Battle record of Arthur Wellesley , 1st Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley , 1st Duke of Wellington , KG , KP , GCB , GCH , PC , FRS ( 1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852 ) , was one of the leading British military and political figures of the 19th century . Often referred to as " The Duke of Wellington " , he led a successful military career during the Napoleonic Wars . Starting his career in 1787 as a commissioned officer in the infantry , before seeing his first action in the Flanders Campaign , Wellesley rose in rank by purchasing his first four commissions , as was common practice in the British Army for wealthy officers . His continued rise in status and fame thereafter was the result of his ability as a commander . Between 1794 and 1815 Wellesley participated in a number of military campaign s where he achieved tactical , strategic , and decisive victories in India and across six countries of western Europe . He faced many of Napoleon ' s marshals , but his best known battle was at Waterloo in 1815 where he led an Anglo - Allied force to a decisive victory over Napoleon I . It was to be his last battle . Military career . There is speculation as to how many battles Wellington actually participated in during his career , by historians and biographers . Military historian , Ian Fletcher , identifies twenty - four major battles and sieges involving the British Army between 1808 and 1815 with Wellington was in command of seventeen of those engagements . Military historian , Mark Adkin , comments that " Wellington had fought in some twenty - four battles and sieges prior to Waterloo " . Although this is easily contested , the precise number of battles may never be known . It can be established from records , dispatches and reports dating back to the events that he was present in at least fifty separate military actions , including an assortment of meeting engagement s , pitched battle s , sieges , skirmishes and minor engagements , throughout his career . He also ordered countless other remote engagements mostly whilst serving in the Napoleonic Wars , during which Britain played a major role in securing Europe against French occupation , between 1805 and 1815 . Commissions and promotions . Wellington was gazetted ensign on 7 March 1787 , in the 73rd ( Highland ) Regiment of Foot , and became an aide - de - camp in October . He purchased his commission to lieutenant on 25 December 1787 , in the 76th Regiment . As a junior officer he transferred to the 41st Regiment soon after to avoid duty in the East Indies , and in June 1789 transferred again , to the 12th ( Prince of Wales ' s ) Light Dragoons cavalry regiment . He obtained his commission to captain on 30 June 1791 , in the 58th ( Rutlandshire ) Regiment , having served the regulation minimum of three years , and again to major on 30 April 1793 , in the 33rd ( First Yorkshire West Riding ) Regiment , having served six years . He purchased his final commission to lieutenant - colonel on 30 September 1793 , at the age of 24 . From there on further promotion could only be attained through seniority , per Army Regulations . In September 1794 , Wellesley experienced his first battle , against the French , at the Battle of Boxtel with the 33rd . His promotion to colonel , on 3 May 1796 , came by seniority , and in June he was sent with the 33rd to India . In 1799 he fought in the Fourth Anglo - Mysore War , commanding three victorious actions with the British East India Company . After winning the war , and serving as governor of Seringapatam and Mysore , Wellesley was promoted to major - general on 29 April 1802 , although he did not receive the news until September . Whilst in India he wrote of his regiment " I have commanded them for nearly ten years during which I have scarcely been away from them and I have always found them to be the quietest and best behaved body of men in the army . " Wellesley gained further success in India during the Second Anglo - Maratha War of 1803 – 05 , and in 1806 Wellesley succeeded the Marquis Cornwallis as Colonel of the 33rd , which he held until 1813 . By 1807 , Napoleon ' s attempt to prevent continental Europe from trading with Britain had resulted in all but Sweden , Denmark and Portugal closing their ports . In June 1807 , Napoleon pressured Denmark further , resulting in the British naval bombardment of Copenhagen and seizure of the Danish fleet to prevent it from falling into French hands . Wellesley ' s brief role against Danish land forces at the Battle of Køge helped secure Denmark . Wellesley later disapproved of the bombardment , saying " we might have taken the capital with greater ease " . He was promoted to lieutenant - general on 25 April 1808 , and in June was given command of 9 , 000 men set to invade revolutionary Spanish America . But in 1807 , Napoleon had invaded Portugal , via Spain , intent on preventing its continued trade with Britain , but replaced the Spanish royal family with his own brother , Joseph Bonaparte , in May 1808 . In Madrid , the Spanish resisted the French occupation , leading the Portuguese to call on British support . In August 1808 , Wellesley entered the Peninsular War with 15 , 000 men . When the head of the British forces in the Peninsula , Sir John Moore , was killed in the Battle of Corunna in January 1809 , the British Army having been driven from the Peninsula in disarray , Wellington sent the Secretary of War a memo insisting that a British force of no less than 30 , 000 British troops should be sent to defend and rebuild Portugal ' s military strength . His proposal was approved and he re - embarked to Lisbon on 16 April 1809 , where he was appointed to head of the forces in Portugal – a motion supported by the government and Prince Regent George IV , as Wellington did not hold seniority . On 31 July 1811 , he was promoted to general , although it only applied in the Peninsula . His final promotion to field marshal came on 21 June 1813 , following his success at the Battle of Vitoria which had broken the remaining French hold in Spain . Wellington was awarded with a Marshal ' s baton – partially designed by the Prince Regent himself – the first of its kind in the Britain Army . Allied commander . Wellington was appointed head of all British forces from April 1809 , following the death of Sir John Moore , and due to the second invasion of Portugal