General Wellesley Research Paper
WELLINGTON’S GREAT LEADERSHIP ACTIONS AND TRAITS
Patrick Rayl
Excelsior College
MIL301
M3A1
Wellesley’s leadership actions
During September 1803, Major General Wellesley demonstrated great leadership action by leading his men, a combined force of about 24,000 fully equipped British and Hyderabad soldiers into an overwhelmingly combat engagement against 200,000 Maratha forces (Harvey 2008). Wellesley was cited by one of his Brigadier Generals with “being in the thick of the action the whole time, and had a horse killed under him” (Harvey 2008, p. 195). During this battle Wellesley demonstrated his ability to take advantage of the enemy by controlling the timing of engagement and by devising a well-orchestrated attack, exploiting …show more content…
This was the first assault bridge crossing conducted in the face of the enemy since World War II. The division secured the eastern half of Baghdad in six days with a total of 76 casualties, four KIA and 72 WIA. The division’s fire discipline and judicious use of supporting arms in this densely populated area avoided a potentially catastrophic toll among the civilian population and minimized collateral damage. During the fight for Baghdad, the division seized key facilities, including the Rasheed Military Complex, the Atomic Energy Commission, the Baghdad University, Tariq Aziz’s residence, the Ministry of Defense Complex, the Fedeyeen Headquarters, and the Directorate for General Security (DGS) Headquarters. Division Marines displayed noteworthy valor in this mission, incurring one KIA and 22 WIA (Kennedy et al., 2006, p. 2).
Conclusion
Wellesley’s engagement with the Maratha forces in the face of overwhelming odds demonstrates great leadership qualities and proof that leadership traits coupled with basic military tactics were a successful method of attacking the enemy resulting in his finest battle. The leadership actions and traits demonstrated by Wellesley during Maratha have become a resource for future commanders to study, analyze, and execute during military
Patrick Rayl
Excelsior College
MIL301
M3A1
Wellesley’s leadership actions
During September 1803, Major General Wellesley demonstrated great leadership action by leading his men, a combined force of about 24,000 fully equipped British and Hyderabad soldiers into an overwhelmingly combat engagement against 200,000 Maratha forces (Harvey 2008). Wellesley was cited by one of his Brigadier Generals with “being in the thick of the action the whole time, and had a horse killed under him” (Harvey 2008, p. 195). During this battle Wellesley demonstrated his ability to take advantage of the enemy by controlling the timing of engagement and by devising a well-orchestrated attack, exploiting …show more content…
This was the first assault bridge crossing conducted in the face of the enemy since World War II. The division secured the eastern half of Baghdad in six days with a total of 76 casualties, four KIA and 72 WIA. The division’s fire discipline and judicious use of supporting arms in this densely populated area avoided a potentially catastrophic toll among the civilian population and minimized collateral damage. During the fight for Baghdad, the division seized key facilities, including the Rasheed Military Complex, the Atomic Energy Commission, the Baghdad University, Tariq Aziz’s residence, the Ministry of Defense Complex, the Fedeyeen Headquarters, and the Directorate for General Security (DGS) Headquarters. Division Marines displayed noteworthy valor in this mission, incurring one KIA and 22 WIA (Kennedy et al., 2006, p. 2).
Conclusion
Wellesley’s engagement with the Maratha forces in the face of overwhelming odds demonstrates great leadership qualities and proof that leadership traits coupled with basic military tactics were a successful method of attacking the enemy resulting in his finest battle. The leadership actions and traits demonstrated by Wellesley during Maratha have become a resource for future commanders to study, analyze, and execute during military