How The Russian Navy Saved The Union In The Civil War

The two nations viewed each other as valuable counterweights to an aggressive and acquisitive Britain and a meddling France. and Russia maintained close diplomatic ties. Douglas Kroll’s Friends in Peace and War is a brief yet informative account of the extended visit of the Russian Navy’s Pacific squadron to San Francisco during the American Civil War. Kroll gives us a thorough examination of the Russians’ visit and its social, diplomatic, and military impact.Ĭ. Parades and balls, as well as dinners hosted by both sides, helped San Franciscans overlook the various differences they had with their Russian visitors. Whether actively supporting the Union or training and refitting or both, the Russian officers and sailors endeared themselves to San Francisco’s citizens. Navy’s small Pacific Squadron widely dispersed and Confederate commerce raiders on the loose, the Russians’ arrival suggested to on-lookers that they intended to defend the Union against interference.

documents, investigates why the Russian Pacific Squadron came to San Francisco, a port of departure for California and Nevada gold headed east what happened during its nearly year-long visit and how its presence influenced events. Douglas Kroll, using both Russian and U.S.

The surprise 1863 arrival of squadrons of Russian warships and thousands of Russian sailors in New York and San Francisco proved fortuitous, coming when the Union feared British and French intervention on the Confederacy’s behalf. In fact, when the American Civil War threatened to divide the United States, Russia alone among the European great powers gave no aid or comfort to the seceding states. role as a bulwark against Great Britain’s ambitions, in Asia and in the North Pacific Ocean region especially. The Old World Russian autocracy supported the young New World democracy because of the emerging U.S. Great friendship existed between the United States and Imperial Russia during the nineteenth century.

How The Russian Navy Saved The Union In The Civil War