William Wallace Screws was an American military in the civil war, editor and sole owner of the Montgomery Advertiser.
Background
William Wallace was born on February 25, 1839 at Jernigan in Barbour (now Russell) County, Alabama, United States, the son of Benjamin and Mourning (Drake) Screws, both of English ancestry.
The father, a merchant and a leader of the Whigs in his section of the state, came originally from North Carolina, where the family had lived for several generations; the mother's people came from Massachusetts to North Carolina. William Wallace is said to have been named for the hero of Jane Porter's popular story, The Scottish Chiefs (1810).
Education
Although William Wallace Screws was prepared for college in the schools of Glenville, Alabama, and made an excellent record in Latin, Greek, and English literature, he never entered college, for in the panic of 1857 his father failed in business and he had to earn his own living.
Career
After working for two years at odd jobs, Screws went to Montgomery to read law in the office of Thomas H. Watts; though he was not yet of age he was admitted to the bar June 15, 1859.
He cast his first vote in 1860 for the Bell-Everett ticket. Although he opposed secession, he enlisted in the army immediately after the secession of Alabama. He saw service with the Montgomery True Blues in Florida and with Hilliard's Legion in Kentucky and in Tennessee, where he took part in the battle of Chickamauga.
When Hilliard's Legion was reorganized into the 59th and 60th Regiments, he became first lieutenant of the 59th and took part in the siege of Knoxville. With Gracie's brigade he saw service in the Virginia campaigns of 1864 about Petersburg until he was wounded in the battle of Drewry's Bluff. In 1865, during the evacuation of Richmond, he was captured at Sailor's Creek, taken to Johnson's Island in Lake Erie, and held in prison until June 1865.
He returned to Montgomery to take up the practice of law; during the war, however, he had done some work as a correspondent for the Montgomery Advertiser, and he was offered a place on the editorial staff. In a few weeks he was offered a half interest in the paper, with his own time to pay for it; in less than a year he was editor, and presently he was sole owner as well.
Like Henry Watterson and Edwin Lawrence Godkin he had a great reputation as an editor. He was master of a vigorous, simple, and direct style; it is said that he never used a metaphor. When the attempt was made to issue bonds for the Alabama and Chattanooga Railroad he opposed it, although his paper was seriously embarrassed at the time and he was offered over fifty thousand dollars to permit the use of its columns for bond issue propaganda.
He fought the Farmers' Alliance on the ground that it would inevitably become a political party and divide the white vote of the state. The Alliance boycotted the Advertiser and Screws lost heavily, but he never changed his position in the matter.
In spite of the fact that he possessed great political influence, he refused political offices throughout his career. During his long life he held only three, and those were insignificant: he was secretary of state in Alabama from 1878 to 1882, he held a position in the Library of Congress during the first Cleveland administration, and he was postmaster of Montgomery, 1893-97.
He died suddenly at his summer home at Coosada, Elmore County, Alabama.
Achievements
Politics
Screws was relentless in exposing its corruption and tireless in his efforts to destroy it.
Connections
Screws married Emily Frances Holt of Augusta, Georgia on April 25, 1867. They had three sons.