Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-03-19
DEATH OF "RULL RUN" RUSSELL
The Passing Away of Once Famous
War Correspondent.

The Passing Away Of Once Famous
War Correspondent.
1t is thus that veterans Of the civil
war will most readily identify Sir
William Howard Russell, Of London,
editor of the Army and Navy Gazette,
who has just died at the age Of about
Sc. Little as we liked DR.. Russell in
1861, he was one Of the worlds great
special correspondents. When the
civil war broke out the London Times
sent him to the United States, and he
was present at the battle Of Bull Run.
The north did not relish the English
mans descriptions, and we dubbed
him Bull Run" Russell and set him
down as an enemy Of the Union cause.
There are Union soldiers to-day who
admit that there is far more Of ac-
curacy in this English correspond
ent's story Of that battle than could
be allowed when the narrative was
new. Mr.. Russell had to describe a
defeat, a rout, a panic such as often
besets raw troops. No nation likes to
have the limelight turned on at such
a moment as that; it was a critical
time for the north, and the impress
sions which Russells letters carried
abroad were not desirable, and so
there was furious indignation here
against the English writer. 1t ended
in his recall in 1852 by the London
Times, the departure was aided by
Secretary Stanton, and. we all cried
good riddance.
Before that Mr.. Russell had won
his great fame in the Crimea. He
was a terrible truth teller in the Grim
can war, and when DR.. Russell was
knighted the London Times put aside
the veil Of anonymity then so closely
worn. and said Of his services at that
time. 'The faults and defects in our
organization, which he was mainly
instrumental in bringing before the
public notice, would have passed un-
known and unremedied but for the
light which he threw upon them. IT
was an invidious duty, entailing on
its author no common obloquy and
abuse, but certainly emitting him to
no common gratitude from the coun-
try which he so we'll served" In his
Crimean service, beginning In 1854.
DR.. Russell passed from the opening
to the close Of the war, and was pres
ent at Alma, Balaklava, Inkerman,
the assaults and the fall Of Sebasto-
poland so became the first great
war correspondent. Of the modern
school. Through RusselIs letters
England learned more Of the terrible
condition Of her army in the winter,
and the revelations raised a storm OF
Indignation against the ministry, be-
fore which 1t was swept out OF office.
William Howard Russell was born
in Ireland, attended Trinity college,
and was called to the bar, but in 1S43
he began to write for the London
Times. That took him entirely away
from the law. An L. l.. D. In later lie
gave him the title Of doctor. Follow
ing the evacuation Of the Crimea In
1856, Mr.. Russell went to Moscow to
describe the coronation Of the car.
When the mutiny broke out in 1857
he proceeded to India, and was with
Lord Clyde, and served in the cam
paigns from the capture Of Lucknow
till the suppression Of the mutiny'
and re received therefor the cherish
ed Indian war medal and the Luck
now clasp. In 1860 Mr.. Russell es-
tablished the Army and Navy Gazette,
of which he remained the principal
proprietor and editor until his death,
and which grew to be power. Wher-
ever the war clouds gathered Russell
went until recent years. He joined
the Austrian army at the outbreak
of war between Prussia and Austria
in 1866, and saw that scrimmage
through. When war was declared be-
tween France and Germany in 1870,
correspondent Russell went to Berlin,
and thence accompanied the staff or
the crown prince. He was present
at the battle of Sedan and at the
siege and fall Of Paris, which he en-
tered with the crown prince. AS an
honorary secretary Russell accom-
panied the Prince of Wales on his
journeys to Egypt and the east; he
saw the Suez canal opened, and went
to South Africa with Lord Wolseley
in 1879 and the fruit Of his globe trot-
ting was an imposing collection of war
medals and decorations. Nor did his
writings perish with their newspaper
use, for the literary quality which this
most prolific of war correspondents
attained can be sampled in his ten
or more volumes-"Letters from the
Crimea," British Expedition to the
Crimea," My Diary North and
South" and DIARY in India" being
the most representative. This man
had some Of the graces Of literature,
but he was first and pre-eminently
the ournalist.-Springfel Republi-
can.