When the Russians Came: The Remarkable Story of the Friendship between Imperial Russia and the Union during the Civil War

The surprising and little-known story of how the United States and Russia forged an extraordinary friendship during the Civil War.

In 1863, as the Civil War raged, Russian warships suddenly appeared in New York and San Francisco, sparking celebrations across the North and raising hopes that Russia might support the United States should Britain and France recognize the Confederacy.

In When the Russians Came, Vladimir Alexandrov tells the full story of how Russia’s own tensions with Britain a...