Russell Conwell
| Russell Herman Conwell | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
February 15, 1843 South Worthington, Massachusetts, United States |
| Died | December 6, 1925 (aged 82) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Alma mater | Yale University |
| Occupation | Baptist minister, orator, philanthropist, lawyer, and writer |
| Known for | Founder and first president of Temple University |
Russell Herman Conwell (February 15, 1843 – December 6, 1925) was an American Baptist minister, orator, philanthropist, lawyer, and writer. He is best remembered as the founder and first president of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the Pastor of The Baptist Temple, and for his inspirational lecture, Acres of Diamonds. He was born in South Worthington, Massachusetts, and is buried in the Founder's Garden at Temple University.
The son of Massachusetts farmers, Conwell left home to attend the Wilbraham Wesleyan Academy and later Yale University. In 1862, before graduating from Yale, he enlisted in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Conwell desired to enlist in the war effort shortly after its outbreak in 1861, but could not initially gain the approval of his father, Martin Conwell. But his pro-abolitionist father ultimately changed his mind, allowing Conwell to enlist into Company "F" of the 27th Massachusetts Volunteers, better known as the "Mountain Boys." Conwell and the Mountain Boys served in North Carolina and first engaged the enemy at Kingston, NC. There Conwell gained a reputation for self-sacrifice.
During the "Gum Swamp" expedition, he returned to the battlefield to retrieve the bodies of two of his deceased soldiers, and later during the same campaign purposefully drew enemy fire upon his position – resulting in his being shot in the shoulder – in order to gain a tactical advantage on his Confederate adversaries. On September 25, 1862 he was commissioned as a captain (to rank from September 9, 1862) and placed in command of Company F of the 46th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. He was mustered out of service, along with his regiment, on July 29, 1863.
After his nine-month enlistment, Conwell returned home to Massachusetts to convalesce after contracting a dangerous fever that plagued him throughout the summer of 1863. Upon regaining health, he volunteered for a three-year enlistment in the Second Massachusetts Artillery and was commissioned as a captain in command of Company D on September 9, 1863. He then returned to North Carolina and was placed in command of a fort in Newport Barracks. After his soldiers there had not been paid for three months, Conwell requested and received permission to travel to Newberne to secure remuneration for his men. While he gained permission to cross enemy lines, he did not secure a permit to be absent from this post, nor did it appear that the 21-year-old Conwell understood the distinction. Twenty miles into his trip, Conwell learned that Confederate forces attacked and over ran his company's position. When subsequently reported that the absence of Union officers contributed to the loss, Conwell was placed under arrest and detained in Newberne pending an investigation. It is for this incident Conwell has been accused of desertion by his detractors. Conwell was mustered out of the 2nd Massachusetts Heavy Artillery on May 20, 1864.
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