Sources:
Letters of the Tsaritsa to the Tsar, 1914-1916, published by Duckworth & Co., 1923
The letter:
No. 113.
Tsarskoje Selo, Sept. 5-th 1915
My own beloved Darling,
Grey weather. Again Ivanov & S. army had success — but how hard it is to the north — but God will help, I am sure. Are we getting over more troops there? The misery of having so few railway lines! —
I have nothing of interest to tell you, was yesterday in our lower church fr. 6½-8 & prayed much for you, my Treasure; the evening we spent knitting as usual & soon after 11 to bed. — I must get up & have my hair done before Botkin, as have sent for Rostovtsev at 10 o'clock. — Me kisses zoo. — Well I had Rostovtsev & told him we were going to town & he was to meet us at the station with Apraxin, Neidhardt, Tolstoy, Obolensky & so it was at 3 (& M. D. with the motors met us) & at the station Rostovtsev told them I wished to go & see the refugees. So we went, quite unexpectedly to different, 5 places to see them, a nighthouse wh. stands empty near the Narva gate (as people dont drink & so can find where to sleep) — & there were women & children sleep in two lairs, — next a house where the men are. Many were out looking for work. Then the place they are first brought to, bathed, fed — written down & looked at by the Dr. Then another place, former chocolate fabric, where women & children sleep, all kissed my hands, but many could not speak being Letts, Poles. But they did not look too bad nor too dirty. The worst is to find them work when they have many children. There is an excellent new wooden building with large kitchen, dining passage, baths & sleeping rooms, built in 3 weeks near Packhouses & where the trains can be brought straight. — But now I am tired & cant go to Church. — I wonder if you understood my telegram, written in Ella's style rather — but Ania begged me to do it quickly as Massalov spoke to her by telephone & said Stcherbatov would see you today. — The papers intend bringing in our Friend's name & Anias — here Stcherbatov promised Massalov that he wld. try to stop them, but as it comes fr. Moscou, he did not know how. But it must be forbidden; & Samarin will go on for sure — such a hideous shame, & only so as to drag me in too. — Be severe. And what about Yussupov — he does not intend returning & gave in his demission tho' one never does during war. Is there no capable general who might replace him? — only he must be energetic indeed. All men seem to wear peticoats now! —
Mme Zizi lunched as its her namesday — & then we talked & I explained a lot, at wh. she was most grateful, as it opened her eyes upon many unclear things. You know ramoli Fredericks told Orlov (who repeated it to Zizi) that I felt he disliked me — so he went only disculpiating himself & proving his innocence. Countess Benkendorf told Ania she was delighted he leaves & ought to have long ago, as the things he allowed himself to say were awful. — It was the kind couple Benkendorf that hinted last night to Ania that I shld. go & see the refugees, so I at once did it, as I know meant well & may help people taking more interest in those poor creatures. —
The fabrics began working again — not so in Moscou I fear. —
Kussov wrote (he gets none of Ania's letters & feels very sad we shld. have forgotten him). Is full of the news about You & he explained it all to his men. He longs to say heaps, & things you for sure don't know & wh. are not right, but he cannot risk writing frankly. — Zizi asked me who the General Borissov? is with Alexeiev as she heard, he was not a good man in the Japanese war! —
I was half an hour in Church this morning & then at the hospital (without working) — there were 8 of yr. 3d Rifles fr. here wounded on the 30th — one of them, the first I have ever heard, said one longs for peace; — they chattered a lot! —
Now my Sunshine, dearly beloved Angel, I kiss & bless you & long for you
Ever yr. very own old
Wify.
