United States Voyage After the official visit to
Saint Petersburg of an American squadron under the command of Admiral
David Farragut in 1867, a high level visit of the Russian Navy was envisaged by the Russian Government. After lengthy negotiations, it was decided that the Russian delegation would be headed by the Grand Duke. The official announcement of the visit was made on 29 June 1871 by
Nikolay Karlovich Krabbe, Minister of the Imperial Russian Navy. The Russian squadron, under the command of Admiral
Konstantin Nikolayevich Posyet on board the frigate
Bogatyr, included the frigates
Svetlana and , the corvette and the gunboat . Alexei was serving as lieutenant aboard the
Svetlana. Before reaching the United States, the Russian squadron was to be met by the frigate
Vsadnik of the Russian Pacific Fleet. Though all ships were equipped with steam engines, the squadron made the passage to America mainly under sail, so as to avoid making port on the route for coal supplies. In addition to Alexei's personal staff, the crew included 200 officers and over 3000 sailors. The squadron set sail out of
Kronstadt on 20 August 1871. The squadron first stopped in
Copenhagen, where he paid a visit to King
Christian IX of Denmark. In the
English Channel the Russians were met by a squadron of the
Royal Navy and escorted to
Plymouth, where Alexei was met by the Duke of Edinburgh
Alfred of Saxe-Coburg. A visit to
Balmoral Castle had been scheduled, but had to be canceled because the
Prince of Wales was very sick and
Queen Victoria extremely concerned. The Russian squadron set sail from Plymouth on 26 September, and, en route to New York, stopped for a few days in
Funchal (
Madeira Islands), leaving on 9 October. The Russian squadron was met by an American squadron under the command of Vice-Admiral
Stephen Clegg Rowan,
Port Admiral of New York, hoisting his flag on the frigate . Admiral
Samuel Phillips Lee, commander of the
North Atlantic Squadron attended on his own flagship, the . The other ships of the squadron were the and the , attended by several tugs. A welcoming committee had been formed in New York, chaired by
William Henry Aspinwall. Among the members of the committee were
Moses H. Grinnell, General
Irwin McDowell,
Theodore Roosevelt Sr. Rear-Admiral
S. W. Godon,
John Taylor Johnston,
Albert Bierstadt,
Lloyd Aspinwall and others. After a short delay due to the weather, the Russian squadron anchored in
New York Harbor on 21 November 1871, where the Grand Duke was greeted by general
John Adams Dix. A military parade took place in the city. Alexei then attended a thanksgiving service at the Russian
chapel.
Reception by President Grant On 22 November 1871, Alexei left for Washington, D.C. by special train, placed at his disposal by the
New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Company. The train had three cars: the "Commissariat" having all the modern improvements of a hotel, comprising store-rooms and pantry, the "Ruby", dining room car to accommodate 28 persons, with kitchen, ice boxes, and a sort of wine cellar, and the "Kearsarge", used as sitting, sleeping and reading room. On 23 November, he was received by president
Ulysses S. Grant. The president's wife,
Julia Grant, and his daughter,
Nellie Grant, also attended. Most of the members of the cabinet were present at the meeting:
Hamilton Fish (
United States Secretary of State),
Columbus Delano (
United States Secretary of the Interior) with his wife,
Amos Tappan Akerman (
United States Attorney General) with his wife,
George S. Boutwell (
United States Secretary of the Treasury),
George Maxwell Robeson (
United States Secretary of the Navy), General
Frederick Tracy Dent (the president's brother-in-law and military secretary),
John Creswell (
Postmaster General of the United States), as well as generals
Horace Porter and
Orville E. Babcock. The visit to Washington was overshadowed by President Grant's discontent caused by the Russian government's refusal to recall
Konstantin Katacazi, minister plenipotentiary of Russia to the United States. The entire visit in Washington lasted only one day. No formal entertainment was given in Washington to the Grand Duke, though for all other visits of members of royal families to the White House, formal dinners had been organized. Such dinners had taken place when President
John Tyler received
François d'Orléans, prince de Joinville, when
Abraham Lincoln received
Prince Napoleon Joseph Bonaparte and even when Ulysses Grant received
Kamehameha V, king of the
Sandwich Islands. The evening of the visit to the White House, Alexei and his suite dined at Minister Katakazi's residence, the only American official attending being General
