Russell met Napoleon
Russell traveled extensively throughout Britain and continental Europe despite frequently being in bad health, and in 1810 he was appointed Captain of the Bedfordshire Militia. He visited his older brother William, a soldier, on the Peninsula during the long summer vacation of 1810, and he saw the Cortes in action. In 1811, Professor Playfair led him on a tour of Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, and Leeds' industrial areas. He returned to Spain for a long period in 1812–1813 and saw the battlegrounds of Talavera and Barossa.
On Spain's last hill, Russell stood with his brother and looked across the border into France, where his grand trip would have started if not for the wars. One of the interesting facts about John Russell is that during his travels he met Napoleon. He set a ship for Italy in 1814, and on the eve of Christmas, he saw Napoleon privately on the island of Elba. While the former emperor was in exile on the island of Elba, they met for 90 minutes. When the conflicts were finally over in 1815, he left for Paris and continued to go to both France and Italy as frequently as he could for the rest of his life.
