Mission command, circa 1805

I see the Spanish
seem to be contemplating a replay of the battle of Trafalgar.

That reminds me of
something I read the other day, that Lord Nelson's form of mission command was very intensive conversation
before the fight, very hands off once it began, observed A.B.C. Whipple:

Nelson believed in
sharing tactical options with his captains, discussing every possible situation
and emphasizing that when battle was in progress, every captain would be on his
own. If a captain saw an opportunity to do damage to the enemy, he was free to
attack without awaiting signals from the flagship's masthead. The old
line-ahead dogmas of each ship's blindly following the leader was not only
dead, it was replaced by something previously unheard-of
in the Royal Navy: delegation of authority.