General Championnet and the defeat of Cardinal Ruffo's Sanfedisti in Calabria threatened the British position in the Mediterranean Sea, forcing Nelson to alleviate pressure on Corfu to protect the Royal Navy bases in Sicily, giving Blanquet the occasion to break out when storm came over the Ionian Sea.
The French fleet did not escape unscathed, losing several ships to the pursuing British fleet, mostly during the evasion from Corfu and near Malta where the runaway fleet was caught; it did finally reach the safety of Toulon from where it would assist French operations in Liguria.
Corfu wouldn't be taken until 1801 after a lengthy siege and its status would later be the pretext for the demise of the Treaty of Amiens.
In London, such strategic setbacks, such an humiliation was deeply ressented and that wasn't hard to find a scapegoat. The memory of Admiral John Byng fate was still there, but the disgrace of ''Unlucky Nelson'' fell short of it, the rear admiral being demoted and forced into retirement.
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