Extra Credit Questions

[Anita]

Just purchased the exhibit book. Thanks Laurie.

The history of diplomatic relations with Russia during the Civil War is an interesting topic. Your post reminded me that in the fall of 1863 part of the Russian fleet arrived at the ports of New York and San Francisco. The first group came in September, and the second in October. The arrival of the Atlantic Fleet in New York created quite a stir. "....the 4,000-seat entertainment emporium — an opera house, theater, and meeting and exposition hall, all under one roof — was to host the social event of the 1863 season. The city’s elite had quickly snapped up 2,000 tickets for the “Soirée Russe”: a grand ball for the officers of the Russian fleet at anchor in New York....

This evening of lavish entertainment was the culminating moment in a series of events – a visit by MARY LINCOLN to the Russian frigate Osliaba in New York Harbor on Sept. 16; a Fifth Avenue parade on Oct. 1; and two banquets at Astor House —to celebrate the unexpected arrival of six Russian warships just weeks earlier. The first to arrive in New York Harbor, the Osliaba, had been on patrol in the Mediterranean. On Sept. 24, the Alexander Nevsky, Peresviet, Variag, Vitiaz and Almaz (with composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov aboard) all arrived from the Kronstadt naval base near St. Petersburg."
Click here to read the complete article by Rick Beard http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/201...re-coming/