George III | Document signed, appointing Wellington and other generals to the Baltic expedition, [1807]

George III

Document signed with initials, with autograph subscription ("approved | GR")

approving the appointment of six staff officers, including "Major General Arthur Wellesley", to the Baltic expedition under the command of Lord Cathcart, 1 page, folio, integral blank, 23 July 1807

ROYAL APPROVAL FOR A DESPERATE MOVE AGAINST NAPOLEON. In 1807 France was in a commanding position in Europe but Britain retained her naval supremacy. The Baltic expedition was mounted to prevent Napoleon from commandeering the fleet of neutral Denmark. A force of 25,000 troops sailed just a week after the King approved these appointments. Wellesley overwhelmed the Danish militia defending the city at the Battle of Køge on 29 August and Copenhagen was bombarded from the sea in the days that followed. On 7 September, less than two months after this document was signed, the Danes surrendered their fleet to the British, ensuring continued dominance of the Baltic by the Royal Navy. Cathcart was subsequently elevated to an Earldom; this was Wellesley's last campaign before the Peninsular War.