southernmost ship being about a mile and a half. The intervals were
filled with the floating batteries. It will be recognized that the
Danes treated this southern wing as an entity by itself, of which they
strengthened the flanks, relying for the protection of the centre upon
the nearness to shoal water, which would prevent the line being
pierced.

As thus described, the southern wing covered the front of the city
against bombardment. The two northern blockships and the Trekroner did
not conduce materially to that; they protected chiefly the entrance of
the harbor. It was therefore only necessary to reduce the southern
wing; but Nelson preferred to engage at once the whole line of vessels
and the Trekroner. It is difficult entirely to approve this refusal to
concentrate upon a part of the enemy's order,--an advantage to which
Nelson was fully alive,--but it was probably due to underestimating
the value of the Danish gunnery, knowing as he did how long they had
been at peace. He may, also, have hoped something from Parker's
division. Be this as it may, he spread his ships-of-the-line, in the
arrangement he prescribed, from one end to the other of the enemy's
order.

Having done this, however, he adopted measures well calculated to
crush the southern flank speedily, and then to accumulate superior
numbers on the northern. The British were arranged in a column of
attack, and the directions were that the three leading ships should
pass along the hostile line, engaging as they went, until the headmost
reached the fifth Dane, a blockship inferior to itself, abreast which
it was to anchor by the stern, as all the British ships were to do.
Numbers two and three were then to pass number one, and anchor
successively ahead of her, supporting her there against the other