Porter. At his departure Alexei was asked if he intended to return to Washington. Though he expressed his interest to return during a session of
Congress, the uneasy diplomatic relations due to Minister Katakazi prevented this from happening. There had also been expectations that a military alliance treaty between the United States and Russia would be signed during the meeting; however this was not the case. The next day, Alexei left by train for
Annapolis where he visited the
Naval Academy, thereafter returning to New York. ''. Print after the painting by
William Page, presented to Grand Duke Alexei as a gift for Tsar Alexander II
East Coast In New York, he visited the
Brooklyn Navy Yard,
Fort Wadsworth and the fortifications on
Governors Island. He also reviewed the Fire Department at
Tompkins Square. A highlight was the trip by
steamer on the
Hudson for the visit of the
United States Military Academy, West Point. Several balls were organized in his honor, the most important being the grand balls at the Navy Yard and at the
Academy of Music. Alexei attended opera performances of
Faust and
Mignon at the Academy of Music. He also went on a shopping spree, stopping at the
A.T. Stewart and
Tiffany stores where he bought some jewellery and bronze statues. On 2 December 1871, a ceremony took place at the
National Academy of Design, where the Grand Duke was received by
Samuel F. B. Morse,
William Stoddard,
William Page,
Albert Bierstadt and several other artists. The painting
Farragut in the shrouds of the Hartfort at the battle of Mobile Bay by
William Page was handed over as a gift of the citizens of New York for Tsar Alexander II. General
John Adams Dix presented the picture and the accompanying scroll, with a brief address in which he expressed the hope that it would further cement the union that existed between the United States and Russia. The painting was placed on board the Russian flagship for transportation to Russia. On 3 December 1871, Alexei left for
Philadelphia where he was received by general
George Meade and Admiral Turner. He visited
Girard College, Baird Locomotive Works and the Navy Yard. He was particularly interested in the Methodist Fair at the
Horticultural Hall, where the ladies presented him with an
Afghan Hound. On 6 December 1871, Alexei visited the
Smith & Wesson factory in
Springfield, Massachusetts and was presented with a fully engraved, carved pearl grip, cased
Smith & Wesson Model 3 revolver. The gun and case cost the factory $400 but it was a worthwhile investment, as the company hoped for additional contracts. The Grand Duke proudly displayed his revolver as he toured the American Frontier and carried it on a buffalo hunt with the famous "Buffalo Bill" Cody. From 7 to 14 December, he stopped in
Boston where he stayed at the
Revere House. The
landau which
President Lincoln rode during his visit to Boston, was used. He was officially welcomed at the City Hall and the State House. During his stay, he visited
Harvard University and the suburb of
Cambridge, Massachusetts as well as different public schools in the Boston area, being extensively briefed on the American education system. Other highlights were the
battlefield of Bunker Hill and the visit to the shipyards of
Charlestown, Massachusetts. On December 12th, Alexei attended a performance of
Henry VIII at Boston’s
Globe Theatre, starring the famed actress
Charlotte Cushman. Known for her powerful stage presence. Alexei also attended a music festival where 1,200 school children composed the great choir. At the festival, a grand march of welcome, specially composed by
Julius Eichberg and dedicated to "His Imperial Highness", was presented A ball in honor of the Grand Duke took place at the
Boston Theatre. The audit of the expenses shows that the cost of ball was $14,678.58 (equivalent of $750,000 today), with $8,916.29 being covered by the sale of the tickets and other receipts
Detour to Canada On 17 December, Alexei left by train to Canada. He first stopped in
Montreal, where he had breakfast with the mayor of the city, and then visited
Lachine, Quebec. He then passed through
Ottawa and Toronto, finally reaching
Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls on 22 December 1871 by the
Great Western Railway. On his way, the train stopped in
Hamilton, Ontario where he received a
telegram from Queen Victoria, notifying him that the Prince of Wales had recovered from his illness. From Clifton Hill the party left by
sleighs for a visit to the
Niagara Falls. After having dressed in oil-skinned suits for fishermen at sea, the party also went under the falls. He then crossed the
Niagara River over a new
suspension bridge and then visited the United States part of the falls.
