As early as July, 1861, Prince Gortschakoff transmitted to the Russian representative at Washington a note declaring the Russian government to be "animated by the most friendly sentiment toward the American union." As the war progressed and the South continued to win battles, English and French sympathy with the rebellion took on a more practical form. Russia's friendly feeling toward the North became more and more manifest.
So far had Anglo-French antipathy gone by the latter part of 1862 that the United States government was forced to recognize it as a serious menace. Emperor Napoleon began to push forward his plan of mediation, the plan substantially recognizing the South as a belligerent national power. In England warships designed for the Confederate service were being fitted out in defiance of the laws of neutrality. It was then that Russia's friendship began to assume a practically helpful form, not only in diplomacy, but by more vigorous measures.
Here are some facts worthy of remembrance: On Nov. 6, 1862, France announced its intention of inviting England and Russia to join in the mediation plan. On Nov. 8 Russia rejected the proposal. On Nov. 13 the British government decided that intervention would be impracticable and also declined.
ANGLO-REBEL WARSHIPS
While the intervention scheme was stopped for the time being, the question of English-built or "Anglo-rebel" warships continued to grow more menacing. Early in 1863 John Ericsson, who was called into consultation by the harbor defense commission of New York as to plans for the safety of the city, declared that if existing conditions continued American ship owners, to save their property from entire destruction, "must withdraw their vessels from every sea, a humiliation which the Union cannot submit to."
Such was the situation when, on Sept. 24, 1863, a squadron of Russian vessels under Admiral Lessoffsky, including the steam frigates Osliaba, Poresviet and Alexander Newsky, the corvettes Variag and Vitiaz, and three clipper ships, dropped into New York harbor for an indefinite stay. They were greeted with many manifestations of joy. Then Russia's Asiatic fleet appeared at San Francisco. Whether or not it be accepted that the commanders of these fleets, who were under sealed orders, had instructions to place themselves at the disposition cf the United States in the event of war with France and England, the significance of their long sojourn in American waters at such a time was unmistakable. Russia could not have hit upon a more emphatic way of intimating to the other powers that it was prepared to take up the active armed defense of the United States.
The facts are worth calling to notice as a reminder that America had every reason for neutrality as to the conflict in the far East. This country had little disposition to wish harm to Russian warships in the troubled days of 1863. That the money paid for Alaska was in large measure a repayment of expenses incurred by Russia in fitting out and maintaining fleets for the defense of the United States against British or French attacks is the belief of many students of the history of the American civil war.
THE RUSSO-JAPAN WAR
© Copyright 2008 by Coalition Web, Inc.
This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at
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