I got a horrible grade on this so I don't recommend using this.
David Hill
Duke Wellington Essay
Wellington is among the top military leaders of history, he made a name for himself when he defeated a much larger force than his, in India. Among other battles, such as Salamanka and Waterloo, this led to his success, Wellington’s ideology of war helped evolve the classical sense of warfare to the cautious affair it is today.
In school, Wellington did not excel as a student; he was at the lower end of his class. Family matters for Wellington were not much greater, his brothers did very well causing his mother to be disappointed in him; with lost hope, she sent him to serve in the army. The early life of Wellington had the most profound effect on him as a general; it prepared him to be the perfect general for the changing style of warfare. Being conservative was what made Wellington great. His clarity of mind and energy made him a hero. He would ride all over the battlefield, checking on the situation, and figuring out what he had to do next. Orders were written in perfect form amidst heavy gunfire and commotion. All of this lets us into the mind of Wellington, he knows that Rash decisions are bad. Unlike the time of Alexander when glory was the only thing that mattered, the way Wellington was raised and who he was prepared him to be a great general in the changing definition of war.
Every day, Wellington followed a specific routine of shaving, eating, and other daily activities. He hardly slept, when he would go to bed, he would fall instantly asleep and slept for 6 or less hours every night. He was meticulous, the scale on which he was fighting had changed, and much larger than Alexander’s; yet, no advances in communications technology had been seen. On top of that, you cannot be Alexander the Great with this new scale of battle. Wellington was not grandiose, he would dress in ordinary civilian clothes, he did not elevate himself as Alexander or Napoleon did. Even though Wellington had contempt for his soldiers calling them “scum of the earth” he was still personal with nice to them and personal with them. He had to be, Wellington had so much to command over with his alliances. This meant Wellington had to me more cautious and he was already this.
It is possible to think that Wellington was not brave, because he had to stay near the back or because he doesn’t fight as much as the typical soldier. This is untrue due to the scale, Wellington would need to stay near the back so he could see what was going on, so he could give orders and direction to his troops. Although he doesn’t get involved directly in the action as much, he is still closely involved in battle. In one instance a cannonball flew straight under Copenhagen’s neck. Wellington was brave, brave with responsibility. Warfare was now more about country versus country, where the people were supportive of the cause. The scale had changed so much that Wellington knew he was needed to win. Throwing his life away for glory would be foolhardy.
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