Midwest On 23 December 1871, Alexei left by train for
Buffalo, New York, where he spent Christmas. On 26 December, he arrived in
Cleveland where he visited the iron mills and other factories in
Newburgh Heights, Ohio. He then reviewed the Cleveland Fire Department and visited the National Inventors’ Exhibition. He then stopped in
Detroit on his way to Chicago, where he arrived on 30 December. The city was recovering from the
great fire.
Joseph Medill, mayor of Chicago, had written to the Grand Duke: "We have but little to exhibit but the ruins and débris of a great and beautiful city and an undaunted people struggling with adversity to relieve their overwhelming misfortunes." He visited the destroyed part of the city and was impressed by the rhythm of the reconstruction. He gave US$5,000 (equivalent to $250,000 today) in gold to the homeless people of
Chicago. Alexei also visited the stockyards and a pork processing plant. As the
Tremont House Hotel had been burnt to the ground, he was accommodated in the New Tremont House which had opened on Michigan Avenue, where he was awarded the "
Freedom of the City". On
New Year's Day General
Philip Sheridan initiated him into the American custom of making "New Year's calls upon the ladies". From 2 to 4 January he visited
Milwaukee and on 5 January he arrived in
St. Louis, Missouri, where he stayed for over a week. In St. Louis, Alexei attended the burlesque show
Blue Beard in which
Lydia Thompson, a 36-year-old actress was singing a tune "If Ever I Cease to Love". It is claimed that he was fascinated both by the actress and the song. Supposedly, she had also sung the number privately for the duke during a rendezvous. Later, while in St. Louis, Alexei became particularly enamored of one of his dance partners, a lady called Sallie Shannon of
Lawrence, Kansas. Finally on 12 January he arrived in
Omaha, Nebraska (1895)
Trip to the hunting grounds Preparations for the hunt were extensive and had been carried out under the command of General
Joel Palmer. Two companies of infantry in wagons, two companies of cavalry, the cavalry's regimental band, outriders, night herders, couriers, cooks had been mobilized for the event. The Grand Duke in the company of General
Philip Sheridan, General
Edward Ord, and Lt. Colonel (Brevet Major General)
George Armstrong Custer, the latter having been selected to be grand marshal of the hunt, arrived at
Fort McPherson on 13 January 1872, by a special train provided by the
Pennsylvania Railroad. They were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd, headed by
Buffalo Bill. After speeches, party set out for the hunting grounds led by Buffalo Bill's partner
Texas Jack Omohundro. The Duke and General Sheridan rode in an open carriage, drawn by four horses. Buffalo Bill escorted the party with five ambulances, a light wagon for luggage, three wagons of "champagne and royal spirits" and fifteen to twenty extra saddle horses. The entire trip covered about 50 miles and took approximately eight hours. The camp consisted of two hospital tents (used as dining tent), ten wall tents and tents for servants and soldiers. Three wall tents were floored and the Alexei's was carpeted with oriental rugs. Box stoves and Sibley stoves were provided for the tents. Cody had discussed the hunt with
Spotted Tail, chief of the
Brulé Lakota, who had agreed to meet the "great chief from across the water who was coming there to visit him." About 600 warriors of different
Sioux tribes, led by Spotted Tail, War Bonnet, Black Hat, Red Leaf, Whistler and Pawnee Killer, assembled to greet Alexei at the hunting camp. They had been provided with ten thousand rations of flour, sugar, coffee, and 1,000 pounds of tobacco for their trouble – twenty-five wagon loads in all. At the start of the party, Spotted Tail, dressed in a suit, which didn't fit him, with an army belt upside down and an extremely awkward look was introduced to the Grand Duke. Then the Indian chief extended his hand, and greeted him in Lakota saying "
How." For the amusement of Alexei the Indians staged exercises of horsemanship, lance-throwing and bow-shooting. Then there was a sham fight, showing the Indian mode of warfare, closing up with a grand war dance. It was noticed that Alexei paid considerable attention to a good-looking Indian maiden. Concerned that his mother, Empress
Maria Alexandrovna, might receive reports of his flirtations, he wrote her from St. Louis: "Regarding my success with American ladies about which so much is written in the newspapers, I can openly say, that this is complete nonsense. They looked on me from the beginning as they would look on a wild animal, as on a crocodile or other unusual beast.".
