Sir Charles Russell, 3rd Baronet
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Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Charles Russell, 3rd Baronet VC (22 June 1826 – 13 April 1883), was a British
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
politician and soldier. He was a recipient of the
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to
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and
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forces.


Early life

Russell was the second but eldest surviving son of Sir Henry Russell, 2nd Baronet, British Resident at the court of
Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
in
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, and his second wife, Marie Clotilde daughter of
Benoît Mottet de La Fontaine Benoît Mottet de La Fontaine (4 July 1745 – 30 April 1820) was a French officier de plume of the Ministry of the Navy (France), Ministry of the Navy and Colonies and was a colonial administrator in French India. Early life Mottet was born o ...
, Baron Fieffé de St Corneille. He was educated at
Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...
and entered the
Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...
in 1847. Charles inherited the baronetcy and the family estate of
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in
Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
in 1852.


Career

He became a lieutenant and a captain the following year and accompanied his regiment to the
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where he took part in the Siege of Sebastopol and the Battles of Alma, Balaclava and
Inkerman Inkerman (; ; ) is a city in the Crimean peninsula. It is '' de facto'' within the federal city of Sevastopol within the Russian Federation, but ''de jure'' within the Autonomous Republic of Crimea within Ukraine. It lies 5 kilometres (3 miles ...
. He was a 28-year-old Brevet
Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
in the 3rd Battalion in the latter battle when the following action took place for which he was awarded the VC. On 5 November 1854, Brevet Major Russell offered to dislodge a party of Russians from the Sandbag Battery if anyone would follow him. A sergeant and privates, Anthony Palmer and another who was subsequently killed – were the first to volunteer. The party met much resistance and several times seemed to be on the point of annihilation but their skill, especially with the bayonet, finally brought success. Major Russell himself fought with great valour and in single combat wrenched the rifle out of the grasp of a powerful Russian. His citation read: His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Guards Regimental Headquarters (Grenadier Guards RHQ),
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, London, England. He later achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel.


Politics

He was involved in politics and sat as Conservative as Member of Parliament for
Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
from 1865 to 1868 and for
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from 1874 to 1883.
Lord Salisbury Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903), known as Lord Salisbury, was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United ...
as Foreign Secretary (at which he served four times, and thrice was Prime Minister) appointed Sir Charles as Chairman of the Peruvian Bondholders Committee. Its aim was to "stop Peru from contracting a fresh loan to buy munitions".V. G. Kiernan, "Foreign Interests in the War in the Pacific" The Hispanic American Historical Review, vol.35, no.1 (feb, 1955) More broadly the Europeans wished to delay US Navy assistance to Peru, which had already been defeated by the Chileans. Both Britain and France had large investments to protect: the rise of Peruvian bond stock, they contended was due to debt and military defeats. Britain refused to become embroiled; whereas the United States was spoiling for an international war. They secretly lobbied at Santiago against Russell and British interests to create a crisis. The Chileans "received with acclamation" in the City of London, assigning profits of Tarapaca mines and the nitrate-rich
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Islands to the indebted bondholders. On this basis, Russell welcomed Chile's conquest of southern Peru. The Americans responded, to the alarm of the Foreign Office and Admiralty, by leasing the Peruvian port of Chimbote as a Naval base. Russell was more concerned with the financial implications for City investors. Wary of the risks of a proxy war, the bondholders urged Parliament to recognise General Yglesias, the new Peruvian leader. The Americans stubbornly refused to grant the new government of 1884 recognition of its international status, even after the Treaty of Ancon had ceased hostilities.


Personal life

He died unmarried on 13 April 1883 and was buried in the
family vault A burial vault is a structural stone or brick-lined underground tomb or 'burial chamber' for the interment of a single body or multiple bodies underground. The main difference between entombment in a subterranean vault and a traditional in-groun ...
beneath his family's transept (built in 1832) in the
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church of
Swallowfield Swallowfield is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Wokingham, Wokingham district, in Berkshire, England, about south of Reading, Berkshire, Reading, and north of the county boundary with Hampshire. The civil parish of Swallowfield al ...
, Berkshire. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his brother,
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.


References


External links

*
Location of grave and VC medal
''(Berkshire)'' *Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Sir Charles, 3rd Baronet 1826 births 1883 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Grenadier Guards officers British recipients of the Victoria Cross British Army personnel of the Crimean War Crimean War recipients of the Victoria Cross Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Berkshire Deputy lieutenants of Berkshire People educated at Eton College People from Swallowfield UK MPs 1865–1868 UK MPs 1874–1880 UK MPs 1880–1885 Knights of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross