Which famous Englishman's body sailed from Cape Trafalgar to England in a barrel of brandy?

Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson, victor at the battle of Trafalgar and English hero. ... outwitted the French when he sailed his ships between the shore and the French Fleet. ... His body was sent back to England in a barrel full of brandy which acted as a preservative.

In the middle of the Napoleonic War, Great Britain’s most famous naval hero is struck by a fatal musket ball at the very moment of his greatest strategic triumph. Rather than bury Nelson's body at sea, a quick-thinking naval surgeon preserves it in a cask of brandy, which is located to the deck of the ship.

Admiral Nelson lived for 47 years; he lived from September 29, 1758 until October 21, 1805. And, he was not merely an admiral or merely the man who beat Napoleon’s fearsome fleet with self-confidence and heroic courage. He was a man and officer who led from the front instead of the rear, who promoted men on the basis of merit instead of political connection, who referred to his missing arm as his fin, and who flashed it at people that doubted his identity. His ongoing and blatant extramarital affair with a diplomat’s wife was perpetual tabloid gold that added an air of scandalous romance to his life and professional exploits.