Buffalo hunt The big hunt took place on Alexei's 22nd birthday, 14 January 1872. He carried a Russian hunting knife and an American revolver bearing the coats-of-arms of the United States and Russia on the handle, which he had recently received as a present. The hunting party approached buffalo herd several miles up the Red Willow Creek. Alexei rode Buffalo Bill's celebrated buffalo horse "Buckskin Joe", which had been trained to ride at full gallop with a target so that the best shot could be made. As soon as a herd of buffalo was seen, some two miles away, Alexei wanted to make a charge but was restrained by Bill. The party moved to the windward and gradually approached the herd. Within a hundred yards of the fleeing buffalo, Alexei, not accustomed to shooting from a running horse, fired, but missed. Buffalo Bill rode up close beside him, handed him his own famed .48-caliber rifle, "Lucretia", the one with which he claimed to have killed 4,200 buffalo, and advised him not to fire until he was on the flank of the buffalo. When Alexei tried again, he brought down his game. The hide of the dead buffalo was carefully removed and dressed; Alexei took it home as a souvenir of his hunt on the western plains. Twenty to thirty animals were killed on the first day of the hunt. The party returned early to camp, where there was a liberal supply of champagne and other beverages provided, and the evening was spent in frontier style. The next morning Spotted Tail requested the Grand Duke to hunt by the side of Two Lance, chief of the
Nakota Sioux tribe, so that he could see a demonstration of the Indian way of hunting. Coming up to a herd of buffalo, Two Lance demonstrated his skill by killing a large animal with one arrow which passed entirely through the body of the running buffalo. The arrow was preserved and given to Alexei. He killed two buffalo, one of them at 100 paces distance, with a pistol shot. On the conclusion of the hunt, when returning to Fort McPherson, General Sheridan proposed that Buffalo Bill take the reins and show Alexei the old style of stage driving over the plains with the horses at full gallop. The heavy ambulance bounded over the rough prairie, while the occupants could hardly keep their seats. Alexei was pleased with his hunting trip. When he and Bill parted in Fort McPherson, Alexei presented him with a fur coat and expensive cuff links. , at the end of the buffalo hunt of the Grand Duke's buffalo hunt From there the train continued to
Denver where Alexei arrived on 17 January. While in Denver, he attended an honorary ball sponsored by the Pioneer Club and visited some mines. He apparently loved the new sport he had just learned and hunted buffalo again near
Colorado Springs, on his return trip from Denver through
Kansas to St. Louis. However, the horses used to hunt in eastern Colorado were cavalry mounts and unaccustomed to buffalo; several hunters were injured during the resulting confusion. Alexei was unhurt and succeeded in killing as many as 25 buffalo. He even shot a few more from the train on its way across western Kansas toward
Topeka, which was reached on 22 January. It is claimed that, by the time they reached St. Louis, the party's supply of caviar and champagne had been exhausted. General Custer became one of the Duke's best friends. He accompanied him and his entourage through Kansas, to St. Louis, New Orleans, and finally to Florida. They continued to correspond with one another up until Custer's death. In the United States, the hunt is remembered as "The Great Royal Buffalo Hunt". Starting from the year 2000,
Hayes Center, Nebraska organizes each year the "Grand Duke Alexis Rendezvous" featuring a reenactment of the buffalo hunt. Alexei received as a gift from chief Spotted Tail an Indian
wigwam and a bow and arrows. He took them back to St. Petersburg. At present they are kept at the museum in
Tver. In memory of his adventures in America, Alexei organized every year a special entertainment. The actors arrived to a village of tents in old carriages drawn by heavy horses. On the palace's lake there were "Indian"
pirogues. Men with swords and
tomahawks danced with women dressed in long old skirts. The performance was supposed to give the attendance an image of the
American Old West.
Southern states in Louisville, KY. While in St. Louis, Alexei made a short visit to
Cincinnati on 26 January. On 28 January he left by train for
Louisville, Kentucky, where he visited the
Mammoth Cave. He continued his trip by steamer, arriving on 2 February 1872 in
Memphis, Tennessee aboard the
Great Republic. After visiting the city he left on 8 February aboard the
James Howard and after a stop in
Vicksburg he finally arrived in
New Orleans.
