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WELLINGTON, ARTHUR WELLESLEY, 1ST DUK...
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See also:WELLINGTON, See also:ARTHUR See also:WELLESLEY, 1ST See also:DUKE OF (1769-1852) , was the See also:fourth son of See also:Garrett (1735—1781) Wellesley or See also:Wesley, 2nd See also:baron and 1st See also:earl of Mornington, now remembered only as a musician. He was descended from the See also:family of See also:Colley or See also:Cowley, which had been settled in See also:Ireland for two centuries. The duke's grandfather, See also:Richard Colley, 1st Baron Mornington (d. 1758), assumed the name of Wesley on succeeding to the estates of Garrett Wesley, a distant relative of the famous divine. In Wellington's See also:early letters the family name is spelt Wesley; the See also:change to Wellesley seems to have been made about 1790. Arthur (See also:born in Ireland in 17691) was sent to See also:Eton, and subsequently to a military See also:college at See also:Angers. He entered the See also:army as See also:ensign in the 73rd Highlanders in 1787, passed rapidly through the See also:lower ranks (in five different regiments), became See also:major of the 33rd (now duke of Wellington's See also:West See also:Riding), and See also:purchased the See also:lieutenant-colonelcy of that See also:regiment in 1793 with See also:money advanced to him by his eldest See also:brother. But in all these changes he did little regimental See also:duty, for he was aide-de-See also:camp to the See also:lord-lieutenant. of Ireland for practically the whole of these years. Before reaching full See also:age he was returned to the Irish See also:parliament by the family See also:borough of See also:Trim. Little is known of his See also:history during these years; but neither in boyhood nor in youth does he appear to have made any See also:mark among his contemporaries.
His first experience of active service was in the See also:campaign of 1794—1795, when the See also:British force under the duke of See also:York was driven out of See also: It was thus as a commanding officer that he learnt 1 At 24 Upper Merrion See also:Street, See also:Dublin, or at Dungan See also:Castle, See also:Meath, on the 29th of See also:April or on 1st May; but both See also:place and date are uncertain. for the first time the details of regimental duty. He mastered them thoroughly, gained a See also:minute acquaintance with every detail of the soldier's See also:life, learned the precise amount of See also:food required for every mouth, the exact See also:weight that could be carried, the distances that could be traversed without exhaustion, the whole See also:body of conditions in See also:short which govern the military activity of See also:man and beast. It was to the completeness of his See also:practical knowledge that Wellington ascribed in See also:great See also:part his later success. It is probable, moreover, that he at this time made a serious study of the See also:science and history of See also:war. His formal training at Angers was altogether too slight to See also:account for his great technical knowledge; no See also:record, however, exists of the stages by which this was acquired except that as soon as he landed in India he began to devote fixed See also:hours to study, giving up See also:cards and the See also:violin. This study was directed chiefly to the See also:political situation of India, and when on his See also:advice his eldest brother, Lord Mornington, afterwards See also:Marquess Wellesley, accepted the See also:governor-generalship of India, he became his trusted though unofficial adviser. In the war with Tippoo Saib the 33rd was attached to the See also:Nizam's contingent, and Colonel Wellesley commanded this See also:division in the army of See also:General (Lord) See also:Harris. Though his military services in this short campaign were not of a striking See also:character, he was appointed by his brother to the supreme military and political command in See also:Mysore, in spite of the claims of his See also:senior, See also:Sir See also:David See also:Baird. His great faculties now for the first time found opportunity for their exercise. In the See also:settlement and See also:administration of the conquered territory he rapidly acquired the habits and experience of a statesman, while his military operations against Doondiah, a robber See also:chief, were conducted with extraordinary See also:energy and success, Doondiah being killed and his army scattered. More important, however, than the military See also:side of these operations was their political character. When pressed in Mysore, Doondiah moved into Mahratta territory, whither Wellesley followed him. Here, negotiating and bargaining with the Mahratta chiefs, Wellesley acquired a knowledge of their affairs