The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-11-29
WRITER'S IN BATTLE.
Literary Men Who Follow the For
tunes of War.
BILIIHTGS

tunes of War.
Since the journalistic beginnings of
Russell, Forbes, Burnaby and MacGa-
han the war correspondent has gone
forth with two purposes, first to tell
what happens for his paper and after
ward to put it in better shape for book
publication. In the later wars the pub
fishers have been paying advance conl-
missions, willing to speculate on the
lives of the men who went to the front
for their material. We have scores Of
volumes from the Spanish-American
war, and the South African books are
increasing with every new phase of
the lingering campaign. %
A fact that has lever been success
fully contradicted is the personal cour-
age of the mel who do this kind of
work. 1t was surprising, therefore, that
General Alger in his recent book
should have used such language as
that contained in the following para
graph:
"Some timid newspaper men accom-
panying General Young and Colonel
Wood became alarmed at the first shot
fired at Las Guasimas and, rushing
frantically back TO Siboney before the
engagement vas over, wrote from the
decks Of transports, where they took
refuge, imaginary accounts Of the
fight"
Very promptly Richard Harding Da-
Wis, Casper Whitney and the other cor
respondents who were with the army
have called upon General Alger and
his publishers, the Messrs. Harper. for
apology and reparation, and legal pro-
ceedings are spoken Of. General Alger
replies that he did not refer to either
MI. Davis or Mr.. Whitney-in fact,
had no one in mind-and based the as
sertion on his recollection of a passing
| conversation with an army officer. in
which conversation no names were
mentioned.
In nj Of his stories a leading Ameri-
can novelist called a correspondent in
the Indian wars a coward, and a full
apology was made by the author in one
Of the publications of the firm which
published his book. When MacGahan.
who was in many respects the best
and greatest of all correspondents on
the battlefield and who wrote several
excellent books, was portraying the
atrocities in Bulgaria, Disraeli arose
on the floor of the house Of commons
and denounced his statements as false.
But that did not keep the young Amer
lean from upsetting Il British ministry
and bringing on a great a To this
day the Bulgarians worship MacGahan
as one Of their heroes, and some years
ago the legislature of Ohio brought his
remains from Europe and gave them a
notable burial at his birthplace in that
state.
General Sherman wanted to hang
some Of the literary men who tried to
accompany his army, but he got over
his feelings in later life and accepted
many of them as friends. 1t is not gen.
orally known, but it is a fact shown In
a recently published letter, that George
Washington was the first great general
to see the advantages Of war CORE.
spondents. He wrote to a friend ask
ing that representatives of the news
papers be sent to write about the wal
SO that the people might know what
was being done. The war correspond
emit serves a good purpose, and If hi
writes books almost as eagerly as he
does his dispatches it may be a faul1
Of the age of rush. which would rather
have a fresh failure than an overdue
masterpiece.