Changes

Between 1897 and 1900, with the aid of his mother's lobbying in London, Churchill fought in three imperial wars while doubling as a war correspondent and writing three books.  In 1897 he joined three brigades in fighting a Pathan tribe. His lively account of the skirmishes proved he could write for the popular press; he received £5 per column from the ''Daily Telegraph'' and soon became the highest paid war correspondent in the world.

Between 1897 and 1900, with the aid of his mother's lobbying in London, Churchill fought in three imperial wars while doubling as a war correspondent and writing three books.  In 1897 he joined three brigades in fighting a Pathan tribe. His lively account of the skirmishes proved he could write for the popular press; he received £5 per column from the ''Daily Telegraph'' and soon became the highest paid war correspondent in the world.

[[Image:WinstonChurchillRiverWar.jpg|thumb|''The River War,'' one of Churchill's first books]]

[[File:Churchill The River War.jpg|thumb|''The River War,'' one of Churchill's first books]]

In late 1899 Churchill went to South Africa as a war correspondent to cover the [[Second Boer War]]; his salary was a remarkable £250 per month plus expenses. Caught in an ambush  Churchill was captured and held in a POW camp in Pretoria; he escaped--an adventure that made him a minor national hero. He rejoined General Redvers Buller's army on its march to relieve [[Ladysmith]] and take Pretoria. Churchill was one of the first British troops into Ladysmith and Pretoria.  In 1900, he published two books on the Boer war, ''London to Ladysmith via Pretoria''<ref> online at [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/14426]</ref> and ''Ian Hamilton's March''<ref> online at [http://books.google.com/books?id=27yKxqljk4gC&dq=inauthor:winston+inauthor:churchill&num=30].</ref>

In late 1899 Churchill went to South Africa as a war correspondent to cover the [[Second Boer War]]; his salary was a remarkable £250 per month plus expenses. Caught in an ambush  Churchill was captured and held in a POW camp in Pretoria; he escaped--an adventure that made him a minor national hero. He rejoined General Redvers Buller's army on its march to relieve [[Ladysmith]] and take Pretoria. Churchill was one of the first British troops into Ladysmith and Pretoria.  In 1900, he published two books on the Boer war, ''London to Ladysmith via Pretoria''<ref> online at [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/14426]</ref> and ''Ian Hamilton's March''<ref> online at [http://books.google.com/books?id=27yKxqljk4gC&dq=inauthor:winston+inauthor:churchill&num=30].</ref>

Churchill's mother used her connections with the prince of Wales to get the her son assigned to the force commanded by Lord Kitchener for the reconquest of the [[Sudan]].  Churchill arrived just in time to join the cavalry charge at the battle of Omdurman (2 September 1898), in which his regiment galloped by accident into a ravine crammed with armed men. Churchill, who shot and killed at least three of the enemy, was cool, courageous and lucky.<ref> Over 30,000 Sudanese were killed, compared with 28 British soldiers. </ref> The ''Morning Post'' ran his stories, and the public snatched up his two-volume ''The River War: An Account of the Reconquest of the Sudan'' (1899)<ref> online at [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/4943]</ref>. It displayed a remarkably sympathetic history of the Sudanese revolt against Egyptian rule.  A speaking tour of Britain, the U.S. and Canada in 1900 netted £10,000, proving the funding he needed for a  political-literary career.<ref> Churchill met [[Theodore Roosevelt]]; they resembled each other in many ways but never became friends.</ref>

Churchill's mother used her connections with the prince of Wales to get the her son assigned to the force commanded by Lord Kitchener for the reconquest of the [[Sudan]].  Churchill arrived just in time to join the cavalry charge at the battle of Omdurman (2 September 1898), in which his regiment galloped by accident into a ravine crammed with armed men. Churchill, who shot and killed at least three of the enemy, was cool, courageous and lucky.<ref> Over 30,000 Sudanese were killed, compared with 28 British soldiers. </ref> The ''Morning Post'' ran his stories, and the public snatched up his two-volume ''The River War: An Account of the Reconquest of the Sudan'' (1899)<ref> online at [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/4943]</ref>. It displayed a remarkably sympathetic history of the Sudanese revolt against Egyptian rule.  A speaking tour of Britain, the U.S. and Canada in 1900 netted £10,000, proving the funding he needed for a  political-literary career.<ref> Churchill met [[Theodore Roosevelt]]; they resembled each other in many ways but never became friends.</ref>

===Early politics===

===Early politics===