Browse Items (35 total)

The Trent, a British packet ship transporting to England two Confederate diplomats, James Mason and John Slidell, had left Havana, Cuba on November 7th, 1861. Captain Charles Wilkes of the USS San Jacinto became aware of the diplomats' movements and…

Former President Fillmore's letter to the current executive reflects the growing view among prominent American politicians that war with Britain, increasingly probable as the Trent Affair continued, was undesriable and disadvantageuous to the…

The second of a pair of images printed by Harper's Weekly concerning the British response to the Morril Tariff's passage. This illustration reflects the aftermath of the Tariff, in which the economic interests of the United Kingdom have usurped the…

The first in a pair of images printed by Harper's Weekly shortly after the start of the Civil War, focusing on British responses to the recently passed Morrill Tariff. In a move unpopular with foreign industrial producers such as Britain, the U.S.…

The son of President John Quincy Adams, Charles Francis Adams served as the primary Union diplomat in its interactions with Great Britain throughout the Civil War. A prominent statesman prior to the outbreak of war, Adams worked tirelessly to…

Accompanying the formal British response to the Trent Affair, which was edited and toned down by Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, Foreign Minister Earl Russell included additional instructions for Lord Lyons. Desiring an explanation from…

Serving as Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston guided Britain through, or better put, around the affairs of the American Civil War. The leader of the nation most likely to intervene in the conflict, and at times Palmerston faced the temptation to do so.…

Thurlow Weed was one of several prominent Americans abroad in Europe during the American Civil War. Primarily operating in the area of London, Weed was effectively on an unofficial diplomatic mission. His work and connections in Great Britain enabled…

James M. Mason played an important role for Confederate activity in the United Kingdom, organizing funds and the purchase of supplies and ships. Following his arrest and release as part of the Trent Affair of 1861, Mason began his work in London,…

This print, likely published in the first years of the war, conveys some of the fears Americans had concerning the sympathies and interests of Britain. Would the anti-slavery sympathies that had grown over the course of the 19th century falter in the…