Show 0 0 6 T I 1 HE first war to be completely reported in the tha dally daily press was the conflict ot of 1816 1846 and 1847 which was fought in the valley ot of the d al rio grande brande and among the mountains of 0 the central 1 part of mexico the first war correspondents of the modern type were george wilkins kendall and the other american newspaper men who rode with zachary taylor and winfield scott 60 years ago these facts have not heretofore been recognized by students of the history ot of journalism usually sir william howard russell Is called the inventor of war correspondence spon dence and the first professional reporter of wars he certainly was but what is said in the biography of tho the famous editor of the london times john thaddous thaddeus delane that when russell was sent to the crimea the idea of having a special correspondent spon dent with the army moving with the troops and describing in detail every action and incident of the camp A was aas as on an entirely new feature in journalism Is not quite accurate for or precisely that thing was done eight fears ears previously asly in the war between the united states and mexico in america the fact has been almost forgotten and in england it h has never ne verper per naps haps been known the few writers who have had occasion to refer cursorily to the development of the art of war correspondence have mentioned the work done by crabbe Robin in 1807 and 1808 and referred to the mission of charles lewis gruneisen to spain in 1837 and then they have leaped to russell and the crimean letters in 18 1854 and the following years crabbe robinson made it no part of his business to eee a battle nine years before the war between mexico and the united states began the morning post sent gruneisen to watch the campaign he was attached to the headquarters of don carlos and he saw fighting but the days of strenuous exertion to get the news home had bad not yet vet arrived arrive dand and there was no competitive struggle to be first in london with dispatches from the field gruneison was the first definitely commissioned war reporter but it was not until the united states went to war with mexico in 1816 1846 that newspaper men began to show in a land destitute of the railway and the telegraph the same qualities of resourcefulness and enterprise in obtaining the news and getting I 1 it t ov over er land and sea to their papers that archibald forbes displayed in france in 1870 kendall and his fellow workers organized a courier service very similar to that used by macgahan Mae Gahan millet and forbes in the russo turk ish war 30 years later and by the occasional cas ional employment of special steamships fitted up as composing rooms with type cases and compositors these reporters of 70 years ago scored their scoops and outspend the government dispatch bearers the style of some of the dispatches sent se nt out from the camps of scott and taylor glittered with gewgaws and in some there Is palpable intention to flatter certain comma commanders aders few of these reporters were competent military critics their letters are in the main a chronicle of thrilling achievements by our gallant troops when that new enterprise challenged american journalism a new implement tor for the collection and distribution of news was just coming into use over a wire 40 miles long a year and a halt half before the first shots were fired the telegraph had demonstrated its utility as a bearer of news As the fighting began on the rio grande only about 1200 miles of telegraph were in operation and the wires stretched almost entirely north from the city ot of washington into the populous middle and eastern states the city 0 of new orleans near the mouth ot of the mississippi 1000 miles from washington was the center for the news of the war to the southern metropolis the tidings were brought by steamboat and sailing vessels from point isabel from tampico and from vera cruz and to the ships the news was nas brought by the daring couriers the express riders who he had bad to run tho the gauntlet of the guerrillas who infested the dry plains of northern mexico mex ico and the difficult mountain region between the capital and the city 0 of vera cruz whence scott started on his march inland there was fierce rivalry among the new orleans papers to be the first on the street with nith the news which the couriers and the ships brought to the city from new orleans tho news was sent up the mississippi river by steamboat but the most strenuous exertions were made to send it cu to washington in the shortest po iossi ible time by steamboat and pony express the r t M I 1 A IM A r 4 e A a or nr Z ry t V j I 1 ea 7 U copies of the papers and the packets of letters were hurried across the southern states once in washington the new morse service was at the service ol of the government and the press and there were between 2000 and miles of 0 railroad in operation but over vast areas of 0 the north neither wire nor rail were available for the transmission of news new orleans was the focal point to which all the lines converged in the mexican war time and from which they diverged again to all parts of the united states in that romantic and