By Chris Pleasance for MailOnline A letter penned by Horatio Nelson using his right hand months before he lost the arm in battle is due to go up for auction A letter penned by Lord Horatio Nelson using his right hand months before he lost the arm during a battle is set to go up for sale. The note, which is dated August 16 1795, was addressed from the then-Captain to a diplomat in Genoa, Italy, named Francis Drake. In the note, Nelson boasts about the size of his squadron after being promoted to the rank of Commodore earlier in the year.
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Letter written by Nelson in August 1975 when he still had his right hand
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In note he speaks about his squadron after being promoted to Commodore
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Also complains that he is being kept in the dark about army movements
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Nelson lost right arm following the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1797
In the letter he laments the fact that @placeholder will not get to meet his commander
The provenance of the letter is confirmed by a note on the reverse of the paper that it was given to a descendant of Admiral @placeholder in September 1868.