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    The Battle of Pulu Aor (1804)
    The Battle of Pulu Aor (1804)
    The Battle of Pulu Aor (1804)
    Ebook40 pages30 minutes

    The Battle of Pulu Aor (1804)

    By Rupert Matthews

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    A key naval action that confirmed British control of the Indian Ocean and its rich trade at a crucial point in the Napoleonic Wars.

    The battle of Pulo Aor is today rather overshadowed by the contemporary victories of Nelson in European waters, but in its day it was every bit as famous as Trafalgar, Aboukir and The Saints.

    In 1803 French Emperor Napoleon sent Admiral Charles-Alexander Linois with a powerful fleet of warships to the Indian Ocean to disrupt the rich Eastern trade on which Britain relied to finance its war effort against France. After preliminary skirmishing and manoeuvres, Linois closed with the main British merchant convoy of the winter off the island of Pulo Aor.

    The British commander, Commodore Nathaniel Dance knew he was heavily outnumbered, but he gambled on Linois’s caution and an bold display of aggression to make up for his lack of numbers. In the battle that followed the French ships were driven off as much by clever use of the wind and swift manoeuvring as by gunfire. Dance went home to a hero’s welcome, leaving Linois to lick his wounds and prepare for a final showdown with the British navy some months later.

    About the Author
    Rupert Matthews has written over 150 books for different publishers, achieving significant sales in a variety of markets both in the UK and abroad. His works have been translated into 19 languages and have been shortlisted for a number of awards. Rupert has been a freelance writer for 20 years, working in-house at a major book publisher before going freelance.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBretwalda Books
    Release dateJun 18, 2012
    ISBN9781909099104
    The Battle of Pulu Aor (1804)
    Author

    Rupert Matthews

    Rupert Matthews has written over 150 books for different publishers, achieving significant sales in a variety of markets both in the UK and abroad. His works have been translated into 19 languages and have been shortlisted for a number of awards. Rupert has been a freelance writer for 20 years, working in-house at a major book publisher before going freelance.

    Read more from Rupert Matthews

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      Book preview

      The Battle of Pulu Aor (1804) - Rupert Matthews

      Bretwalda Battles

      Napoleonic Wars

      The Battle of Pulo Aor

      by

      Rupert Matthews

      This series of book has its own FACEBOOK PAGE where you can join the conversation.

      *****************

      Published by Bretwalda Books at Smashwords

      Website : Facebook : Twitter

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      First Published 2012

      Copyright © Bretwalda Books 2012

      ISBN 978-1-909099-10-4

      *****************

      Contents

      Chapter 1 - The Napoleonic Wars

      Chapter 2 - The Campaign in the East Indies

      Chapter 3 - The Commanders

      Chapter 4 - The Opposing Forces

      Chapter 5 - The Battle of Pulo Aor

      Chapter 6 - The Aftermath

      *****************

      Chapter 1

      The Napoleonic Wars

      The Napoleonic Wars engulfed Europe and much of the world from 1803 to 1815, the fight at Pulo Aor being one of the first conflicts of the wars. As their name suggests the wars were dominated by the ruler of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, though they had their origins some years earlier in the French Revolution.

      In 1789 growing economic chaos and governmental bankruptcy had forced the French King Louis XVI to call a meeting of the Estates General, a sort of semi-democratic Parliament. The resulting stalemate between the reforming efforts of the King and entrenched vested interests of the nobility and the Church led the much put-upon commoners to take things into their own hands. Proclaiming a love of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, the commoners swept away the old order, plunged France into chaos and began a bloodbath of executions and civil wars.

      Out of the bloody upheavals emerged a new French state. This new government was dominated by elected officials determined to free society, business and people from the ancien regime, the old way of doing things. King Louis was

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