Duke of Wellington

Essay by Anonymous UserHigh School, 11th gradeA-, October 1996

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Arthur Wesley, known as the Duke of Wellington, accomplished many great goals

as a military commander. He won many battles and he also defeated one of the great

military leader of all time, Napoleon Bonaparte, in the battle of Waterloo. He supported policies which he disapproved and he would fight for the country whether he liked it or not .

Arthur Wesley was born on May 1, 1979 in Dublin, to the first Earl of Mornington. As a child, he attended Eton school and later he went on to a military academy in France. At the age of eighteen, he was commissioned and became lieutenant colonel of the thirty-third foot. He was then sent to fight in India, where he commanded a division against Tipu Sultan. He also became governor of Mysore (1799) and commander in chief against the Marathas. With his success, Arthur then returned to England in 1805 with a knighthood.

After Wellington's arrival, he was given new assignments, which he disapproved. He had a long journey to Hanover, followed by a brigade in Hastings. Although he had no interests in these assignments, he felt he must serve whenever duty required.

' I am nimmukwallah, as we say in the East; that is, I have ate the

king's salt, and, therefore, I conceive it to be my duty to serve with

unhesitating zeal and cheerfulness, when and wherever the king

or his government may think properly to employ me.'

After his tasks Wellington went on a brief military expedition in Copenhagen and defeated a small Danish force, which made the Danes firm allies with Napoleon. In 1808, Portuguese rose against Napoloen, and Wellington was ordered to support them.

Wellington's first defeat was against General Andoche Junot's columns at Vimiero. Wellington was then sent back to Ireland as chief...