Russia even sold Alaska to us. Can you imagine if that didn’t happen?
Oops, I posted the date of the article incorrectly.
Should be Oct 15, 2018.
I had thought it an interesting read even though 3-1/2 years old.
"While in St. Petersburg, Clay won the support of Russia for the Union cause and convinced Tsar Alexander II to threaten worldwide war with England and France to keep them from intervening on the side of the Confederacy, with whom they both sympathized.
The Russian Baltic Fleet arrived in New York harbor in in September 1863 and the Russian Far East Fleet arrived in San Francisco that October. The Tsar ordered his Navy to be under Lincoln’s command if war broke out."
https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/time-russia-guaranteed-civil-war-union-clay/
In fact, European countries sided with the Turks to deny Russian access to the Crimea and ports. A bit of history might be helpful with today’s liberal chicken hawks in DC; but then again they dont listen.
The Crimean war was the first major conflict prominently featuring use of the Minié ball, which was what gave muzzle-loading rifles a rate of fire to match the smoothbore musket.
The US Secretary of War visited the conflict and noted the efficacy of the Minié ball and brought the idea back to America with him.
The US Secretary of War’s name was Jefferson Davis.
George Washington Whistler, the father of the painter James McNeill Whistler, was one of those engineers.
Russia did have civil engineers of their own who also participated in building the railroads. There's no need to diminish that.