Concerning secondary analyses of the international aspects of the American Civil War, attention to the subject has grown since the centennial celebrations of the event in the mid-20th century. In the last several decades, numerous authors have built upon the interpretations of the late 19th and early 20th century historians that discussed the subject. Modern narratives have broadened it’s role in the course of the conflict, and debated the nature of public opinion or the role of figures like Lincoln in the development American foreign policy.
Below is a list of prominent secondary materials useful in developing a broader understanding of diplomacy’s role in the Civil War, from the Anglo-American relationship to wider examination of American ties abroad. Offering narrative accounts, in-depth analyses, or targeted interpretation of specific issues, each would be of interest to those seeking to learn more about these elements of Civil War history.
General Narratives:
Doyle, Don Harrison. The Cause of All Nations: An International History of the American Civil War. New York: Basic Books, 2015.
Foreman, Amanda. A World on Fire: Britain’s Crucial Role in the American Civil War. Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2012.
Jones, Howard. Blue & Gray Diplomacy: A History of Union and Confederate Foreign Relations. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2010.
Mahin, Dean. One War at a Time: The International Dimensions of the American Civil War. Washington D.C.: Brassey’s, 2000.
Issues at Sea (Trent, Alabama, Maritime Neutrality)
Chaffin, Tom. Sea of Gray: The Around-the-world Odyssey of the Confederate Raider Shenandoah. New York: Hill and Wang, 2006.
Mersi, Frank J. The Alabama, British Neutrality, and the American Civil War. Edited by David M. Fahey. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004.
Symonds, Craig. The Civil War at Sea. Oxford University Press, 2012.
Warren, Gordon H. Fountain of Discontent: The Trent Affair and Freedom of the Seas. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1981.
American and British Propaganda and Opinion
Blackett, R.J.M. Divided Hearts: Britain and the American Civil War. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2001.
Burnett, Lonnie. Henry Hotze, Confederate Propagandist: Selected Writings on Revolution, Recognition, and Race. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008.
Campbell, Duncan Andrew. English Public Opinion and the American Civil War. Suffolk: Boydell & Brewer, Royal Historical Society, 2003.
Dubrulle, Hugh. Ambivalent Nation: How Britain Imagined the American Civil War. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2018.
Sebrell, Thomas E. Persuading John Bull: Union and Confederate Propaganda in Britain, 1860–1865. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2014.
Springer, Paul. Propaganda from the American Civil War. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2019.