Call Number:

C1278

Repository:

Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division

Extent:

• 1 box
• 0.2 linear feet

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Collection, Box and Folder Number; Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Date:

1807-1850 (inclusive)

Creator:

Princeton University. Library. Special Collections and Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of (1769-1852)

Form:

Correspondence -- 19th century, Engravings (prints) -- 19th century, and Manuscripts. -- 19th century

Abstract:

Consists primarily of selected correspondence of the Duke of Wellington, chiefly with Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville. Wellington is best known as the British general who defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo (1815).

Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman. He rose to prominence during the Peninsula War and became a national hero in England after the Napoleonic Wars, during which he led the victorious Anglo-Allied forces at the Battle of Waterloo (1815). He was later elected prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1828 to1830 and again in 1834.

The collection consists of selected correspondence, a manuscript (copy), and five engravings of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. The bulk of the correspondence is between Wellington and Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville. The two men discuss matters in India, strategy for the British Army and cavalry stationed in the subcontinent, and the forming of a commission to inquire into the special modes of promotion and retirement. In an 1846 letter to Lord John Russell, Wellington writes about troops in Ireland and the promotion or appointment of three generals as field marshals. There are also two letters from the French engineer Sir Marc Isambard Brunel. In his first letter (1821), Brunel asks to be considered for the post of engineer to the Ramsgate Pier; in the second (1830), he asks Wellington for a position for his nephew in the Customs House. A letter to a "Mr. Dillon" dated December 11, 1828, and another, dated 1827, to "Dear Sir" regarding the settling of some accounts are included in the collection.

Also included is a manuscript (copy) titled "Details of the Military Supply in Use with all the Armies which Major General Wellesley has Commanded in the Dekan, and Which has succeeded in Enabling him to go to a very great distance from the source of the supplies." Dated March 17, 1809, it describes Wellington's plan for providing food and supplies for the European soldiers, the native troops, the horses of the cavalry, and for the cattle and the servants of the officers.

In addition, there are five printed engravings of Wellington. One engraving depicts Wellington and the military heroes of the battle of Waterloo; three portray him at different stages of his life, and one shows him standing in profile.

Arranged in accession number order.