The War

During the Crimean War, the pioneering reports of the journalist William Howard Russell (1820–1907) shaped public opinion, helped bring down a government, and inspired the work of Florence Nightingale. This second volume of dispatches, published in 1856, concludes with poignant reflections on the memorials to the fallen.

William Howard Russell (1820–1907) is today credited with having shaped the image and role of the modern war correspondent. His dispatches for The Times during the Crimean War were so influential that they led to military reforms and the fall of the Aberdeen Government. Moreover, his unflinching accounts of the appalling and insanitary conditions endured by ill-provisioned troops helped inspire the work of Florence Nightingale. He was not afraid to highlight poor leadership and planning, and was quick to praise the heroism of the 'common' soldier. Wearing military-style clothes, he obtained his information through his easy relationships with junior officers, helped by his fondness for brandy and cigars. This volume, published in 1856, includes his last Crimean dispatches, concluding with poignant descriptions of visits by the soldiers to the battlefields to erect memorials to their fallen comrades.