Southern States had several daily newspapers, and many households held multiple subscriptions, including at least the morning and evening editions. Richmond alone had four daily newspapers, and a fifth began publishing in 1863. Soldiers on both sides were obviously civilians before the war began and shared an interest in current events. They eagerly awaited any and all news from home. Politics were hotly debated by officers and enlisted men around the campfire. Hence, the extent of Russian involvement with the North merits some brief discussion, if for no other reason than the need for background knowledge of world events during the Civil War era.
In the context of an internal conflict, the American Civil War created some unusual political alliances, but perhaps none as unusual as the one between the Union and Tsarist Russia. The cartoon from the satirical London magazine Punch depicts Abraham Lincoln shaking hands with Russian Tsar Alexander II. In the background are scenes of carnage from a Civil War battlefield and the violent Russian response to the 1863 revolt in Poland. World politics in the mid-19th century were complicated, especially in Europe. Just as the Confederate
“GOD BLESS THE RUSSIANS” Diary of U.S. Naval Secretary Gideon Welles, October 2, 1863
By Craig L. Barry
uring the mid-19th century, newspapers were much more widely read than they are in America today. Most major cities in both the Northern and
government sought legitimacy and support from England and France, the Union initiated an alliance with Tsarist Russia. However, the reasons now seem largely lost to history. Perhaps it is because of how things turned out in Russia during the early 20th century, after the Tsar was overthrown, or the tensions of the post-World War II Cold War? It’s hard to say, but this much is known about American history during the Civil War. In October 1863, the Russian fleet landed in New York Harbor.
South). Hence, politically speaking, the two acts drew the countries together as “a force for human freedom.” This piece of modern mythology probably took hold because most of Western Europe had abandoned both serfdom and slavery well before the mid-19th century, and it sounds good.
The facts do not support this theory on many levels. Simply put, the most likely political basis for the Russian/ U.S. alliance was an attempt to keep England and France from recognizing the Confederate government or otherwise entering the fray on behalf of the Southern States. Russia obviously held ill will toward the governments of both France and England due to their military defeat in the Crimean War, a bit less than a decade earlier, and in the case of France, perhaps dating back to the Napoleonic Wars. Hence, one needs to look no further; U.S. and Russian interests overlap right there.
It is easy to forget how close England, in particular, came to armed conflict against the U.S. based on animosity and mutual distrust. The Trent Affair in November 1861 led to a British troop buildup in Canada and a naval buildup in Bermuda. Two Confederate envoys, Mason and Slidell, were taken off the British merchant ship Trent by a U.S. warship during a diplomatic mission to London and Paris on November 8, 1861; the London press became filled with indignation and rage, while the anti-Union group in the British cabinet saw their chance to start a Transatlantic war. It almost happened. Commercial gun-makers and other contractors in London and Birmingham were working around the clock to fill War Department orders for arms and uniforms. The Illustrated London News reported on December 28, 1861, in an article titled “Reinforcements for Canada”:
U.S. Secretary of State William Seward threatened to “wrap the world in flames” should the British or French intercede on behalf of the Confederacy. The war of words went back and forth on both sides of the Atlantic with enough “The Tower has lately been the scene of great bustle, owing to the preparations for sending military stores to Canada. Night and day, on Sundays as well as other days, men have been engaged packing arms, clothing, and other necessaries to a great amount, which are placed on sailing-barges moored alongside the quays; the stores are taken thence down the river, and shipped on board the transports now off Deptford and Woolwich… Each soldier destined for Canada, on stepping on board of his transport, finds ready for him two pairs of woolen drawers, one jersey, two merino under-vests, two pair of worsted stockings, one comforter, one chamois leather waistcoat, one sealskin cap with ear-mufflers, one pair of sealskin mittens, one pair of Canadian boots, and one sheepskin coat.”
correspondence to fill several volumes. The British were very concerned (initially) about U.S. intentions towards their colony in Canada, where their position was almost indefensible due to the small number of troops for the size of the territory. At the time, Alaska was Russian territory, so the English colony in Canada was essentially surrounded on all sides by Russia to the Northwest and the United States to the south. The most likely recourse for England in the event of an attack on Canada would have been a naval response from Bermuda on U.S. harbors. And England had already begun the build-up of warships in Bermuda.
For their part, the Union was concerned about British government support for the Confederacy, which became increasingly unlikely as the war progressed. However, even as late as October 1862, the British Prime Minister planned to demand an end to the war in America, followed by diplomatic mediation, or else “…take more resolute action if the Northerners remain determined to fight.” This rhetoric may or may not have meant a strictly military response (there is considerable debate on the topic), but the alliance with Russia from a U.S. perspective ensured the governments of France and England would remain on the sidelines. No more and no less.
Therefore, should the subject arise during a late-night conversation around the campfire or while imbibing mint juleps on the front porch, the amicable relationship between the U.S. and Russia did not end with the Civil War. When the Tsar found the treasury short on cash and decided to sell something that seemed useless in 1867, the U.S. Government purchased Alaska from Russia for around 2¢ per acre in 1867 in a transaction known at the time as “Seward’s Folly.” The Russians had been trying to sell Alaska since the 1850s, but there were no buyers. The purchase of Alaska looked like a good deal for the Russians, as (besides the cash) it kept the English from exerting any claims towards the territory, which was contiguous with the Yukon region in northwest British Columbia. This was considered at the time to be unduly generous to the Russians, as there were no other bidders, but it proved favorable when gold was discovered there thirty years later.
Craig L. Barrywasbornin Charlottesville, Va. Heholdshis BA and Mastersdegreesfrom UNC (Charlotte). CraigservedThe Watchdog Civil War Quarterlyas Associate Editorand Editorfrom 2003– 2017. The Watchdogpublishedbooksandcolumnson 19th-centurymaterial. Heistheauthorofseveral booksincludingThe Civil War Musket: A Handbookfor Historical Accuracy(2006, 2011), The Unfinished Fight: Essayson Confederate Material CultureVol. I and II (2012, 2013). Hehasalsopublishedfourbooksinthe Supplierstothe Confederacyserieson English Arms & Accoutrements, Quartermasterstoresandother Europeanimports.
