The Royal Navy Vice-Admiral Who Defeated the Combined French and Spanish Fleets Off Cape Trafalgar on 21 October 1805 and Was Shot Through the Spine During the Battle
Horatio Nelson led the British fleet to a decisive victory over the combined French and Spanish fleets off Cape Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. Twenty-two of the 33 enemy ships were captured or destroyed. Nelson was shot through the spine by a French sniper at approximately 1:15 p.m. He died at 4:30 p.m. He was 47. The body was preserved in a brandy cask for the voyage home and is buried under the central dome of St Paul's Cathedral.
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