William Howard Russell witnessed the final re-capture of Lucknow (1858). In 1861 Russell went to Washington, returning to England in 1863. In July 1865 he sailed on the "Great Eastern" to document the laying of the Atlantic Cable and wrote a book about the voyage with color illustrations by Robert Dudley. He published diaries of his time in India, the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War, where he describes the warm welcome given him by English-speaking Prussian generals such as Leonhard Graf von Blumenthal. Russell later accused fellow war correspondent Nicholas Woods of the "Morning Herald" of lying in his articles about
William Howard, 3rd Baron Howard of Escrick his kinsman, William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford. In 1681 he was again sent to the Tower on the false charge made by Edward Fitzharris, of writing the "True Englishman". Algernon Sidney's influence procured his release (February 1682). From then he was part of the "country party" (early Whig) opposition. He was arrested on the first rumours of the Rye House plot, and turned informer at the trial of William Russell, Lord Russell (July 1683). He gave accounts of meetings at John Hampden's and Russell's houses, which mainly led to Russell's conviction. His evidence similarly ruined Sidney, although Henry Booth, 1st