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Russell Herman Conwell (February 15, 1843 – December 6, 1925) was an American Baptist minister, orator, philanthropist, lawyer, and writer. He is best remembered as the founder and first president of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the Pastor of The Baptist Temple, and for his inspirational lecture, ''Acres of Diamonds''. He was born in South Worthington, Massachusetts, and was buried in the Founder's Garden at Temple University. ==Early life== 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. But his pro-abolitionist father ultimately changed his mind, allowing Conwell to enlist into Company "F" of the 27th Massachusetts Volunteers, better known as the "Mountain Boys." Conwell and the Mountain Boys served in North Carolina and first engaged the enemy at Kingston, NC. 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. After his nine-month enlistment, Conwell returned home to Massachusetts to convalesce after contracting a dangerous fever that plagued him through out the summer of 1863. Upon regaining health, he volunteered for a three-year enlistment into the Second Massachusetts Artillery, whereupon he returned to North Carolina and was placed in command of a fort in Newport Barracks. 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 from the paymaster. While he gained permission to cross enemy 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. Twenty miles into his trip to Newberne, Conwell learned that Confederate forces attacked and over ran his company's position. When subsequently reported that the absence of Union officers contributed to the loss, Conwell was placed under arrest and detained in Newberne pending an investigation. It is for this incident Conwell has been accused of desertion by his detractors. Two months into his detention, and prior to the completion of the investigation, Conwell was assigned to Nashville, TN in June 1864 to join General MacPherson's movement against Atlanta. 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 in the hospital of Big Shanty, the then atheist Conwell converted to Christianity in large part due to the heroism exhibited by his loyal private assistant, John H. Ring. Upon recovering from this latest injury, now 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. From 1862–1864, Conwell served as a captain of a volunteer regiment. He was dismissed from the military after being charged with deserting his post at Newport Barracks, North Carolina. While Conwell claimed that he was later reinstated by General James B. McPherson, no military records confirm his statement.〔John Wimmers, "Conwell, Russell Herman," American National Biography Online〕 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 ten 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.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Russell Conwell」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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