I told Mitia Den, that you thought of sending the Suite to as many fabricks & workshops as possible, & he found it a brilliant idea & just the thing, as then all will feel your eyes is every where. — Do begin sending them off & make them come with reports to you. — It will make an excellent impression & encourage them working & spur them on. — Get a list of your free Suite (without German names), Dmitri Sheremetiev as he is free. Komarov (as he spoke to you), Viazemsky, Zhilinsky, Silaiev, those who are less "able men" send to quieter & surer places; Mitia Den, Nikolai Mikhailovitch (as he is in a good frame of mind), Kirill — Baranov. But do it now Deary. — Am I boring you, then forgive me, but I must be yr. note-book. Now Miechen writes about the same man as Max & Mavra, Fritzie vouches for him not being a spy & a real Gentleman. — The papers concerning him I think lie in town at the general-staff; it was Nikolasha ordered him to be shut up. He is since beginning of the war in a real cell with a wee window, like a culprit — only let him be kept decently like any officer we have, if one wont exchange him for Costia's a. d. c. He writes to Adini that he was auf einer Studienreise durch den Kaukasus begriffen up in the mountains he heard rumours of impending war, & so he flew off on the shortest road. He reached Kovel July 20 & at the station heard of the declaration of war. The train did not continue. He announced himself as an officer & begged to be permitted to pass over Sweden or Odessa; instead one took him prisoner in a cell at Kiev, where he is still now, regarding him as a spy. He gives his word of honour to Adini that he "was only traveling without any ugly sidedeeds, & that he kept himself far from anything like spying." He suffers away fr. wife & children & not being able to do his duty. — He begs to be exchanged, or at least a better position. Poor Photo, if one has wrongly shut him up in a cell, the quicker one takes him out & treats him as a German officer taken as being in Russia when war was declared, that would only be decent. When Miechen enquired, one said they had (nothing?) against him, Sazonov only said that he had given out he was unmarried or on his honeymoon, in any case not correct, but that means nothing (perhaps there was a croocked novel) & when they begged again, I think Nikolasha or Yanushkevitch one answered that one did not remember why he was shut, but probably they had a reason & therefore he must remain there — that's "weak" as the children would say. — Ah, here Miechen sends me a letter of his wife to Adini. They wanted to travel & he wanted to show her Petrograd & Moscou & take a rest after hard work & freshen up his Russian. They left beginning of July 1914 Stettin. For safety sake her husband took a diplomatic Pass (?). The last moment friends in Kurland told them not to visit them, so they spent 8 days in Petrograd & 8 in Moscou & did sightseeing. There they separated because of her bad health wh. prevented her accomp. him to friends in the Caucasus. She daily got news fr. him, & fr. Tiflis & near there he went to a H. v. Kutschenbach, who during the war was murdered with his wife. Through the german Consul at Tiflis he got a ticket to Berlin over Kalish — but only reached Kovel. — The only red cross German sister, von Passow is his sister in law — she is now here to see the prisoners. Do have him well placed, please he can have his health for ever ruined — & Fritzy vouches for him. If you cant have him exchanged, then at least lodged & with light & good air. Excuse my writing all this, but its good you should know what Adini heard, & one cant be cruel, its not noble & after the war one must speak well of our treatment, we must show that we stand higher than they with their "kultur". —
How I bother you, am so sorry, but its hard for others & you don't persecute as Nikolasha & Yanushkevitch did mercilessly in the Baltic provinces either, & that does not harm the war nor mean peace. —
Goremykin comes to me to-morrow at 3 — tiresome hour, but is only free then. — Tell N. P. that we thank him very much for his letters of thanks & — messages. —
God bless you, once more thousand warm, warm tender kisses Sweetheart. —
Cold & raining.
My love & goodwishes to Dmitri. —
My yesterday's letter I marked wrongly, it must be 344, please correct it. —
Nicholas's telegram:
Telegram. Stavka. 5 September, 1915.
Thanks for letters, Yours and Marie's. It is very sad about Ortipo. I have just received your telegram. Be quite assured of my firmness with Shch. I have written to-day. It is cold, rainy. Tender kisses.
NICKY.
Thanks for letters, Yours and Marie's. It is very sad about Ortipo. I have just received your telegram. Be quite assured of my firmness with Shch. I have written to-day. It is cold, rainy. Tender kisses.
NICKY.
Above: Alexandra. Photo courtesy of Ilya Grigoryev at lastromanovs on VK.
Above: Nicholas. Photo courtesy of Ilya Grigoryev at lastromanovs on VK.
Notes: Letts = Latvians.
Alexandra almost always referred to Grigori Rasputin as "our Friend".
ramoli = exhausted.
"auf einer Studienreise durch den Kaukasus begriffen" = "understood on a study trip through the Caucasus".
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