The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1914-10-03

the other American newspaper men
who rode with Zachary Taylor and
Winfield Scott 60 years ago. These
facts have not heretofore been recog-
nized by students of the history OF
journalism.
Usually Sir William Howard Russell
is called the inventor Of war CORE
spondence, and the first professional
reporter Of wars he certainly was.
But what is said in the biography OF
the famous editor Of the London
Times. John Thaddeus Delane, that
the Idea of having a special CORE
spondent with the army, moving with
the troops and describing in detail
every action and incident of the camp
was an entirely new feature in jour-
nalism" Is not quite accurate, for pre-
cisely that thing was done eight years
previously in the war between the
United States and Mexico. In Amer
lea the fact has been almost forgot
ten, and in England it has never per-
haps been known.
The few writer's who have had occa-
sion to refer cursorily to the devel-
opment of the art Of war correspond
ence have mentioned the work done Dy
Crabbe Robinson, in 1907 and 1SOS,
and referred to the mission OF Charles
Lewis Gruneisen to Spain in 1885, ana
then they have leaped to Russell ana
the Crimean letters in 1881 aho lne
following years. Crabbe Robinson
made it no part of his business 10
see a battle Nine years before the
war between Mexico and the united
States began the Morning Post sent
Gruneisen to watch the Carlist cam
paign: he was attached to the head
quarters Of Don Carlos and he sa"
fighting, but the days of strenuous ex-
ertion to get the news home hao not
yet arrived, and there was no compel
tive struggle to be first In London
with dispatches from the field.
Gruneison was the first definitely
commissioned war reporter, but II was
not until the United States went TO
war with Mexico in 1846 that newspa-
per men began to show, In land des-
titute of the railway and the teie-
graph. the same qualities Of resource
fitness and enterprise in obtaining
the news and getting 1t over land
and sea to their papers that Archi-
bald Forbes displayed In France IN
1870. Kendall and his fellow work
ers organized a courier service very
similar to that used by MacGahan,
Millet and Forbes in the Russo-Turk-
ish war 30 years later, and by the &C.
casional employment OF special steam
ships fitted up as composing rooms
with type cases and compositors, these
reporters of 70 years ago scored their
SCOOPS and outsped the government
dispatch bearers.
The style of some Of the dispatches
sent out from the camps of Scott and
Taylor glittered with gewgaws ana IN
some there is palpable intention to
flatter certain commanders. Few OF
these reporters were competent mill
tary critics. Their letters are IN the
main a chronicle of thrilling achieve
ments" by "our gallant troops"
When that new enterprise chal-
lenged American journalism new I'M
Element for the collection and distri-
button of news was Just coming into
use. Over a wire 10 miles long.
wear and a half before the first shots
were fred. the telegraph had demon
strated it's utility as bearer OF news.
As the lighting began on the Rio
Grande only about 1900 miles OF tele-
eraph were in operation. and the wires
stretched almost entirely north from
the city OF Washington into the pop
ulous middle and eastern states.
The city Of New Orleans. near the
mouth Of the Mississippi. 1000 miles
from Washington. was the center for
the news Of the war. To the southern
metropolis the tidings were brought
NV steamboat and sailing vessels from
Point Isabel. from Tampico and from
Vera Cruz. And to the ships the
news was brought by the daring cour-
iers. the express riders who had to
-nn the gauntlet Of the guerrillas who
infested the dry plains Of northern
Mexico and the dinicult mountain re-
zion between the capital and the city
~ vera Cruz. whence Scott started on
his march inland.
There was fierce rivalry among the
New Orleans papers to b the hrst
On the street with the news which
the couriers and the ships bro7ght to
the city. From New Orleans the news
was sent up the Mississippi river By
steamboat, but the most strenuous e.
srtions were made 10 send It on 70
washinston IN the shortest possible