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Lot Essay
Davison, Nelson's prize agent for the ships captured at the Battle of the Nile, had the Nile medal struck from the profits he had made. It was the first naval medal to be awarded to every participant in a naval action, with 25 gold (for Nelson and his captains), 150 silver (for other officers), 30 (later revised to 500) copper gilt (for petty officers), 6,000 bronze ('bronzed' copper) and 525 copper medals ordered. The medals were struck by Matthew Boulton at Soho, Birmingham, from dies engraved by Conrad Heinrich Küchler (after designs by Robert Cleveley, and the legend on the reverse taken from the opening of Nelson's dispatch from the Vanguard, 3 August 1798).
The gold medals were received by Nelson in August 1799 and the remainder, for his men, followed later in the year. Nelson had eagerly anticipated the medal, writing to Davison from the Mediterranean on 21 April 1799, 'I wish you had sent me your Medal; I long to wear it.'
The medal was an unofficial reward, issued at a time when official awards for gallantry were limited to the gold medals awarded exclusively to captains and flag officers. These latter first official Naval medals had only begun to be awarded in 1794, with the gold medals ('The Naval Gold Medal') instituted by King George III. These were first awarded for the Battle of the Glorious First of June, the first major naval action of the war with Revolutionary France. A large version was awarded to flag officers, commodores and captains-of-the-fleet and a smaller version for captains of ships of the line. Nelson, was awarded the Naval Gold Medal for his victories at St Vincent (February 1797) and the Nile (August 1798), both medals amongst those stolen from Greenwich in 1900.
Hardy had command of the fast-sailing single-decked brig the Mutine (a French prize he had taken in the bay of Santa Cruz and which Lord St Vincent promoted him to command) from 16 June 1797. The Mutine was busy as a communicating vessel between Nelson and St Vincent and joined Nelson off Elba on 5 June 1798, announcing the near approach of Troubridge's reinforcements. On 22 June 1798 she fell in with a Ragusian brig from Malta which reported that the French fleet (which had managed to slip out of Toulon under cover of stormy weather in May) had sailed on from Malta to the south east. Hardy gave Nelson this vital intelligence, from which Nelson concluded that Napoleon was making for Alexandria. The Mutine was then present at the Battle of the Nile, when Nelson found, engaged and destroyed the French fleet on 1 August, and she subsequently took the news of Nelson's victory to Naples. In spite of Nelson's assertion to Davison that Hardy was a captain at the battle of the Nile, he was only promoted to captain (of Nelson's flagship Vanguard) after the battle.
The gold medals were received by Nelson in August 1799 and the remainder, for his men, followed later in the year. Nelson had eagerly anticipated the medal, writing to Davison from the Mediterranean on 21 April 1799, 'I wish you had sent me your Medal; I long to wear it.'
The medal was an unofficial reward, issued at a time when official awards for gallantry were limited to the gold medals awarded exclusively to captains and flag officers. These latter first official Naval medals had only begun to be awarded in 1794, with the gold medals ('The Naval Gold Medal') instituted by King George III. These were first awarded for the Battle of the Glorious First of June, the first major naval action of the war with Revolutionary France. A large version was awarded to flag officers, commodores and captains-of-the-fleet and a smaller version for captains of ships of the line. Nelson, was awarded the Naval Gold Medal for his victories at St Vincent (February 1797) and the Nile (August 1798), both medals amongst those stolen from Greenwich in 1900.
Hardy had command of the fast-sailing single-decked brig the Mutine (a French prize he had taken in the bay of Santa Cruz and which Lord St Vincent promoted him to command) from 16 June 1797. The Mutine was busy as a communicating vessel between Nelson and St Vincent and joined Nelson off Elba on 5 June 1798, announcing the near approach of Troubridge's reinforcements. On 22 June 1798 she fell in with a Ragusian brig from Malta which reported that the French fleet (which had managed to slip out of Toulon under cover of stormy weather in May) had sailed on from Malta to the south east. Hardy gave Nelson this vital intelligence, from which Nelson concluded that Napoleon was making for Alexandria. The Mutine was then present at the Battle of the Nile, when Nelson found, engaged and destroyed the French fleet on 1 August, and she subsequently took the news of Nelson's victory to Naples. In spite of Nelson's assertion to Davison that Hardy was a captain at the battle of the Nile, he was only promoted to captain (of Nelson's flagship Vanguard) after the battle.