As lieutenant in frigate Colorado in 1861, Russell was wounded in destroying Confederate privateer Judah at Pensacola, "without doubt the most gallant cutting-out affair that occurred during the war," according to Admiral David Dixon Porter, for which he received the personal gratitude of President Lincoln. He later commanded several other ships, in 1883–86, Mare Island Naval Shipyard, when he retired as rear admiral. He died the following year.
Rear Admiral Russell’s son, Major General John Henry Russell, Jr. (1872–1947) was 16th commandant of the US Marine Corps, 1934–1936.