New Orleans In New Orleans Alexei attended the 1872
Mardi Gras celebrations, where he was guest of honor reviewing the inaugural
Rex parade. There are many legends related to the Grand Duke's visit to New Orleans. It has been claimed that local business leaders had planned the first daytime parade to honor him, but this was not true. New Orleans was struggling to recover from the lingering effects of the
Civil War. At the same time, many city leaders saw the need to bring some order to the chaotic street parades of Mardi Gras day. They had planned the parade all along and took the opportunity to capitalize on Alexei's visit. A new
krewe of prominent citizens was formed, calling itself the School of Design, and its ruler was to be Rex (the organization is now known as the "Rex Organization"). The group of young men who founded the Rex Organization hoped not only to entertain the Grand Duke, but also to create a daytime parade that would be attractive and fun for the citizens of the city and their guests. They selected one of their members, Lewis J. Salomon, the organization's fund-raiser to be the first Rex, King of Carnival. Before he could begin his reign, he had to borrow a crown, scepter, and costume from
Lawrence Barrett, a distinguished Shakespearean actor who was performing
Richard III at the Varieties Theater. At the same time, Lydia Thompson's tour had reached New Orleans and the Bluebeard burlesque was staged at the Academy of Music on St. Charles Avenue. Rumours of the courtship between Alexei and the actress had reached New Orleans and were amplified mainly to ensure a full house. Alexei had already seen the performance and didn't attend, hanging out at the Jockey Club. Besides, his preferences had shifted and he was captivated by the diminutive actress
Lotta Crabtree who had one of the main roles in the play
The Little Detective. Though the encounter was brief, Alexei sent her a gift in Memphis, her next stop after New Orleans. Alexei attended the Rex parade. According to legend, the song "If Ever I Cease to Love", was chosen as anthem of the Rex parade, because it was claimed to be his favorite tune. Actually, the silly song had been written by
George Leybourne and published in London in 1871. The song was already popular in New Orleans before the first Rex parade in 1872. the local adaptation of the lyrics was likely done local journalist
E. C. Hancock whose newspaper had already published a spoof of the song in 1871. The lyrics of the song were adapted to the occasion and changed to: The parade Alexei attended bears little resemblance to present day parades. Rex rode a horse, not a float and the parade that followed was made up largely of the informal maskers and marchers. There were however bands who stopped and played the Russian national anthem in honor of him. Many traditions such as the selection of Rex, the King of the Parade, the Rex anthem, the parade's colors date back to Alexei's visit. The Russian fleet set sail from
Pensacola, Florida of 22 February 1872. It is claimed that hundreds of pounds of iced buffalo meat were carefully stowed aboard. While
Libbie Custer, General Custer's wife, believed Alexei was more interested in "pretty girls and music" than the country he was passing through, Alexei did spend most of his time trying to get an understanding of the country. before sailing on to
Rio de Janeiro where it arrived on 3 June 1872. Alexei entertained Emperor
Pedro II of Brazil and the imperial court aboard the
Svetlana. Sailing to the Far East, the squadron also stopped in
Cape Town,
Batavia,
Singapore, Hong Kong,
Canton and Shanghai Arriving in Japan on 15 October 1872, the Russian squadron cast anchor in
Nagasaki harbour, where Alexei was greeted by the governor. The program included a ceremonial dinner in his honour, visits to the surrounding countryside and a tournament of the 60 best wrestlers of Japan. On 22 October Alexei and his staff visited the little village of
Inasa where a Russian colony lived. The Russian delegation visited two hotels named "Kronstadt" and "Moscow" as well as the Russian cemetery. The Russian squadron left Nagasaki on 24 October, the next
port of call being
Kobe, where he was again greeted by the provincial governor. Alexei also attended a performance at the local theatre in Kobe. On 1 November, the Russian squadron set sail for
Yokohama. On 5 November, the Grand Duke was officially received by Japanese
Emperor Meiji and the following day, viewed a parade of the Japanese armed forces. After a few days, the Emperor, at Alexei's invitation, went to
Yokohama to see the Russian squadron. Following his intervention, 34 Japanese Christians were pardoned by the Emperor and released. On 26 November, the Russian squadron set sail for
Vladivostok reaching the base of the
Russian Pacific Fleet on 5 December nearly a year and a half after it had left Kronstadt. He then returned to St. Petersburg across
Siberia. of Saint Petersburg
Visit to England In 1874, Alexei accompanied his father to England to visit his sister, the Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, recently married to Queen Victoria's son
Prince Alfred. ==Palace of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich==