Quote#War
Believe me, nothing except a battle lost can be half so melancholy as…
Quote byArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington · 1769–1852
Commonly attributed — not confirmed in an authoritative edition. Cited on Wikiquote to: Letter from the field of Waterloo (June 1815), as quoted in Decisive Battles of the World (1899) by Edward Shepherd Creasy. Quoted too in Memorable Battles in English History: Where Fought, why Fought, and Their Results; with the Military Lives of the Commanders by William Henry Davenport Adams; Edi.
English (original)
Believe me, nothing except a battle lost can be half so melancholy as a battle won: the bravery of my troops hitherto saved me from the greater evil; but to win such a battle as this of Waterloo, at the expense of so many gallant friends, could only be termed a heavy misfortune but for the result to the public.
— Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
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