British Army during the Napoleonic Wars led to the Battle of Trafalgar, a French fleet carrying 6,500 troops briefly captured Dominica and other islands but subsequently withdrew. In 1808, once the British were allied to Portugal and Spain, they were able to concentrate their forces and capture the French possessions one by one; Cayenne and Martinique in 1809, and Guadeloupe in 1810. Haiti was left to the insurgent armies. In 1805 news arrived in London that Napoleon had broken up his invasion camp at Boulogne, and was marching across Germany. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom William Pitt immediately equipped an army of 15,000 men,
The Battle of Trafalgar (painting) early works was "The Battle of Trafalgar, as Seen from the Mizen Starboard Shrouds of the Victory". This work was well received and provided the foundation from which Turner would develop "Trafalgar" into a scene representing an overall account of the whole battle. This earlier depiction is closer to Turner’s style in that it leans away from traditional maritime paintings and more toward the ambiguity and sublime that Turner would later be known for. In preparation for "Trafalgar" Turner created two preparatory oil sketches, with the "First Sketch for ‘The Battle of Trafalgar’" aligning its composition with the traditional maritime