The New Student's Reference Work/Baltic, Battle of the

Baltic (ba̤l′ tĭk), Battle of the, a naval battle between the English and Danish fleets in the harbor of Copenhagen, April 2, 1801.  The English fleet, under Sir Hyde Parker, with Lord Nelson second in command, was ordered to the Baltic to break up the alliance just formed between Russia, Prussia, Denmark and Sweden.  Nelson led the attack, and when Parker gave the signal to stop the fight, Nelson put the glass to his blind eye, and said he could not see the signal.  He continued the attack and captured or destroyed nearly the whole Danish fleet.  His victory helped greatly to break up the alliance.