That some confusion was caused in the minds of some even of his best officers is certain, but let them speak for themselves.
After the battle Captain Harvey, of the Temeraire, whom Nelson had intended to lead his line, wrote to his wife, 'It was noon before the action commenced, which was done according to the instructions given us by Lord Nelson....

Lord Nelson had given me leave to lead and break through the line about the fourteenth ship,' _i.e._ two or three ships ahead of the centre, as explained in the memorandum for the leeward attack but not for the windward.
On the other hand we have Captain Moorsom, of the Revenge, who was in Collingwood's division, saying exactly the opposite.

Writing to his father on December 4, he says, 'I have seen several plans of the action, but none to answer my ideas of it.

A regular plan was laid down by Lord Nelson some time before the action but not acted on.

His great anxiety seemed to be to get to leeward of them lest they should make off to Cadiz before he could get near them.' And on November 1, to the same correspondent he had written, 'I am not certain that our mode of attack was the best: however, it succeeded.' Here then we have two of Nelson's most able captains entirely disagreeing as to whether or not the attack was carried out in accordance with any plan which Nelson laid down.
Captain Moorsom's view may be further followed in a tactical study written by his son, Vice-Admiral Constantine Moorsom.[20] His remarks on Trafalgar were presumably largely inspired by his father, who lived till 1835.