Wellington’s Leadership Actions

Arthur Wellesley, known as the Duke of Wellington, was one of Great Britain’s greatest military leaders. He was a careful and conservative general who inspired discipline and loyalty in his troops and frequently won battles in difficult circumstances. These characteristics led to him being victorious in many battles however, the battle against the Maratha forces at Assaye was his first major victory. Although the Duke of Wellington was known for his defensive strategies, he employed an offensive strategy in the battle against the Maratha forces. In 1803, Arthur Wellesley assumed command of an Army consisting of 15,000 British soldiers and another 9,000 from Hyderabad (Harvey, 2008). Wellesley marched his force 600 miles with strict discipline and their own supplies toward a Maratha strong hold. On September 23, Wellesley received intelligence that a substantial enemy force was present at Assaye. Without fear and hesitation, he rode ahead to verify the intelligence. What he saw was a 200,000 person Maratha force located between the Kaitna and the Juah rivers. Although greatly outnumbered, Wellesley led the attack against the Maratha force without waiting for reinforcements. Both sides suffered heavily in the ensuing battle; the Maratha force suffered 6,000 casualties and Wellesley’s force suffered 1,500 (Harvey, 2008). A combination of bayonet and cavalry charges eventually forced the Maratha army to retreat with the loss of most of their guns.
As a result of Wellesley’s decisiveness and disciplined tactics, he earned his first major victory. Wellesley was cautious, reserved, unassuming and a careful planner. He paid great attention to detail, with outstanding results. Wellesley was as great a diplomat as he was a warrior. After his victory at Assaye, he personally negotiated the treaty and became a hero of