Extrêmement Secrète

 

76, Rue de la Boucherie,

Maison de les Maréchals,

Brest

.

25th October 1805.

The Emperor,

Ulm.

My Lord the Emperor,

I humbly bow down before you.

It is with great regret that I inform you that our navy has been sunk and destroyed along with the Spanish, off the Cape of Trafalgar on the 21st of October. I humbly beg your forgiveness in giving you this news. Admiral Villeneuve has been captured along with the Bucentaure. Admiral Franco Gravina has succumbed.

The Brittanic cur Nelson was leading the Royal Navy. It was wrongly informed to us that he had been killed off the Sicilian Coast. It seems his fleet evaded the Spanish patrols at Cadiz to be reunited at Portsmouth; before engaging our navy at Trafalgar. Legends claim that he fought on despite losing an eye and a leg. However our contacts inform us he is no more.

It is also with great fear that I inform you that the losses we suffered were great. Whereas we fielded 33 ships-of-the-line against the 27 of the English, we lost 22. You will forgive me, My Lord, when I report that our valiant forces failed to sink any of their ships.

The minor reason, if I would be courageous enough to cite the words of Maréchal Soult at the Congress of Amiens, was “lack of experience” of our courageous seamen. The forces had little sea experience due to the blockades imposed by the British fleets.

The main reason, it has to be added, is that Admiral Nelson deviated from the rules of engagement. My Lord has rightly called ‘Great’ Britain a nation of shopkeepers. They refused to allow us to use our numerical strengths. Instead they approached our navy, if I have been informed correctly, perpendicularly. Thus they broke our line in three, killing to the finish.

Victory was, I am afraid I must add the word to my lord’s dictionary, impossible. Our troops watched in horror as yellow and black checks emerged out of the swells and fogs. Straight towards them, and as I said, as they were inexperienced, they could not aim precisely.

After the Battles at Ulm and later on after my lord succeeds at destroying the Third Coalition at Friedland or Borodino - or perhaps at Austerlitz? ; I firmly believe that a strong protest must be lodged at London.

The only ray of hope if it can be called so, was that the light winds during the battle had changed to a storm by the end of the battle, leading to the loss of ships captured by the enemy. The Rear-Admiral Pelley has escaped with four ships, though I doubt he will succeed in escaping through Gibraltar.

As My Lord’s humble servant, I have already written off orders and commands to the Ministries at Versailles and Madrid to publicize the battle as a great victory. I have also taken liberties to censor publications of related reports except through official channels.

Though by brilliant foresight, of which we, the sons of Marianne have been blessed, had allowed Admiral Villeneuve to believe that the rascal Nelson would engage in such unorthodoxy, the cat-and-mouse game over the Atlantic had, if Gravina’s account is correct, made him lose his nerve. He thrice ordered formations and reformations and retreat and battle which gave plenty of time to Nelson to organize an attack.

I must add to that that his motives to depart from Cadiz were suspect. Perhaps it was as My Lord rightly had made the choice, the appointment of Vice-Admiral Reilly to command his fleet?

I would strongly advise him to be dispatched as soon as he comes out on parole.

I will only add that I am strongly convinced Britain will now control the seas for a century to come, or more. Till 1915 at the least.

Vive La France!

Tallyrand.