Page "Battle of the Nile" Paragraph 45

Nelson, who on surveying the bay on the morning of 2 August said " Victory is not a name strong enough for such a scene ", remained at anchor in Aboukir Bay for the next two weeks, preoccupied with recovering from his wound, writing dispatches and assessing the military situation in Egypt using documents captured on board one of the prizes.

Nelson's head wound was recorded as being " three inches long ", with " the cranium exposed for one inch ".

He suffered pain from the injury for the rest of his life and was badly scarred, styling his hair to disguise it as much as possible.

As their commander recovered, his men stripped the wrecks of useful supplies and made repairs to their ships and prizes.

Throughout the week, Aboukir Bay was surrounded by bonfires, lit by Bedouin tribesmen in celebration of the British victory.

On 5 August, Leander was despatched to Cadiz with messages for Earl St. Vincent carried by Captain Edward Berry.

Over the next few days all but 200 of the captured prisoners were landed on shore under strict terms of parole, although Bonaparte later ordered them to be formed into an infantry unit and added to his army.

The wounded officers taken prisoner were held on board Vanguard, where Nelson regularly entertained them at dinner.

Historian Joseph Allen recounts that on one occasion Nelson, whose eyesight was still suffering following his wound, offered toothpicks to an officer who had lost his teeth and then passed a snuff-box to an officer whose nose had been torn off, causing much embarrassment.

On 8 August the fleet's boats stormed Aboukir Island, which surrendered without a fight.

The landing party removed four of the guns and destroyed the rest along with the fort they were mounted in, renaming the island " Nelson's Island ".