Answer: Scorched-earth policy
How did Admiral Nelson win the Battle of Trafalgar?

The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815). As part of an overall French plan to combine all French and allied fleets to take control of the English Channel and thus enable Na…

The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815). As part of an overall French plan to combine all French and allied fleets to take control of the English Channel and thus enable Napoleon's Grande Armée to invade England French and Spanish fleets under French Admiral Villeneuve sailed from the port of Cádiz in the south of Spain on 18 October 1805. They encountered the British fleet under Admiral Lord Nelson recently assembled to meet this threat in the Atlantic Ocean along the southwest coast of Spain off Cape Trafalgar near the town of Los Caños de Meca. Villeneuve was uncertain about engaging the British and the Franco-Spanish fleet failed to organise fully. In contrast Nelson was decisive directing the British fleet into two columns sailing straight into the enemy to pierce its wavering lines. In a particularly fierce battle 27 British ships of the line fought 33 French and Spanish ships of the line. The lead ships of the British columns were heavily battered with Nelson's flagship HMS Victory nearly disabled but the greater experience and training of the Royal Navy overcame greater numbers. The Franco-Spanish fleet lost 22 ships while the British lost none. Nelson himself was shot by a French musketeer and died shortly before the battle ended. Villeneuve was captured along with his flagship Bucentaure. He attended Nelson's funeral while a captive on parole in Britain. Admiral Federico Gravina the senior Spanish flag officer escaped capture with the remnant of the fleet. He died of his wounds five months later. The victory confirmed the naval supremacy Britain had established during the course of the eighteenth century and was achieved in part through Nelson's departure from prevailing naval tactical orthodoxy. Conventional battle practice at the time was for opposing fleets to engage each other in sing… Read more on Wikipedia

In 1805 the First French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte was the dominant military land power on the European continent while the British Royal Navy controlled the seas. During the course of the war the British imposed a naval blockade on France which affected trade and kept the French from fully mobilising their naval resources. Despite several successful evasions of the blockade by the Fr…

In 1805 the First French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte was the dominant military land power on the European continent while the British Royal Navy controlled the seas. During the course of the war the British imposed a naval blockade on France which affected trade and kept the French from fully mobilising their naval resources. Despite several successful evasions of the blockade by the French navy it failed to inflict a major defeat upon the British who were able to attack French interests at home and abroad with relative ease. When the Third Coalition declared war on France after the short-lived Peace of Amiens Napoleon renewed his determination to invade Britain. To do so he needed to ensure that the Royal Navy would be unable to disrupt the invasion flotilla which would require control of the English Channel . The main French fleets were at Brest in Brittany and at Toulon on the Mediterranean coast. Other ports on the French Atlantic coast harboured smaller squadrons . France and Spain were allied so the Spanish fleet based in Cádiz and Ferrol was also available. The British possessed an experienced and well-trained corps of naval officers. By contrast some of the best officers in the French navy had either been executed or had left the service during the early part of the French Revolution . Vice-Admira...

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