Ahoy - Mac's Web Log

The victor over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo was honoured by not only receiving his Field Marshal's Baton from the Regent of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, he was showered with Batons from Portugal, Prussia, The Netherlands, Spain, Hanover, Austria, and Russia, eight Batons in all.

At the Late Duke's funeral, they were all carried by Officers deputed from the different Kingdoms.

Here is some more detail from the Victorian web.

Batons of the Late Duke of Wellington. [Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham. This image may be used without prior permission for any cholarly or educational purpose.]

In our Engraving, we represent [opposite] the various batons given to the late Duke of Wellington by the Allied Sovereigns. For more easy reference, we have numbered the batons in the Engraving, and their descriptions we now proceed to give.

• No. 1, the Baton of Portugal, is of burnished gold; it is surmounted by a Crown, and on a shield are the arms of Portugal.
• No. 2, the Baton of Prussia, is of burnished gold, and is of classic ornamentation; it bears two eagles displayed, holding the sceptre and orb of sovereignty.
• No. 3, England, is of gold, and is surmounted with the group of St. George and the Dragon. This baton is excessively rich in its decoration, as our Engraving shows; and at the end of it is engraven this inscription:
  
  From his Royal Highness
  George Augustus Frederick,
  Regent
  of the United Kingdom of
  Great Britain and Ireland
  to Arthure, Marquess of Wellesley, K. G.,
  Field-Marshall of England.
  1813.
  
• No. 4, the Netherlands. This is one of the simplest, but perhaps the most elegant of the batons, the Greek ornaments being introduced very tastefully. The arms of the Netherlands are in the upper division.
• No. 5 is the baton of Spain. Like that of Portugal, it is crowned; but it is shorter in its proportions. It is of burnished gold, and bears the armorial ensigns of Spain.
• No. 6 ( lying across in our Engraving ) is Hanover. The crown and ends of the staff are gold; but the chief part of the baton is covered with crimson velvet, powdered with silver horses--the Hanoverian arms; and a silver horse is placed above the crown.
• No. 7 is Austria. This baton is of burnished gold, and the wreaths round it are in dead gold. The other portions are extremely plain; whilst
• No. 8, the baton of Russia, is of gold, and the alternate wreaths of laurel and oak, which twine round it; and the colklars round the staff are set with diamonds of great value. The ground is frosted gold.

Absolutely amazing that the Iron Duke would be so honoured by the crowned heads of Europe, I cannot cite any other Field Marshal who managed to be awarded any Baton other than his own country's one.