Chapters 1, 2 and 3 Summary

Captain Sir Horatio Hornblower has retired to his country estate where he is the local squire, welcomed by his tenants and beloved by his wife and son. He is called back into service as a commodore to lead a fleet of English ships to the Baltic Sea, where he is instructed to damage French interests and, if possible, draw both Sweden and Russia into the greater Napoleonic wars on the side of England. Hornblower prosecutes his duty with zeal and, against all odds, accomplishes his orders with aplomb.

Captain Sir Horatio Hornblower is a naval captain of long accomplishment. He has recently retired to Smallbridge as the squire, a town which he largely owns. The date is early 1812, probably late April. Accompanied by his wife, Barbara, and his son, Richard, Hornblower settles down in a large and comfortable home, well staffed...