The Springfield herald., 1904-11-04
WRITE OF WARFARE
HAZARDOUS WORK OF NEwsPA-
PER CORRESPONDENT
Quick Thinking and Absolute immu-
nifty From Fear Demanded for This
Service-Some Achievements OF the
Best Of the Men in the Field.

Henry Crabbe Robinson, who was
sent by the London Times to the Pc
niusula in 1908 rs it's special cores
pendent to report the progress OF the
british army under Sir John Moore,
was probably the first war correspon-
dent. according to Macmillan's Maga-
zine. Robinson, however. did not
witness the operations, but reported
them from the shores OF the bay or
Piscay. "The first journalist who
best answers the description of war
correspondent as the term is now un-
derstood--that is to say, the repre-"
sentative of newspaper who accom-
panies an army in the field ard sends
his communications from the scene
of hostilities-was Charles Lewis
Gruneisen, who represented the Morn
ing Post in Spain during the Carlist
war of 1897.
1.-The first war correspondent TO ob-
tain renown was Mr.. (now Sir) Will
lam Howard Russell, who represent
ed the Times in the Crimea: and so it
has come to pass that he is popularity
rego fded as the first of ihe war cor
respondents His position with the
troops, being unrecognized by the mil
itary authorities, was attended by
many discomforts and inconven-
iences." Lord Raglan would not help
him, though he did represent the
Thunderer Throughout the cam
paign, therefore, Mr.. Russell had to
victual and clothe himself and pro-
vide forage for his horse as best he
could. A ham cost him e5, Il turkey
s5. a little pot of marmalade 5s. n
pair of boots &c. But the trouble
was not so much the high prices of
provision and clothing as thoir mea-
ger and uncertain supply. What
queer figure he must have presented
mounted on fddle-headed, eve
necked horse. dressed in all sorts OF
odds and ends, including commits
sariat officers cap with broad gold
band, rifeman's patrol Jacket
Lreeches, and Blucher boots with huge
brass spurs, riding hero and there. as
he pleased over the field of battle
The first to see the possibilities of
the telegraph in the rapid dispatch of
war news and to startle the breakfast
tables of the kingdom with the de
scription of yesterdays battle. was
Archibald Forbes of the Daily News
"He 1t was who recognized that 1t is
not part Of the duty Of the war cor
respondent to describe in detail the
tactical or strategical movements of
the rival forces on the field OF conflict
That kind of work may very properly
be left to military men In the service
magazines. What the general public
look for in the newspapers is not tech
nical records of the military opera
tions, but bright, graphic. vivid pic
tuIes of the war: its thrilling epi-
sodes, its pathetic incidents. its glor-
les and its disasters. with interesting
narratives of personal experiences
and adventures That is exactly what
Forbes supplied.
"One of the finest achievements of
n war correspondent was that of Holt
White, a representative of the New
York Tribune, in the Franco-Prussian
war. He witnessed the battle of Sc
dan from the Prussian headquarters
on Thursday. Sept /, 1870. At Its
conclusion he rode to Brussels, but
fused to transmit his dispatch to Lon
don, and even threatened to arrest
him for saying that the French had
been defeated. He then went on to
Calais, crossed to Dover by special
steamer and took special train to
London, where he arrived at o'clock
on Saturday morning. Next day there
was a description of the battle, six
columns long, in the Tribune. 1t was
not till Tuesday that the London news
papers had accounts of the conflict
from their correspondents.
"But the most famous deeds of
physical endurance In the race for
news between war correspondents are
told of Archibald Forbes. In the Ser
Wan war of 1876, Semlin, the nearest
telegraph station. was 1923 miles dis
tant from the scene Of the battle. So
soon as Forbes knew the result he
rode off and all night long he kept at
gallop, changing horses every fif-
teen miles. At Semlin he had one long
drink of beer and then sat down to
the task Of writing, hour after hour.
against time. the tidings of which he
was the bearer. After he had writ
ten the story of the battle and put it
on the wires he lay down in his
clothes and slept twenty hours with
out waking. He had witnessed the
battle, which lasted six hours. ridden
1913 miles and written and dispatched
telegraphic message four columns
in length to the Daily News, all in
the space OF thirty-six hours.
During the Greco-Turkish war the
Morning Post was first out with i'm
portant news due to the use of the
bicycle by their special correspondent,
Wilfrid Pollock. After the decisive
battle of Domolio had been won by
the Turks, the Greeks made no at
tempt to hold their strong position at
the Phourka pass, and an the English
correspondents raced to Athens,
straining every nerve to be the first
to dispatch the important news. They
were all taken by Greek steamer to
Chalcis. where they arrived at mid
night. Pollock had a bicycle. and
while the others were engaged In bid
ding against each other for the speed
lest means of transit he was we'll on