Davis, Richard Harding: The Deserter.20 Dec 2010
 

Richard Harding Davis (April 18, 1864 — April 11, 1916) was a journalist and writer of fiction and drama, known foremost as the first famous American war correspondent who covered the Spanish-American War, the Second Boer War, and the First World War. His writing greatly assisted the career of Theodore Roosevelt and he also played a major role in the evolution of the American magazine. His influence extended to the world of fashion and he is credited with making the clean-shaven look popular among men at the turn of the 20th century.

Excerpt
When Mr. Davis wrote the story of "The Deserter," he could not possibly have foreseen that it was to be his last story—the last of those short stories which gave him such eminence as a short-story writer.