Download The Trent Affair: The Diplomatic Incident That Nearly Brought Great Britain into the American Civil War AudioBook Free
"Mr. Seward... is exerting himself to provoke a quarrel with all Europe, in that spirit of senseless egotism which induces the People in america, with their dwarf fleet and shapeless mass of incoherent squads which they call an military, to fancy themselves the equivalent of France by land and Great Britain by sea." - The London Chronicle In November 1861, the American Civil Warfare was still a relatively young issue, and both edges were still jockeying for the higher side. The Confederates had won the First Challenge of Bull Run in July, and there was not any major battles in the Western, but the Union had also pushed the Confederates out of Western Virginia and George McClellan was going to organize the Army of the Potomac for an offensive against Richmond. A few months before then, Confederate Leader Jefferson Davis had sent out diplomatic agents to Europe in efforts to win reputation among major European powers, and also to place even more pressure on the position quo, Southern vendors actually refused to export egyptian cotton, hoping the utter weight of economics would compel them to help. As historian Charles Hubbard described, "Davis left foreign insurance plan to others in authorities and, rather than expanding an intense diplomatic work, tended to anticipate events to accomplish diplomatic objectives. The brand new president was focused on the notion that egyptian cotton would secure reputation and legitimacy from the capabilities of Europe. One of the Confederacy's strongest expectations at the time was the belief that the English, fearing a damaging effect on their textile mills, would identify the Confederate Claims and break the Union blockade."
