The Battle of Copenhagen 1801: Nelson's Historic Victory FROM THE PUBLISHER
Of all the many actions he fought, Horatio Nelson, England's greatest naval heros claimed that the Battle of Copenhagen was 'the hottest'. Yet, while others such as the Nile and the fateful Trafalgar have been minutely analysed, historians have waited patiently for a truly comprehensive account of this engagement between the British Fleet and the determined Danish defenders. It is no accident that the author of this fascinating study is himself a distinguished and academic Dane. Based in Copenhagen, he has been ideally placed to study not only the minute-by-minute tactics but the political and strategic historical background. No true picture of the battle could arguably have been painted without recourse to the primary source material held in Danish archives, to which Professor Feldbaek has had full and privileged access. The result is the definitive account that has proved so frustratingly elusive for over 200 years. It is to be hoped that, as a result of the publication in English of this scholarly yet highly readable book, this epic battle will be better understood and remembered for more than the ingenuous Nelsonian 'blind eye' incident. The gallantry of the Danes, epitomised by the performance of the 17 year-old Lieutenant Peter Willemoes must never be overlooked. This and much more is revealed in Ole Feldbaek's The Battle of Copenhagen, 1801.
SYNOPSIS
This text was first published in Danish in 1985 (Politikens Forlap A/S, Copenhagen) and appears here translated into English by Tony Wedgwood. Feldbaek (history, U. of Copenhagen) researched British and Danish sources, as well as Swedish, French, Russian, and Prussian, to provide a picture of the complex major politics of the time. It is the first text to examine in detail the battle between the British Fleet and Copenhagen's defenders from the Danish perspective. Illustrated in b&w. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
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