Wellington was 'Old Nosey' to his troops, because of his long nose, and 'The Beau' to his fellow officers because of his elegant mode of dressing. The nickname, the 'Iron Duke' was not applied until the mob broke the windows of Apsley House during the Reform debates around 1830. He had iron shutters fitted to prevent an recurrance, hence the nickname, but it was long after his military career. As a general, he was far from being iron or inflexible. In fact he was rather soft on discipline when compared with General 'Black Bob' Crawford, who served under him. It is fashionable to brand Wellington as a martinet, but he simply was not. He has a very poor stomach for war, and broke down in tears many times, in India, at Badajoz and after Waterloo.

Cory Eberhart
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