Major-General John Cecil Russell (6 December 1839 – 30 March 1909) was a British Army cavalry officer. While studying at the New College of the University of Oxford, Russell served in the university's Rifle Volunteer Corps. He purchased a commission in the 11th Light Dragoons in 1860 and almost immediately transferred to the 10th Light Dragoons. Russell rose to the rank of captain by purchase before transferring to the 12th (The Prince of Wales's) Royal Regiment of Lancers in 1872. Russell served with Major-General Garnet Wolseley in the 1873–1874 Anglo-Ashanti War and was considered a member of the Wolseley ring of men associated with the general. In 1875 he was appointed an equerry in waiting to Edward, Prince of Wales, and became an extra equerry in 1878.
Russell saw action in Southern Africa against the Pedi King Sekhukhune and, through his connections, received a post with the British forces for the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, with the local rank of lieutenant-colonel. The British commander, Lord Chelmsford, appointed Russell to command the mounted contingent of the main Central Column. On the day of the British defeat at the Battle of Isandlwana, he was away with Chelmsford on a reconnaissance expedition. Russell was afterwards reassigned to Evelyn Wood's Left Column. On 28 March, Russell led part of the British force in the Battle of Hlobane, but was criticised for his perceived abandonment of a detachment commanded by Redvers Buller which was attacked by the Zulu. Russell's subordinate, Lieutenant Edward Browne, denounced Russell as a coward in a letter to Wood. At Wood's recommendation, Russell was removed from operations and assigned to a depot in the rear.
Russell returned to his regiment in 1880 and commanded them on a posting to India. He became a colonel in 1884 and from 1887 commanded a cavalry depot in Kent. He was promoted to major-general in 1895 and retired from the army in 1898. When the Prince of Wales acceded to the throne as Edward VII in 1901, Russell became an extra equerry to the king, and the following year was appointed Colonel of the Regiment of the 12th Lancers. He died at his home in Canterbury, Kent, and is buried in that city.
Early career
John Cecil Russell was born in Edinburgh on 6 December 1839, the only son of Alexander James Russell and Magdalene Stein. The family crest, derived from the Russells of Ashiesteel, was a fountain proper (a roundel with blue and white wavy bands) and the motto was . Through his paternal grandmother Russell also had connections to the Murrays of Polmaise and the principal branch of Clan Robertson. Russell was educated privately before attending New College of the University of Oxford. He enlisted in the Oxford University Rifle Volunteer Corps and reached the rank of colour-serjeant before being commissioned as an ensign on 1 March 1860. Russell resigned his commission in the Rifle Volunteer Corps on 19 June 1860.
Russell purchased a commission as a cornet in the 11th Light Dragoons on 18 September 1860, and transferred to the 10th Light Dragoons on 16 October. His regiment was then garrisoned in Norwich, England. It was renamed the 10th (The Prince of Wales's Own) Royal Hussars in 1861 and transferred to Yorkshire.
In 1863, the 10th Royal Hussars were posted as part of the garrison in Ireland where, on 28 June 1864 Russell was appointed an instructor of musketry. He purchased a lieutenant's commission in the regiment on 16 August 1864, and was appointed adjutant on 18 October, serving in that role until 2 April 1869. The 10th Royal Hussars were deployed in response to the Fenian Rising of 1867, but saw no action; they returned to England in 1868, being posted to the Aldershot Garrison. Later that year, Russell passed the examination for entry to the Staff College, ranking 19th out of 28 candidates, but there was space to admit only the top 16 candidates.
In June 1869, Russell was appointed aide-de-camp to the brigadier-general commanding the cavalry troops at the Aldershot Garrison. He purchased his captaincy in the 10th Royal Hussars on 28 May 1870. Russell transferred to the 12th (The Prince of Wales's) Royal Regiment of Lancers on 3 August 1872.
Russell wrote Notes on Cavalry Service, a military manual that was published by Cassell, Petter & Galpin in London in 1873. The book was written in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War where infantry, armed with breechloading rifles, demonstrated their ability to rapidly shoot down charging cavalry. Russell concluded that cavalry remained valuable for reconnaissance work, for screening other units and for exploiting opportunities quickly; but also recognised the value of mounted infantry, which could rapidly redeploy on the battlefield by horse before dismounting to lay down fire with rifles or carbines. He recommended that new units be raised to carry out the mounted infantry role so as not to dilute the "cavalry spirit" of the existing units.
From 5 December 1873, Russell participated in the 1873–1874 Anglo-Ashanti War. From the time of his arrival in the Gold Coast colony, Russell served as aide-de-camp to Brigadier-General Sir Archibald Alison and was present during the Battle of Amoaful, the Battle of Ordashu and the capture of Kumasi. From 9 February to 20 March 1874, he served as deputy assistant-adjutant and quartermaster-general. Russell came to the attention of the overall British commander, Major-General Garnet Wolseley, for his achievements as staff officer. He became a member of the Wolseley ring of officers who supported the general's attempts to reform the army and who benefited from Wolseley's patronage, being preferred over other officers when opportunities for promotion arose.
