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Overview
CONTENTS OF VOLUME ONE
CHAPTER PAGE
I. BACKGROUNDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
II. FIRST KNOWLEDGE OF IMPENDING CONFLICT, 1860-61 . . . 35
III. THE DEVELOPMENT OF A POLICY, MAY, 1861 . . . . . . 76
IV. BRITISH SUSPICION OF SEWARD . . . . . . . . . . 113
V. THE DECLARATION OF PARIS NEGOTIATION . . . . . . . 137
VI. BULL RUN; CONSUL BUNCH; COTTON, AND MERCIER . . . . 172
VII. THE "TRENT" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
VIII. THE BLOCKADE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
IX. ENTER MR. LINDSAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PART ONE
LORD JOHN RUSSELL . . . . . . . . . _Frontispiece_
_From Trevelyan's "Garibaldi and the Making of
Italy_"
LORD LYONS (1860) . . . . . . . . . _facing p_. 42
_From Lord Newton's "Life of Lord Lyons" (Edward
Arnold & Co_.)
SIR WILLIAM GREGORY, K.C.M.G. . . . . . " 90
_From Lady Gregory's "Sir William Gregory,
K.C.M.G.: An Autobiography"_ (_John Murray_)
WILLIAM HENRY SEWARD . . . . . . . . " 114
_From Lord Newton's "Life of Lord Lyons"_ (_Edward
Arnold & Co._)
C.F. ADAMS . . . . . . . . . . . " 138
_From a photograph in the United States Embassy,
London_
JAMES M. MASON . . . . . . . . . . " 206
_From a photograph by L.C. Handy, Washington_
"KING COTTON BOUND" . . . . . . . . " 262
_Reproduced by permission of the Proprietors of
"Punch"_
GREAT BRITAIN AND THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
CHAPTER I
BACKGROUNDS
In 1862, less than a year after he had assumed his post in London, the
American Minister, Charles Francis Adams, at a time of depression and
bitterness wrote to Secretary of State Seward: "That Great Britain did,
in the most terrible moment of our domestic trial in struggling with a
monstrous social evil she had earnestly professed to abhor, coldly and
at once assume our inability to master it, and then become the only
foreign nation steadily contributing in every indirect way possible to
verify its judgment, will probably be the verdict made against her by
posterity, on calm comparison of the evidence[1]." Very different were
the views of Englishmen. The historian, George Grote, could write: "The
perfect neutrality [of Great Britain] in this destructive war appears to
me almost a phenomenon in political history. No such forbearance has
been shown during the political history of the last two centuries. It is
the single case in which the English Government and public--generally so
meddlesome--have displayed most prudent and commendable forbearance in
spite of great temptations to the contrary[2]." And Sir William
Harcourt, in September, 1863, declared: "Among all Lord Russell's many
titles to fame and to public gratitude, the manner in which he has
steered the vessel of State through the Scylla and Charybdis of the
American War will, I think, always stand conspicuous[3]."
Minister Adams, in the later years of the Civil War, saw reason somewhat
to modify his earlier judgment, but his indictment of Great Britain was
long prevalent in America, as, indeed, it was also among the historians
and writers of Continental Europe--notably those of France and Russia.
To what extent was this dictum justified? Did Great Britain in spite of
her long years of championship of personal freedom and of leadership in
the cause of anti-slavery seize upon the opportunity offered in the
disruption of the American Union, and forgetting humanitarian idealisms,
react only to selfish motives of commercial advantage and national
power? In brief, how is the American Civil War to be depicted by
historians of Great Britain, recording her attitude and action in both
foreign and domestic policy, and revealing the principles of her
statesmen, or the inspirations of her people?
It was to answer this question that the present work was originally
undertaken; but as investigation proceeded it became progressively more
clear that the great crisis in America was almost equally a crisis in
the domestic history of Great Britain itself and that unless this were
fully appreciated no just estimate was possible of British policy toward
America.
