William Howard Russell Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles

William Howard Russell (1820-1907), an Irish reporter for the Times of London, was among the first war correspondents, although he hated that term. Russell gained fame with his coverage of the Crimean War (1854-1855), where his observations and conversations with common soldiers gave readers at home their first realistic glimpse of war's realities. (In particular, he called attention to the poor quality of medical care.) He coined the phrase "the thin red line" to describe British soldiers in combat. Russell also covered the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War. He founded the Army and Navy Gazette (1882), and was knighted in 1895.