and an See also:influence over them such as-no other Englishman possessed. See also:Simple and See also:honourable himself, he was shrewd and penetrating in his See also:judgment of Orientals; and, unlike his great predecessor See also:Clive, he rigidly adhered to the See also:rule of See also:good faith in his own actions, however depraved and however exasperating the conduct of those with whom he had to See also:deal. The result of Wellesley's singular See also:personal ascendancy among the See also:Mahrattas came into full view when the Mahratta War See also:broke out. In the meantime, however, his See also:Indian career seemed likely to be sacrificed to the calls of warfare in another See also:quarter. Wellesley was ordered in See also:December 'Soo to take command of a body of troops collected for See also:foreign service at See also:Trincomalee, in See also:Ceylon. It was at first intended that these troops should See also:act against See also:Java or See also:Mauritius; their destination was, however, altered to See also:Egypt, with a view to co-operation with Sir See also:Ralph See also:Abercromby's expedition, and Baird was placed in command. Though deeply mortified at the loss of the command, Wellesley in his devotion to duty moved the troops on his own responsibility from Trincomalee to Bombay, from the conviction that, if they were to be of any use in Egypt, it was absolutely necessary that they should See also:provision at Bombay without delay. But at Bombay Wellesley was attacked by See also:fever, and prevented from going on. The See also:troop-See also:ship in which he was to have sailed went down with all on See also:board. He returned in May 18or to Mysore, where he remained until the Mahratta War broke out. The See also:power of the See also:Peshwa, nominally supreme in the Mahratta territory, had been overthrown by his rivals See also:Holkar and others, and he had himself fled. The Indian See also:government undertook to restore his authority. Wellesley, now a major-general, was placed in command of a division of the army charged with this task. Starting from See also:Seringapatam, he crossed the frontier on See also: Sindhia not doing so, war was declared on the 6th of See also:August 1803. Wellesley marched northwards, captured Ahmadnagar on the 1rth, crossed the Godavery ten days later, and moved against the combined forces of Sindhia and the raja of Berar. Colonel See also:Stevenson was meanwhile approaching with a second division from the See also:east, and it was intended that the two should unite. On the 23rd of See also:September Wellesley supposed himself to be still some See also:miles from the enemy; he suddenly found that the entire forces of Sindhia and the raja of Berar were See also:close in front of him at See also:Assaye. Weighing the dangers of delay, of See also:retreat, and of an attack with his single division of 4500 men, supported only by 5000 native levies of doubtful quality, Wellesley convinced himself that an immediate attack, though against greatly See also:superior forces (30,000 See also:horse, io,000 See also:European-drilled infantry and roo well-served guns) in a strong position, was the wisest course. He threw himself upon the Mahratta See also:host, and, carrying out a bold manoeuvre under an intense See also:fire, ultimately gained a See also:complete victory, though with the loss of 2500 men out of a See also:total probably not much exceeding 7000. In comparison with the See also:battle of Assaye, all fighting that had hitherto taken place in India was See also:child's See also:play. Wellesley himself had two horses killed under him. Uniting with Stevenson's division, the conqueror followed up the pursuit, and brought the war to a close by a second victory at See also:Argaum on the 29th of See also:November, and the storming of Gawilghur on the 15th of December. The See also:treaties with Sindhia and the raja of Berar, which marked the downfall of the Mahratta power, were negotiated and signed by Wellesley (who was made K.B. in See also:Sept. 1804) in the course of the following See also:month. Not yet See also:thirty-five years old, he had proved himself a See also:master in the See also:sphere of Indian statesmanship and See also:diplomacy as on the See also: Had his career ended at this time, his Indian despatches alone would have proved him to have been one of the wisest and strongest heads that have ever served See also:England in the East. His ambitions now led him back to See also:Europe, and in the See also:spring of 1805 he quitted India. On his return See also:home he was immediately sent on the abortive expedition to See also:Hanover. In 18o6 he was elected M.P. for See also:Rye, in order to defend his brother, the governor-general, in the See also:House, and in the following See also:year he was Irish secretary for a few months. He