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Sgt. Reese Melvin Russell [1918]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1914-1918
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: Company E, 317th Infantry Regiment, 80th Division
  • Location of Service: Camp Lee, Virginia; France
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/18879

View full service history

"I stepped over one [of our wounded] and he said, 'Sgt, can't you please do something for me for I am killed.'... He had a grenade in his pocket and he got it out with his good hand, one hand was torn up pretty bad. He handed the grenade to one of the men and said, 'Give them [the enemy] this. I wish I could.'" (Diary, page 50)

Like many men in his infantry unit, Reese Russell grew up in the mountains of Virginia, accustomed to the quiet rhythms of rural life. He joined the war effort, his daughter Frances writes, full of enthusiasm for the cause. Russell was gassed while in combat, and though he came home, married his sweetheart, and raised a family, he was forever marked by the war. The man Frances knew slept too little and drank too much. He died in 1943 at 61, a broken man, and Frances learned of a diary he kept during his wartime service some years later, only after her mother died. Frances offers commentary on the accounts in her father's diary entries, which are by turns harrowing and poignant.

[ Photo Album ]

More Resources

[ Diary of Reese Melvin Russell ]
[ Transcription of diary of Sgt. Reese Melvin Russell, with memoir and notes by his daughter Frances Russell ]

About this Item

Title

  • Reese Melvin Russell Collection

Names

  • Estes, David R.
  • Russell, Reese Melvin

Headings

  • -  Russell, Reese Melvin
  • -  World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Form

  • Diaries and journals

Extent

  • 2 items

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • White

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1914-1918

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: Company E, 317th Infantry Regiment, 80th Division
    • Location of Service: Camp Lee, Virginia; France
    • Highest Rank: Sergeant
    • Dates of Service: 1917-1928
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran was gassed.

Materials

  • Manuscript: Diaries and journals [2 items] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected unknown)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/18879

Cite as

  • Reese Melvin Russell Collection (AFC/2001/001/18879), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Estes, David R, and Reese Melvin Russell. Reese Melvin Russell Collection. 1917. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.18879/.

APA citation style:

Estes, D. R. & Russell, R. M. (1917) Reese Melvin Russell Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.18879/.

MLA citation style:

Estes, David R, and Reese Melvin Russell. Reese Melvin Russell Collection. 1917. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.18879/>.