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This letter to President Lincoln, possibly from then former Ohio Senator Thomas Ewing, reflects some of the concerns within the Northern public as the Trent Affair dragged on. Written only a few weeks before the captured Confederate diplomats were…

Thurlow Weed, a Republican politician, was operating in London throughout the Civil War, acting as an unofficial agent for the Lincoln administration's efforts to placate British opinion on the war. This letter to Sec. Seward, dated December 4, 1861,…

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…

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…

Henry Hotze was a Swiss-born immigrant to the United States who would become one of the Confederacy's prominent propaganda agents abroad. Operating as a journalist in Alabama prior to the war, Hotze would later enter into work for the Confederate…

The impact of the Trent Affair shook public attitudes in Northern society, with some clamoring for war with Britain and others cautioning against the risks of such a confrontation. The Prince de Joinville, a son of French nobility residing in the…

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…

Following the diplomatic tensions caused by the Trent Affair in late 1861, American efforts in foreign policy concentrated on generating more amiable relations with nations interested in the effects of the Civil War. This direction pushed Secretary…

Pursued by Union warships after its final cruises in the Far East, the Alabama is cornered in the French port of Cherbourg by the USS Kearsarge. Captain Raphael Semmes moves to damaged ship into a final engagement, where it soon sinks. The Deerhound,…

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,…