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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels April 26, 2004 Saved by the Russians Jeff Cheek Politics makes strange bedfellows. War is even worse, creating alliances that offer only short-term solutions. Our Civil War was a diplomat's worst nightmare. To survive, the Confederacy must win recognition from England and France but their political leaders made recognition almost impossible by adopting a constitution that established slavery "in perpetuity" in the new nation. Both nations had long since outlawed slavery. However, the Yankees pushed the Union to the brink of war with England by boarding a British vessel in international waters and forcibly removing two Confederate diplomats en route to Europe. Abe Lincoln apologized, the commissioners were freed, and war averted. Nonetheless, both countries permitted Confederate warships to dock in their ports and several of these raiders were built in English shipyards. Russia was one European power which gave wholehearted support to the US government. Tzar Nicholas II was a ruthless dictator but a hard-pressed Lincoln welcomed any support. Nicholas also needed us. Poland had revolted and both England and France demanded the Poles be given an independent Duchy in the Russian Empire. Nicholas refused. Both sides prepared for war. Russia had two navies. The Pacific fleet was stationed at Vladivostok; the European at Sebastapol on the Black Sea. England could bottle up this fleet by stationing warships at the mouth of the Straights of Dardanelles to intercept them. Nicholas needed to find a friendly port from which his warships could operate before the war began. An alliance with America was the solution. If war came, his warships, already on the open seas, could decimate British and French commercial shipping. His diplomacy paid off. England withdrew its demand for Polish independence and France even agreed to help Russia suppress the Polish rebellion. The American government also benefited. In the fall of 1863 the Russian fleet arrived in New York for a lengthy stay and were permitted use of the Brooklyn Navy Yard for repair and refitting. The visit bolstered Yankee morale. The Russian Pacific fleet sailed into San Francisco on September 28, 1863. They were welcomed with elaborate banquets and civic celebrations. For months, the city had feared that two Confederate raiders, the Alabama and the Sumter, would sail in and shell the defenseless city. Now they had Russian warships to protect them. Admiral Popoff, commander of the five warships, was a skilled diplomat. When asked if he would fight the raiders, he made a decision worthy of Solomon. If the raiders only shelled military targets at the entrance of the bay, he would not intervene. However, if they sailed into the bay and shelled the city he would retaliate. He emphasized that this was not an act of war but solely "in defense of humanity." The Russians stayed until the crisis passed. The last Russian warship steamed away from a grateful San Francisco in April 1864 after a port call that lasted more than six months. Borsch is a Russian national dish you might enjoy making. Ingredients: 2 cups shredded fresh beets 1 cup shredded carrots 1 cup chopped onion 2 14-oz cans beef broth 1 cup shredded cabbage 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon lemon juice Preparation: Combine beets, carrots and onions in deep kettle. Pour in 3 cups boiling water and cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Add broth, cabbage and butter, boil for another 20 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and serve with a dollop of sour cream. Borsch may also be served chilled. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams