Who was the better general, Napoleon or Wellington?
Napoleon is usually ranked the more brilliant commander, Wellington the more consistent on the defensive. Napoleon was the master of the offensive and won most of his battles. Wellington is often credited with never losing a major battle, although he suffered smaller defeats, and at Waterloo on 18 June 1815 his line held until the Prussians arrived and together they ended Napoleon's career.
For a decade Europe measured its generals against Napoleon Bonaparte. One British general beat him in the field and, with Blücher's Prussians, ended the Hundred Days: the Duke of Wellington. The emperor and the duke were near-opposites in style, and remarkably they met in battle only once, on a muddy ridge in Belgium in 1815, in a fight that ended an age.1
Often credited with never losing a major battle, despite smaller defeats such as the failed siege of Burgos in 18124
Lasting legacy
The Napoleonic Code and modern warfare
The soldier who ended Napoleon; later Prime Minister
Key points
Napoleon was the master of the offensive: speed, concentration and the decisive blow.
Wellington was the master of the defensive: careful ground, patience and the reverse slope.
The two never faced each other in battle until Waterloo, on 18 June 1815.5
Wellington's line held until the Prussians arrived, and together they ended Napoleon's career.
Napoleon: the emperor of maneuver
Napoleon reshaped warfare by moving faster than his enemies could react. He marched his corps by separate roads, concentrated them at the decisive point, and sought a single crushing battle, as at Austerlitz in 1805, often called his masterpiece. His genius was operational as much as tactical: he beat coalitions by defeating their armies one at a time before they could unite.6
Positions on the evening of 1 December 1805, the eve of Austerlitz, with Napoleon's army facing the Russian and Austrian forces on the Pratzen heights; map from the US Military Academy atlas. Public domain (US government work). Department of History, US Military Academy, via Wikimedia Commons.
Wellington: the master of defense
Wellington fought the other way. Cautious and meticulous, he chose strong ground, sheltered his infantry behind ridgelines to protect them from artillery, the famous reverse slope, and let attackers break themselves against his lines before counterattacking. Hardened in the Peninsular War against Napoleon's marshals, he rarely gambled and rarely lost.7
The Duke of Wellington in field marshal's uniform, painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence in 1814 and 1815 for what became the Waterloo Chamber at Windsor Castle. Public domain
The emperor sought the knockout blow; the duke made sure it never landed.
Waterloo: their only meeting
The two met for the first and only time at Waterloo on 18 June 1815. Napoleon attacked Wellington's ridge all day, and Wellington's line held, thinned but unbroken, until the Prussians under Blücher arrived on the French right flank and turned the battle into a rout. It was Napoleon's last battle. Read the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, or see the campaign among the greatest Napoleonic battles.8
Wellington at Waterloo, a painting by Robert Alexander Hillingford showing the duke on horseback among his redcoats and gunners in the smoke of battle. Public domain
Frequently asked questions
Did Napoleon and Wellington meet in battle before Waterloo?
No. Wellington spent years fighting Napoleon's marshals in Spain, but he and Napoleon faced each other on the battlefield only once, at Waterloo in 1815.9
Who won the Battle of Waterloo?
Wellington's Anglo-allied army and Blücher's Prussians won, defeating Napoleon on 18 June 1815 and ending his rule.
Who was the better general, Napoleon or Wellington?
Napoleon is usually ranked the more brilliant commander, Wellington the more consistent on the defensive. Waterloo went to Wellington, with crucial Prussian help.
How did Wellington beat Napoleon?
He chose strong defensive ground, sheltered his troops on the reverse slope, and held until the Prussians arrived to strike Napoleon's flank.
Notes
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