Duke of Wellington Autograph Letter Signed.

Autograph letter signed by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, written from Brussels on April 13, 1815, just two months before the Battle of Waterloo. One page, 8.75 inches by 7 inches, addressed to Sir James Graham at Portland Place. The letter reads in full, “My dear Sir, I have received your letter respecting Lt. Col. Dalrymple, and should be very happy to employ him, if it were in my power; but I have found here with a very small Army and a very large Staff; and I have it not in my power to employ those Officers from whose services I derived so much advantage on former occasions. Ever My Dear Sir Yours most faithfully, Wellington.” The letter was written as Wellington assembled his coalition army in Belgium to oppose Napoleon, who had escaped from Elba and reclaimed the throne of France. It concerns his inability to find a post for Lieutenant Colonel Leighton Cathcart Dalrymple, who, despite this refusal, was sent to Belgium in May 1815 as commander of the 15th The King’s Hussars and served in the Waterloo campaign. Wellington had arrived in early April to take command of the British-led coalition gathered to protect Brussels, and on June 18, 1815 his army intercepted and decisively defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, bringing the Napoleonic Wars to an end. Matted and framed with a portrait engraving of the Duke and a biographical plaque. In near fine condition with mail folds. The entire piece measures 16 inches by 14 inches.