Russel Conwell Popular Books

Russel Conwell Biography & Facts

Russell Herman Conwell (February 15, 1843 – December 6, 1925) was an American Baptist minister, orator, philanthropist, author, lawyer, and writer. He is best remembered as the founder and first president of Temple University in Philadelphia, as the Pastor of The Baptist Temple, and for his inspirational lecture, "Acres of Diamonds". He was born in South Worthington, Massachusetts. Biography Early life Hailing from a New England family of English descent and 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. His abolitionist father ultimately changed his mind, allowing Conwell to enlist in Company "F" of the 27th Massachusetts Volunteers, better known as the "Mountain Boys".: 63–64  Conwell and the Mountain Boys served in North Carolina and first engaged the opposition at Kinston, North Carolina.: 66  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.: 69  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.: 70  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 secured a pass through the 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.: 71  Twenty miles into his trip, Conwell learned that Confederate forces attacked and overran his company's position. When subsequently reported that the absence of Union officers contributed to the loss, Conwell was placed arrested and detained in Newberne pending an investigation, resulting in him being accused of desertion by his detractors.: 74 : 63  Conwell was mustered out of the 2nd Massachusetts Heavy Artillery on May 20, 1864. While he claimed that he was later reinstated by General James B. McPherson, no military records confirm his statement. Two months into his detention, and prior to the completion of the investigation, Conwell was assigned to Nashville, Tennessee, in June 1864 to join General MacPherson's movement against Atlanta.: 75  During the battle of Kennesaw Mountain, now Lieutenant-Colonel Conwell's arm and shoulder were broken during battle from an exploding artillery shell. While recovering from this injury, the atheist Conwell converted to Christianity in large part due to the heroism exhibited by his loyal private assistant, John H. Ring.: 71, 75  Upon recovering from this latest injury, Colonel Conwell was assigned to Washington with a dispatch to General Logan. But Conwell's health compelled him to resign and retire from service, whereupon he received an honorable discharge, as well as a certificate for faithful and patriotic service from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.: 76  After the Civil War, Conwell studied law at the Albany Law School. Over the next several years, he worked as an attorney, journalist, and lecturer first in Minneapolis, then in Boston. Additionally, during this period, he published about 10 books, including campaign biographies of Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, and James A. Garfield. In 1880, he was ordained as a Baptist minister and took over a congregation in Lexington, Massachusetts. Baptist minister Alexander Reed, a leader of the Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia, heard Conwell preach when he visited him in Lexington, Massachusetts, and recommended that Conwell become a pastor for his congregation. The official "call" was made on October 16, 1882. Conwell's first sermon at Grace Baptist was on November 30, 1882. At this time the church was located at Berks and Mervine. That building was demolished in 1969 to make way for Temple University's Gladfelter and Anderson Halls. The December 4, 1882 issue of The Public Ledger reported the following about the new minister and church: Dedication of a New Baptist Church services conducted by the Rev. Russell H. Conwell, late of Massachusetts. The church proper on the upper story is in the form of an amphitheatre, and has seating capacity for between six and seven hundred persons. It is finished with great taste and completeness. The ceiling is frescoed, the windows are of stained glass and the pews of hardwood and handsomely upholstered. The edifice cost about $70,000. Conwell ended evening services by holding an hour of prayer, leading song services, and giving commentary relevant to his sermons. The musical pastor often performed a solo piece during evening services. Conwell's magnetic personality, high descriptive, practical, and engaging sermons soon drew crowds so large that the church outgrew its capacity to seat all that wanted to come. Hattie May Wiatt Reverend Conwell used the story of Hattie May Wiatt and her 57 cents to spur phenomenal fundraising to build a new church. Hattie May lived nearby, and she and other children were gathered outside when Conwell walked up one Sunday morning. Conwell carried Hattie May on his shoulders and sat her in a corner in the back. When he ran into her walking the streets one day, he told her not to worry that one day they'd build a new church so all the children could come in. Hattie May died at six years of age. When she died from diphtheria, she had saved 57 cents to contribute to the cause. The girl's mother told Reverend Conwell that Hattie May had been saving money to help build a bigger church and gave him the coins. Reverend Conwell had the 57 cents turned into 57 pennies, told the congregation the story of little Hattie May, and auctioned the pennies for a return of about $250. In addition, 54 of the 57 pennies were returned to Reverend Conwell, and he later put them up on display. On June 28, 1886, a nearby house at the corner of Broad and Berks streets, referred to as The Temple because the property .... Discover the Russel Conwell popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Russel Conwell books.