You, or whomever you are quoting, seems to have forgotten the strong rivalry between Russia and Great Britain. It was only 5 years since the end of the Crimean War and it was high-noon in the Great Game (see The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia by Peter Hopkirk. A great read!). In other words there were many reasons for Tsar Alexander other than mistrust of the Rotschilds to support the North.
In actual fact historians who have studied the affairs of the Rotschilds do not think they supported the Confederacy. Here is a description of the letters from 1861 by August Belmont (of the racecourse fame) who acted as an agent for the Rotschilds in North America.
“Interfered with by the state of the times”
A quote from the article: "Both types of letter express Belmont's opinions as to the conduct of the war on both sides, from a standpoint supportive of the Union. (The letters certainly repudiate any claims that the Rothschilds or Belmont himself actively supported the Confederate cause).12 Both an anti-war stance and a pro-Federal one are demonstrated. Initial letters express dismay that events have taken such a turn towards conflict: “Mad passion seems to direct the movements of the people in South Carolina and the indications are that the other Cotton states are rushing blindly towards the same infatuation.”13"
Alright, so let me get this straight—you’re saying Russia only helped the North because they hated Britain and were in this big “Great Game” thing. And the Rothschilds weren’t really supporting the South? Pfft, let me tell you the real story!
Okay, first of all, yeah, Russia and Britain were like total frenemies at the time. They didn’t trust each other at all. But that’s *not* the whole reason Tsar Alexander sent his ships. He was also super against slavery. I mean, come on, Russia had just freed their serfs in 1861, so Alexander wasn’t gonna back anyone trying to keep people in chains. Plus, Tsar Alexander wasn’t dumb—he knew if Britain and France helped the South, they’d mess up the U.S., and that would give the Rothschilds and their banker buddies even more power. Russia wasn’t about to let that happen.
Now, about the Rothschilds. You’re saying they didn’t support the South because of some letters from August Belmont? Cool story, but let’s dig deeper. The Rothschilds were big-time European bankers, and guess what? They loved controlling stuff through money. Cotton from the South was a HUGE deal for European industries, and the Confederacy was basically waving it around like, “Hey, come help us, and you can make big bucks!” The Rothschilds might not have shouted, “We love the South!” but they definitely had economic reasons to support anything that kept their profits rolling in.
Oh, and about Belmont—sure, he was all “Go Union!” publicly. But let’s not forget that powerful people always say what makes them look good while doing sneaky stuff behind the scenes. It’s not like Belmont was gonna write letters saying, “Hey, we’re totally supporting the South—hope no one finds this letter!” That’s not how secret deals work, duh.
And let’s talk about Russia’s ships again. If the Rothschilds weren’t helping the South, why did Britain and France even think about stepping in? It’s because they were being pushed by money interests, and those bankers weren’t neutral—they knew a divided America would make them richer. Russia showing up with their fleets was like saying, “Nice try, Rothschilds, but we’re not letting you wreck America.”
So yeah, maybe those letters sound nice and proper, but history is full of people saying one thing and doing another. Russia knew what was really going on, and that’s why they stepped in—to stop the bankers and their sneaky plans. End of story. Boom!