The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland remained officially neutral throughout the American Civil War. It legally recognized the belligerent status of the Confederate States of America but nev
U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward (c. 1850)
British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston
Britain's shortage of cotton was partially made up by imports from India and Egypt; Punch cartoon November 16, 1861.
This statue of US President Abraham Lincoln in Manchester, England, commemorates the support of local cotton workers for the Union
Trent Affair
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The Trent Affair was a diplomatic incident in 1861 during the American Civil War that threatened a war between the United States and the United Kingdom. The U.S. Navy captured two Confederate envoys f
United Kingdom and the American Civil War
…for securing independence was based largely on the hope of military intervention by Britain and France. A serious diplomatic dispute erupted over the "Trent Affair" in late 1861 but was resolved peacefully after five weeks. British intervention was likely only in co-operation with France, which had an imperialistic…
The San Jacinto (right) stopping the Trent
U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward (1801–1872) (c. 1860–1865)
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell (1792–1878)