cosmopolitan city george wilkins kendall a new hampshire yankee and francis A lumsden established the picayune the first cheap paper which the city possessed la in 1837 kendall became one ol of the most brilliant and enterprising journalists of his generation and a father of the art of war ar correspondence born bom ja in 1809 developing a fondness tor for jocosities while in newspaper work in new york and landing in new orleans at the age of he issued with lumsden the first number of the picayune after a few years kendall embarked upon an adventure which took him to mexico e 0 tor for the first time this was the santa banta fe expedition the history of which is contained in the graphic narrative written by the editor of the picayune the members of 0 the invading party were seized near santa fe and marched to the city of mexico several were shot and all were imprisoned gen waddy thompson was sent to mexico to investigate the rumors which came to the united states of 0 the fate of the members of what was i after all a filibustering expedition and he found kendall among the lepers in a hospital his release secured after some time the writer returned to new orleans to find himself a popular hero in the city where he long before had been accepted as a wit the necessity of the war with mexico was steadily maintained in the columns of his paper and no sooner did the conflict actually begin than kendall was away anay tor for the rio grands grande through the summer of 0 1846 he be was much of the time with the rangers of capt benjamin mcculloch before the battle of buena vista was fought taylors veterans were ordered to tampico to become a part of the army to be mobilized for service under general scott As the central part of mexico was now to become the scene ot of the mst most important operations kendall made his way to tampico and his part partner per lumsden also established himself there thus kendall missed the battle which gave taylor his greatest tame fame and which made him president but the picayune scored a great beat on the news nevertheless that battle was fought A february 23 1817 but the result was not known tor for a month although the country was as filled with disheartening rumors at last the picayune got the facts from a messenger who left monterey on march 9 sailed from tile the brazos aboard a schooner on march 14 and 50 50 miles below the city took passage in a towboat which landed him in new orleans at on tho the morning of march 24 the copies of the picayune containing the joyful tidings reached baltimore and washington 1 nt at the very time N when lien a fier tierce political debate was aas going on as tee to 0 th the e responsibility for the weakening ol of I 1 the army of 0 taylor to such an extent that santa anna had been able to wreck it the official dispatches arrived a day later meantime scott had been organizing the army with which he was to march to the capital of 0 mexico th the I 1 investment of vera cruz was begun by general worth with whom throughout the campaign kendall was closely associated in 14 days the americans were in the city kendalls pen was very busy thirteen inch shells from the castle of san juan de ulloa were bursting near him as he wrote his message plesent he Ile sent with his messages topographical sketches of the defenses and the lines of 0 investment and forwarded them by schooner and cutter sending duplicates by any vessel that might be leaving port the fighting resumed scott was able after two severe actions to enter the city at the cluster of some buildings once used as a foundry worth fought the battle of molino del rey and in his dispatches he mentions kendall 1 I have to acknowledge my obliga eions to the gentlemen of my staff who he performed their duties with accustomed cus tomed intelligence and bravery G W kendall esq of louisiana captain wyse and mr hargous army agent who came upon the field volunteered ered their acceptable services a and n d conducted themselves in the transmission of orders with conspicuous gallantry five days later the steep and rocky hill with the heavy stone walled for tress of chapultepec was stormed an action in which worth had a parts part with kendall again on his staff the following day scott made his formal entry into the capital just before fighting ceased kendall tor for the first time was wounded lie ile was struck in the knee by a bullet and again worth mentioned him in his formal report saying major borland and G W kendall volunteer aides de camp the hattei wounded each exhibited habitual gal lantry and intelligence and devotion what has been said indicates the difficulties which newspaper men had to overcome to reach their journals with their packets of news from three to five days was the ordinary time between point isabel or brazos de santiago and new orleans with it the I 1 e n news enns from the army of G genera taylor from five to seven days was the time of the passage between vera cruz and new orleans with the tidings from scott other newspaper men served with great credit in that war returning to america this pioneer war correspondent removed to texas and established himself upon a large ranch la in the county which now bears his name he died in |