Crimean War gained worldwide attention for pioneering and publicising modern nursing while treating the wounded. The Crimean War also saw the first tactical use of railways and other modern inventions, such as the electric telegraph, with the first "live" war reporting to "The Times" by William Howard Russell. Some credit Russell with prompting the resignation of the sitting British government through his reporting of the lacklustre condition of British forces deployed in Crimea. Additionally, the telegraph reduced the independence of British overseas possessions from their commanders in London due to such rapid communications. Newspaper readership informed public opinion in the United Kingdom
William R. Parnell William R. Parnell William Russell Parnell (13 August 1836 – 20 August 1910) was an Irish-born adventurer and soldier during the mid-to late 19th century. A member of the 17th Lancers during the Crimean War, he was one of the few survivors of the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade. He later became a Lieutenant Colonel and brevet Colonel in the U.S. Army, participating in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Parnell served as an officer to the 1st U.S. Cavalry in the Nez Perce War and received the Medal of Honor for leading a rescue of troops,