*Nelson - Battle of Copenhagen. Instructions of Lord Nelson for the Attack of the Danish Fleet, [paper watermarked with Britannia motif and 'D & T 1800'], manuscript working copy, dated 2nd April 1801, 'The arrangements are as follows: But as the Vice Adml. Lord N. cannot with precision mark the situation of the different descriptions[?] of the enemies float[ing] B[atteries] and smaller vessels lying between them and the low decked ships skulls[?] the ships which are to be opposed to the F.B. &c. will find their stations by observing the station of the ships to be opposed to the two decked ships and hulls', then listing in columns the twelve ships used for the attack along with Numbers, Rates, Guns and Station of the Line as they are to engage, continuing with more explicit details of the movements and orders for the various ships, referring to Captain Rose, S.H. Parker and Captain Riou by name, concluding 'other fire Ships are to proceed under ye orders of Capt. Riou of the Amazon to perform such services as he is directed by Lord Nelson, Signed Nelson & Bronte', one page and two lines in a neat hand with two corrections, integral document title panel with horizontal folds, folio Nelson had invited captains from ships of the fleet to dinner on board HMS Elephant on 1st April 1801. They discussed plans for the attack of the 18-ship Danish fleet. Nelson was given twelve ships to carry out the attack, all listed in these orders. He stayed up until 01:00 dictating his instruction and orders for the attack which began at 10:05 on 2nd April. Two hours later, the commander-in-chief, Sir Hyde Parker made a signal to discontinue the action. Nelson literally turned a blind eye to the signal, saying to Captain Foley, as he raised the spyglass to his right eye, 'I have a right to be blind sometimes [and] I really do not see the signal' (Hibbert, p. 261). Following the Danish defeat an armistice was declared and Nelson replaced Parker as the Navy's commander-in-chief. Several versions of Nelson's orders of attack have been published and this appears to be a working document dictated to a secretary sometime shortly after midnight on the 1st April. (1)