Brady CDV of Cassius Marcellus Clay with Anthony Backmark

Hard to find Brady CDV of Cassius Marcellus Clay with Anthony Back mark Cassius Marcellus Clay (1810--1903) was an American diplomat and Union general in the American Civil War. Born in White Hall, Kentucky, he graduated from Yale College and served in the Mexican War (1846--48). He was a staunch abolitionist and reformer from the South who often had to defend his life and assets against threats by slaveholding interests. During the Civil War, he served as the U.S. minister to Russia from 1861 to 1862 and again from 1863 to 1869. He is credited with gaining Russian support for the Union and in 1867 he was involved in the negotiation of the Alaskan purchase. He left the position briefly in 1862 to serve as major general in the Union army.