CHAPTER PAGE
I. BACKGROUNDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
II. FIRST KNOWLEDGE OF IMPENDING CONFLICT, 1860-61 . . . 35
III. THE DEVELOPMENT OF A POLICY, MAY, 1861 . . . . . . 76
IV. BRITISH SUSPICION OF SEWARD . . . . . . . . . . 113
V. THE DECLARATION OF PARIS NEGOTIATION . . . . . . . 137
VI. BULL RUN; CONSUL BUNCH; COTTON, AND MERCIER . . . . 172
VII. THE "TRENT" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
VIII. THE BLOCKADE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
IX. ENTER MR. LINDSAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PART ONE
LORD JOHN RUSSELL . . . . . . . . . _Frontispiece_
_From Trevelyan's "Garibaldi and the Making of
Italy_"
LORD LYONS (1860) . . . . . . . . . _facing p_. 42
_From Lord Newton's "Life of Lord Lyons" (Edward
Arnold & Co_.)
SIR WILLIAM GREGORY, K.C.M.G. . . . . . " 90
_From Lady Gregory's "Sir William Gregory,
K.C.M.G.: An Autobiography"_ (_John Murray_)
WILLIAM HENRY SEWARD . . . . . . . . " 114
_From Lord Newton's "Life of Lord Lyons"_ (_Edward
Arnold & Co._)
C.F. ADAMS . . . . . . . . . . . " 138
_From a photograph in the United States Embassy,
London_
JAMES M. MASON . . . . . . . . . . " 206
_From a photograph by L.C. Handy, Washington_
"KING COTTON BOUND" . . . . . . . . " 262
_Reproduced by permission of the Proprietors of
"Punch"_
GREAT BRITAIN AND THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
CHAPTER I
BACKGROUNDS
In 1862, less than a year after he had assumed his post in London, the
American Minister, Charles Francis Adams, at a time of depression and
bitterness wrote to Secretary of State Seward: "That Great Britain did,
in the most terrible moment of our domestic trial in struggling with a
monstrous social evil she had earnestly professed to abhor, coldly and
at once assume our inability to master it, and then become the only
foreign nation steadily contributing in every indirect way possible to
verify its judgment, will probably be the verdict made against her by
posterity, on calm comparison of the evidence[1]." Very different were
the views of Englishmen. The historian, George Grote, could write: "The
perfect neutrality [of Great Britain] in this destructive war appears to
me almost a phenomenon in political history. No such forbearance has
been shown during the political history of the last two centuries. It is
the single case in which the English Government and public--generally so
meddlesome--have displayed most prudent and commendable forbearance in
spite of great temptations to the contrary[2]." And Sir William
Harcourt, in September, 1863, declared: "Among all Lord Russell's many
titles to fame and to public gratitude, the manner in which he has
steered the vessel of State through the Scylla and Charybdis of the
American War will, I think, always stand conspicuous[3]."
Minister Adams, in the later years of the Civil War, saw reason somewhat
to modify his earlier judgment, but his indictment of Great Britain was
long prevalent in America, as, indeed, it was also among the historians
and writers of Continental Europe--notably those of France and Russia.
To what extent was this dictum justified? Did Great Britain in spite of
her long years of championship of personal freedom and of leadership in
the cause of anti-slavery seize upon the opportunity offered in the
disruption of the American Union, and forgetting humanitarian idealisms,
react only to selfish motives of commercial advantage and national
power? In brief, how is the American Civil War to be depicted by
historians of Great Britain, recording her attitude and action in both
foreign and domestic policy, and revealing the principles of her
statesmen, or the inspirations of her people?
It was to answer this question that the present work was originally
undertaken; but as investigation proceeded it became progressively more
clear that the great crisis in America was almost equally a crisis in
the domestic history of Great Britain itself and that unless this were
fully appreciated no just estimate was possible of British policy toward
America.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940013836259 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | SAP |
| Publication date: | 12/11/2011 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 625 KB |
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