Hornblower During the Crisis

by C. S. Forester Book 4 in the Hornblower Saga series.

First published 1967

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In 1805, Hornblower leaves HMS Hotspur and becomes involved in the capture of a French vessel whose papers suggest an opportunity for deception. Rather than returning immediately to ordinary command, he is drawn into an intelligence operation that could exploit forged orders attributed to Napoleon and influence the movements of the French fleet.

The surviving narrative places Hornblower at the intersection of naval warfare and intelligence shortly before Trafalgar. Captured papers create an opportunity to manipulate French command through information rather than ship-to-ship combat. Although unfinished, the story shows Forester moving Hornblower toward a strategic deception intended to affect the movement of fleets at a decisive moment in the war.