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WELLINGTON, Early Life (Arthur Wellesley was born in Dublin in 1769 (1781,…
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Early Life
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She saw such little promise in her son that she felt the military was the best career choice for him
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Arthur first saw action during the Wars of the French Revolution (1793-95). In the Netherlands, he learnt valuable lessons on leadership, organisation and tactics.
India
In 1796, he sailed to India, where his brother Richard had been appointed Governor-General.
Now a colonel, Arthur was appointed chief advisor to the Nizam of Hyderabad's army.
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Although later derided as a ‘sepoy general’ by Napoleon, Wellesley learnt a lot in India that would prove vital in his Peninsular War campaigns.
This included the importance of discipline, diplomacy with allies, intelligence gathering, manoeuvring, secure supply lines and naval support.
Wellington first came to prominence as a commander while serving in India in the late 1790s and early 1800s
Arthur returned to England in 1806, where he embarked on a political career as a Tory member of parliament for Rye. He continued his political career before serving at Copenhagen in 1807.
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Background info
Although best remembered as a general, Wellington was also a politician. He sat in the Irish parliament in the 1790s and later became British Prime Minister, twice.
The Peninsula
In 1808, Wellesley was made lieutenant-general and sent to Portugal, where he defeated the French at Roliça and Vimeiro
during the latter engagement, he checked the French columns with the reverse slope defence, a tactic that became his trademark.
Following the controversial Convention of Cintra (1809), he was recalled to Britain to face a court of enquiry.
He was cleared of any wrongdoing and returned to the Peninsula, where he secured Oporto and drove the French from Portugal.
He pursued the enemy into Spain, winning a narrow victory at Talavera (1809), for which he was raised to the peerage. But, following the arrival of French reinforcements, he fell back into Portugal.
In 1810, the newly styled Viscount Wellington slowed the French advance at Buçaco, before halting them at the Lines of Torres Vedras. The French withdrew to Spain in March 1811.
Wellington then moved on Almeida. He defeated the French at Fuentes de Onoro in May. In January 1812, he took Ciudad Rodrigo - for which he received an earldom - and assaulted Badajoz in April.
On 22 July 1812, he won a great victory at Salamanca. This battle proved Wellington had the ability to manoeuvre and attack in the open field, and established his reputation as an offensive general. However, his subsequent failure to take Burgos (September-October 1812) forced the British to retreat once more to Portugal.
Advancing back into Spain in May 1813, Wellington destroyed the French army at Vittoria, personally leading one of the columns against the French centre. This victory earned him a field marshal's baton and was followed by the capture of San Sebastian and the advance into France.
After Napoleon's abdication in 1814, Wellington returned home a hero. He was raised to the highest rank of the peerage, becoming the Duke of Wellington.
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Wellington’s leadership was central to British success in the Peninsular War. Many of his leading subordinates – including capable, intelligent soldiers like Rowland Hill and George Murray – had great doubts about the defence of Portugal in 1810, although they continued to have faith in Wellington’s ability. The success of the Lines of Torres Vedras and Masséna’s disastrous retreat in the spring of 1811 vindicated Wellington’s judgement in the eyes of the army and ensured that he had the complete confidence of his officers and men – and the government at home – for the rest of the war.
His Character
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Discipline was key
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On the one hand, he repeatedly referred to British infantry as scum
On the other, he talked in admiring terms of their achievements and emphasised they were the tools he needed to win battles.
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The love many of Wellington’s men showed him was not inspired by kindness. Wellington was a harsh disciplinarian who believed that strict punishments were needed to keep soldiers in line. He did not think imprisonment in barracks deterred men from serious failures of discipline. Instead, he advocated the regular use of flogging; the infamous cat o’ nine tales inflicting enormous pain. For more serious offences, there was the option of shooting or hanging.
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