by the French he remained to continue the Peninsular War for a further five years , engaging the French armies across Portugal , Spain , and north into France until Napoleon ' s abdication in 1814 . He returned to Europe in 1815 appointed overall commander of the Anglo - Allied forces of the Seventh Coalition , better known as the Hundred Days , following Napoleon ' s escape from exile and attempt to retain power . Despite many battles to his name , over twenty - one years of duty , it would be shortly after the battle at Waterloo upon hearing of approximately 50 , 000 casualties dead or dying that he wept , saying " I hope to God I have fought my last battle " . It had been a close victory at such great cost that it broke his fighting spirit , and marked the end of his long service overseas with a notable military career . He returned to British politics and became a leading statesman . He was appointed Master - General of the Ordnance ( 1819 – 27 ) and Commander - in - Chief of the Forces ( 1827 – 28 / 1842 – 52 ) , but Wellington did not fight again . Generalship . Wellington ' s understanding of logistics was to prove valuable in leading an expeditionary force against the French invasion of Portugal and Spain . He was adept at planning long marches through unknown territory , understanding that he not only had thousands of men to manage efficiently , but that a huge amount of supplies were required to adequately feed and sustain his army . Secure supply lines to the Portuguese coast were of vital importance if he was to maintain his ability to fight the French . In April 1809 , Wellington returned to Portugal with 28 , 000 British and 16 , 000 Portuguese troops under his command – the French Army of Spain numbered 360 , 000 . Despite many French troops having been dispersed to garrisons across Spain or located to protect supply and communication lines , even with the Portuguese Army and militia , and remnants of the Spanish Army and guerilla s to support him , Wellington faced overwhelming odds . Throughout the Peninsular War the number of soldiers enlisted in Britain never exceeded 40 , 000 , including the King ' s German Legion ( KGL ) and British - trained Portuguese Army . At Waterloo , of his roughly 73 , 000 strong army , only around 26 , 000 ( 36 percent ) were British . Many British politicians were opposed to the war in Europe and favoured withdrawal , which hampered its will to muster a larger force to defeat Napoleon . This served in sharpening Wellington ' s awareness that a defensive strategy was essential , initially , to ensure the British Army survived . Wellington faced armies formed from the disbanded French Grande Armée , once an overpowering force , which having conquered Europe and expanded the French Empire had been led by Napoleon and his marshals since 1804 . It had been reformed into smaller armies from October 1808 , under the command of his brother Joseph Bonaparte and several marshals , in order to secure Portugal and Spain . Wellington arrived in Lisbon in 1809 with an army composed mostly of volunteers , " the scum of the earth " as he termed them . Unlike French troops , British troops were better trained and were required to repeatedly practice firing with live rounds before encountering combat . Napoleon only personally visited Spain once , between October 1808 and January 1809 , taking most of his Guard and many élite troops with him when he left – the remaining troops became a second line in quality , experience and equipment – new recruits were often not French . Wellington ' s army consisted of four combat arms : Infantry , cavalry and artillery . Engineers also played a valuable role in the Peninsula , such as the building of the Lines of Torres Vedras – a defensive line of forts built to protect Lisbon – and making preparations for any sieges throughout the war . Wellington ' s main combat arm was his well - trained infantry . He never had more than 2 , 000 cavalry before 1812 and his cannons , although highly competent , were inferior to French guns in both number and quality . It was with this force that Wellington aimed to defend Portugal until he took to an offensive strategy in 1812 , beating the French at the Salamanca . He advanced on to Madrid , arriving on 12 August 1812 – Joseph Bonaparte had abandoned the capital after the defeat at Salamanca . The Spanish government made Wellington commander - in - chief of all allied armies , providing an extra 21 , 000 Spanish troops after Salamanca . Although not completely undefeated he never lost a major battle . His greatest defeat came at the Siege of Burgos in 1812 , where he had hoped to prevent French forces concentrating . After losing 2 , 000 men and causing only 600 French casualties he was forced to raise the siege and retreat , calling it " the worst scrape I was ever in . " Retiring to winter quarters , where he received reinforcements that brought his regular army up to 75 , 000 men , Wellington began his final offensive in June 1813 . He advanced north , through the Pyrenees , and into France itself . The French were no longer fighting to keep Spain but to defend their own border . Ultimately , between the battles of Roliça ( August 1808 ) and Toulouse ( April 1814 ) , the war against the French lasted for six years , with Wellington finally managing to drive the French from the Iberian Peninsula . Shortly thereafter , on 12 April 1814 , word reached Wellington that Napoleon had abdicated on 6 April . The war on the Peninsula was over . Wellington and his army had marched over an estimated and fought in many engagements through Portugal and Spain , the consequences of which helped bring the downfall of Napoleon , resulting in peace across Europe . Battle record . There are a large number of battles attributed to Wellington . Although many leave the impression that he was present or in command at those actions , it was sometimes the case that he entrusted other officers to engage the enemy , such as at remote locations , and that he could not have attended them all in person . Similarly , Wellington was not usually in command of rear guard actions , during advances or retreats , despite his army engaging in them often . Engagements where the lack of his presence is absolutely certain , or where his position is unconfirmed by records and accounts , are not included in his battle record . * Indicates a decisive victory