He returned to England in 1859, where he became a volunteer, and a leader writer for the London Evening Herald.
In October 1859, he had begun a connection with The Standard which had lasted until 1884.
From 1860 until 1863, he worked as a first editor for the London Evening Standard; and from 1882 until 1884, as editor of The Evening News.

Williams was best known for being a war correspondent.
He was described as an admirable war correspondent, a daring rider as well as writer.
For The Standard, he was at the headquarters of the Armée de la Loire, a French army, during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870.
He was also one of the first correspondents in Strasbourg, where the French forces were defeated.
In the summer and autumn of 1877, he was a correspondent to Ahmed Muhtar Pasha who commanded the Turkish forces in Armenia during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877 and 1878.
Williams remained constantly at the Turkish front, and his letters were the only continuous series that reached England.
In 1878, he published this series in a revised and extended form as The Armenian Campaign: A Diary of the Campaign on 1877, in Armenia and Koordistan, which was a large accurate record of the war, even though it was pro-Turkish.
From Armenia, he followed Muhtar Pasha to European Turkey and described his defence of the lines of Constantinople against the Imperial Russian Army.
Williams was with General Mikhail Skobelev at the headquarters of the Imperial Russian Army when the Treaty of San Stefano was signed in March 1878.
He reported this at the Berlin Congress.

At the end of 1878, he was in Afghanistan reporting the war, and in 1879 published the Notes on the Operations in Lower Afghanistan, 1878–9, with Special Reference to Transport.

In the autumn of 1884, representing the Central News Agency of London, Williams also joined the Gordon Relief Expedition, a British mission to relieve in Major-General Charles George Gordon in Khartoum, Sudan.
His was the first dispatch to tell of the loss of Gordon.
While in Sudan, he quarrelled with Henry H. S. Pearse of The Daily News, who later unsuccessfully sued him.
After leaving The Standard in 1884, he worked with the Morning Advertiser, but later worked with the Daily Chronicle as a war correspondent.
He was the only British correspondent to be with the Bulgarian Army under Prince Alexander Joseph of Battenberg during the Serbo-Bulgarian War in November 1885.
In the Greco-Turkish War of 1897, he was attached to the Greek forces in Thessaly.
His last war reporting was on Herbert Kitchener's Sudanese campaign of 1898.
His health did not permit his advance to South Africa, but he was still able to London a diary of the South African War for The Morning Leader.

In 1887, Williams met with then United States General of the Army, General Philip Sheridan in Washington, D.C. to update the general on European affairs and the prospects of upcoming conflicts.
He returned to England in 1859, where he became a volunteer, and a leader writer for the London Evening Herald. In October 1859, he had begun a connection with The Standard which had lasted until 1884. From 1860 until 1863, he worked as a first editor for the London Evening Standard; and from 1882 until 1884, as editor of The Evening News.
Williams was best known for being a war correspondent. He was described as an admirable war correspondent, a daring rider as well as writer. For The Standard, he was at the headquarters of the Armée de la Loire, a French army, during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. He was also one of the first correspondents in Strasbourg, where the French forces were defeated. In the summer and autumn of 1877, he was a correspondent to Ahmed Muhtar Pasha who commanded the Turkish forces in Armenia during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877 and 1878. Williams remained constantly at the Turkish front, and his letters were the only continuous series that reached England. In 1878, he published this series in a revised and extended form as The Armenian Campaign: A Diary of the Campaign on 1877, in Armenia and Koordistan, which was a large accurate record of the war, even though it was pro-Turkish. From Armenia, he followed Muhtar Pasha to European Turkey and described his defence of the lines of Constantinople against the Imperial Russian Army. Williams was with General Mikhail Skobelev at the headquarters of the Imperial Russian Army when the Treaty of San Stefano was signed in March 1878. He reported this at the Berlin Congress.
At the end of 1878, he was in Afghanistan reporting the war, and in 1879 published the Notes on the Operations in Lower Afghanistan, 1878–9, with Special Reference to Transport.
In the autumn of 1884, representing the Central News Agency of London, Williams also joined the Gordon Relief Expedition, a British mission to relieve in Major-General Charles George Gordon in Khartoum, Sudan. His was the first dispatch to tell of the loss of Gordon. While in Sudan, he quarrelled with Henry H. S. Pearse of The Daily News, who later unsuccessfully sued him. After leaving The Standard in 1884, he worked with the Morning Advertiser, but later worked with the Daily Chronicle as a war correspondent. He was the only British correspondent to be with the Bulgarian Army under Prince Alexander Joseph of Battenberg during the Serbo-Bulgarian War in November 1885. In the Greco-Turkish War of 1897, he was attached to the Greek forces in Thessaly. His last war reporting was on Herbert Kitchener's Sudanese campaign of 1898. His health did not permit his advance to South Africa, but he was still able to London a diary of the South African War for The Morning Leader.
In 1887, Williams met with then United States General of the Army, General Philip Sheridan in Washington, D.C. to update the general on European affairs and the prospects of upcoming conflicts.
Charles Frederick Williams