During the Civil War Seymour Beach Conger served in the 3rd West Virginia Volunteer Cavalry, rising to major and commander of the regiment.

He was assigned to its European service, initially stationed at the London bureau before moving to Saint Petersburg, then the capital of the Russian Empire.

At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Conger traveled to the Russian frontier, anticipating early battles, but was arrested by German military officials and detained as a suspected spy.

[1] According to James W. Gerard, Carl W. Ackerman (Associated Press) and Seymour B. Conger were two exceptional American correspondents who deserved special credit for their journalistic work in Germany during the First World War.

James W. Gerard noted that in spite of their surroundings and in the face of difficulties they preserved their "Americanism unimpaired and refused to succumb to the alluring temptations held out to them."

He also added that he did not mean "to imply that the other correspondents were not loyal, but the pro-Germanism of many of them unfortunately gave the Imperial Foreign Office and the great general staff a wrong impression of Americans.

"[5] After returning to the United States, Conger served as a foreign adviser to the War Trade Board in Washington, D.C., where he helped draft blockade restrictions and regulations.

He then transitioned to a public relations role in New York City, where he became an expert on the St. Lawrence Seaway project and continued to focus on foreign affairs.