was then employed in the expedition against See also:Copenhagen, in which he defeated the Danes in the See also:action of Kjoge (29th Oct.). In 18o8, however, began the war (see See also:PENINSULAR WAR) in which his military renown was fully established. In April he was promoted lieutenant-general and placed in command of a division of the troops destined to operate against the See also:French in See also:Spain or See also:Portugal. The conduct of events is narrated in a See also:separate See also:article, and need only be summarized here. Finding that the See also:junta of See also:Corunna wished for no foreign soldiery, he followed his alternative instructions to act against See also:Junot at See also:Lisbon. He landed at Mondego See also:Bay in the first See also:week of August, and moved southwards, See also:driving in the enemy at Rolica on the 17th of August. On the 21st the battle of Vimeiro was fought and won. In the midst of this engagement, however, Sir Harry Burrard landed, and took over the command. Burrard was in turn superseded by Sir Hew Dalrymple, and the campaign ended with the See also:convention of See also:Cintra, which provided for the evacuation of Portugal by the French, but gave Junot's troops a See also:free return to See also:France. So great was the public displeasure in England at the See also:escape of the enemy that a See also:court of inquiry was held. After the battle of Corunna, Wellesley, who had in the meantime resumed his duties as Irish secretary, returned to the See also:Peninsula as chief in command. He drove the French out of See also:Oporto by a singularly bold and fortunate attack, and then prepared to march against See also:Madrid by the valley of the See also:Tagus. He had the support of a See also:Spanish army under General See also:Cuesta; but his movements were delayed by the neglect of the Spanish government, and See also:Soult was able to collect a large force for the purpose of falling upon the See also:English See also:line of communication. Wellesley, unconscious of Soult's presence in force on his flank, advanced against Madrid, and defeated his immediate opponent, See also: See also:Austria having made See also:peace, See also:Napoleon was at See also:liberty to throw heavy forces into the Peninsula. Welling-ton, foreseeing that Portugal would now be invaded by a very powerful army, began the fortification of the celebrated lines of Torres Vedras (see FORTIFICATION). The English army wintered about See also:Almeida. As summer approached Wellington's anticipations were realized. See also:Massena moved against Portugal with an army of 70,000 men. Wellington, unable to save See also:Ciudad Rodrigo, retreated down the valley of the Mondego, devastating the See also:country, and at length halted at Busaco and gave battle. The French attack was repelled, but other roads were open to the invader, and Wellington continued his retreat. Massena followed, but was checked completely in front of the lines. He sought in vain for an unprotected point. It was with the utmost difficulty that he could keep his army from starving. At length, when the country was exhausted, he See also:fell back to See also:Santarem, where, Welling-ton being still too weak to attack, he maintained himself during the See also:winter. But in the spring of 1811 Wellington received reinforcements and moved forward. Massena retreated, devastating the country to check the pursuit, but on several occasions his rearguard was deeply engaged, and such were the sufferings of his army, both in the invasion and in the retreat, that the French, when they re-entered Spain, had lost 30,000 men. Public See also:opinion in England, lately so hostile, now became confident, and Wellington, whose rewards for Talavera had been opposed in both Houses, began to gain extraordinary popularity. In the meantime Soult, who was besieging See also:Cadiz, had moved to support Massena. But after capturing See also:Badajoz, Soult learnt that Massena was in retreat, and also that his own forces at Cadiz had been beaten. He in consequence returned to the See also:south. Wellington, freed from pressure on this side, and believing Massena to be thoroughly disabled, considered that the time had come for an advance into Spain. The fortresses of Almeida, Ciudad Rodrigo and ,Badajoz barred the roads. Almeida was besieged, and Wellington was preparing to attack Badajoz when Massena again took the field, and marched to the See also:relief of Almeida. The battle of Fuentes d'Onoro followed, in which Wellington was only able to extricate the army from a dangerous See also:predicament which " if Boney had been there " would have been a disaster. The See also:garrison of Almeida too escaped, after blowing up part of the fortress. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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