Russell was twice mentioned in despatches for his service in the Ashanti War, by Wolseley on 7 and 17 March 1874, and received promotion to the brevet rank of major on 1 April 1874. He was appointed an equerry in waiting to Edward, Prince of Wales on 1 March 1875. Russell's regiment was posted to India in 1877, but he remained at court. He resigned his position as equerry on 5 July 1878 to seek active service but was retained by Edward in the honorary role of extra equerry.
Russell was sent to the recently-annexed Transvaal on special duties, arriving on 29 May 1878, and fought in the First Sekhukhune War against the Pedi people. The Pedi chief Sekhukhune had refused to accept British rule and his forces attacked rebellious elements of the Maserumule client state, Boer settlers and British police. The British campaign under Colonel Hugh Rowlands was largely static in nature with a string of fortified posts established around the Pedi territory, but a British advance towards Sekhukhune's capital of Tsate was launched in August. Rowlands was hampered by Pedi skirmishing tactics, difficult terrain and drought conditions, and the British offensive was called off in late October. After British troops were withdrawn, Sekhukhune resumed his raids until he was captured by a renewed British campaign, the Second Sekhukhune War, in December 1879.
Zulu War Appointment Through his royal connections and friendship with Lieutenant-General Frederic Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford, Russell gained a place with the British forces assembling for the 1879 Anglo-Zulu War. Although Russell had no experience leading cavalry in action, Chelmsford placed him in command of the mounted elements of the Centre Column, the principal component of the British forces involved in the first invasion of Zululand. Chelmsford also arranged for Russell to be appointed to the local rank of lieutenant-colonel.
Part of Russell's command was a force of around 100 Imperial Mounted Infantry, consisting of troops with riding experience seconded from the infantry regiments of the invasion force. This unit was led by Lieutenant Edward Browne of the 24th Regiment of Foot, who was well-liked, and his subordination to Russell caused resentment among the mounted infantry. The majority of Russell's command was formed of volunteer units raised by the Colony of Natal; these soldiers had expected to be commanded by John Dartnell of the Natal Mounted Police, a former British Army major and Indian Mutiny veteran who had become a farmer in the colony. The colonial volunteers, who had no obligation to serve outside Natal, had agreed to join Chelmsford's forces on the condition that they approved of their commander. When Russell was appointed, all the officers resigned in protest. The events were reported by newspapers in Pietermaritzburg and caused embarrassment for Chelmsford. His solution was to declare Dartnell was invaluable to him as an adviser and to appoint him to a position on his staff, while Russell retained command of the units in the field. The Natal Mounted Police officers rescinded their resignations as a personal favour to Dartnell.
First invasion Russell commanded the Imperial Mounted Infantry in the first action of the war, the 12 January 1879 action at Sihayo's Kraal, encircling and defeating a small Zulu force. Three days later, while engineers improved the road to ease the progress of the column inland, Russell commanded a scouting party seeking the next camp site. He reported the plain at Isandlwana provided good sources of water and firewood and Chelmsford approved the location. On 18 January, Russell and his entire command set off on a patrol northwards into the area between the Centre Column and Colonel Evelyn Wood's Left Column, as a show of strength. Russell led the vanguard in the column's 20 January advance to the camp at Isandlwana.
On 22 January, Chelmsford led a portion of the Centre Column on a reconnaissance in force from Isandlwana to Mangeni Falls. Despite his official position as a staff officer, Dartnell was placed in command of the Natal mounted volunteers, reducing Russell's command to the Imperial Mounted Infantry. While the reconnaissance force was away from the camp, the remainder of the Centre Column were attacked by the Zulu and wiped out in the Battle of Isandlwana.
Around the time of the battle, Russell's squadron discovered a numerically superior Zulu force on Isipezi Hill, which lay between Chelmsford's force and the camp, and withdrew without engaging. Russell then received word from Commandant George Hamilton-Browne of the Natal Native Contingent that he could see the camp was under attack and Russell reported this in person to Chelmsford. Chelmsford ordered Russell to ride to the camp; he found a force of around 7,000 Zulus in possession of the camp and reported back to the general that "all was as bad as it could be".
When Chelmsford's force retook the camp unopposed on the evening of 22 January, Russell and the Imperial Mounted Infantry formed part of the right flank of the advance. The group spent an uneasy night on the battlefield, sleeping fitfully among the bodies of the dead, which included eleven of Russell's mounted infantry he had left at the camp. Early the next morning, Chelmsford's force moved back into Natal to the British supply post at Rorke's Drift. Unsure if it had been lost to a Zulu attack, Russell led the Imperial Mounted Infantry forward to investigate. Finding the post in British hands, he was with the first group to enter the position. He afterwards rode on to confirm the supply base at Helpmekaar also remained in British hands.