An Old Unreconstructed
I rode with old Jeb Stuart, and his band of Southern horse,
And there never were no Yankees, who could meet us force to force.
No they never did defeat us, but we never could evade,
Their dirty foreign politics, and cowardly blockade.
Waylon Jennings
A good video on the diplomatic aspect of the Civil War. Considering how often conflicts had sparked between Great Britain and the United States over the years between the Revolution and the Civil War, and that Secretary of State Seward had the hare brained notion at the beginning of the conflict that war with Britain would re-unify the nation, it is remarkable that the Lincoln administration was able to avoid European intervention in the conflict. Of course the Union was helped by the stark fact that such intervention would have been an arduous undertaking, and that any possible payoff for such intervention simply would not have been worth the blood and treasure it would have cost. Although the Confederacy elicited a fair amount of sympathy abroad, no European nation wanted to get into a war with the United States in a trans-oceanic conflict of little practical value to any European state. It also helped that France was no longer competing with Great Britain for global dominance, unlike during the American Revolution, and that the Pax Britannica was well-established. A more turbulent Europe at that time might have produced a different result.
‘Wag the dog’ it appears is an old idea traced back to the 1870’s.
https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/wag-the-dog/
Antietam and the Proclamation torpedoed recognition hopes.
After that, the South knew they needed to give up slavery or just win the War to win recognition.
They flatly refused to do the former and couldn’t quite do the latter, though they came breathtakingly close.
I’m actually reading a book about this right now; “A World on Fire” by Amanda Foreman.
First rate book! Linked below is my review:
https://the-american-catholic.com/2011/09/14/the-civil-war-amanda-foreman-oxford-nudity-and-large-families/
Is Waylon a Democrat?
Before Gettysburg both sides had no respect for Union Cavalry. Union infantry would taunt, “I never saw a dead cavalryman.”
After Gettysburg, it was big wins for the Union Cavalry. Maybe, if Stuart hadn’t committed suicide (like Epstein) they would have won the war. Not!
One thing playing against European, e.g., Great Britain, intervention was the Union threat to unleash privateers on belligerent shipping. The Confederacy inflicted significant damage on US merchant marine with one or two raiders. One hundred US raiders would have been quite effective.
Additionally, Britain covertly assisted the CSA in building, arming and equipping its raiders, After the war, the US got a world court decision wherein GB paid $15 million for its CSA raiders wrongdoing.
Recognition of the Confederacy was a real possibility. Lincoln’s address at Gettysburg stopped the possibility by turning the war into one for the eradication of slaveryu. A brilliant political move on his part, despite the document’s shortcomings in practical effect if actual read through. It’s other sinister attempt to ignite a slave rebellion with its attack on the civilians not at war failed miserably, to the everlastingly credit of those in bondage as they could have wrought much terror, murder and mayhem on these women and children. I was born I 1946, the years the South was beginning to emerge from the effects of
Reconstruction. Before you go after me allow me to say I realizes your perspective has been gained from different books (probably now the same). While different perspectives may exist on this sad war and aftermath, hopefully likeminded people can unite in this election to stop the party of baby killers, socialists, and moral degenerates. I truly believe it is our last chance.
E