Crossword Genius

Our highest military man with grip on opponent? (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

nelson

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'grip on opponent?' is the definition.
'nelson' can be an answer for 'grip' (I've seen this before). I am unsure of the 'on opponent?' bit.

'our highest military man' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'man' could be 'nels' and 'nels' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'on' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'with' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for nelson that I've seen before include "British naval hero" , "Hero of Trafalgar Square" , "northern town" , "One-eyed English admiral seen on pillar" , "Admiral on a column" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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