TH E T R E NT A F F A I R
I N C LU D I N G A
R E VI E
W OF
E N G LI SH A N D A MER ICA N R E LA TI ONS
A T T H E B E GI N N I N G O F T H E CI VIL
BY T H OMA S L
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WI T H
J AME S A
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WA R
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A N I NTR O D U C I I O N B Y
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WO OD BU R N
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PH D
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Pmtes sor of A me rican H istory I n the I ndia na Un i versity
T HE
I N D IA N A POLI S
B O BB S M E R R I LL CO MPA N Y
PUB LI SH E R S
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Copyright 1 896
av
T H E B OWE N
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ME R RILL COMPA N Y
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CON T E N TS
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I
CH A PT E R
I
II
III
N TR
O D U CT I O N
7
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l ti ons w it h
E g li s h Sy m p a t hy fo r th e Co n fe d e ra cy
T h e O e s ti o o f C o n fe d e ra te
I V T h e O e e n s N e u tra lity P r o c l a m a ti o n
V E n gli s h N e g o ti a ti o n s w it h th e
V I M r S e w a rd s Circu l a r to th e G o ve r n o r s o f th e
N o rt h e rn
V I I T h e F ir st E ffo rts o f th e Co nfe d e r a t e s fo r R e cogn i
ti o n A b ro a d
T he N a
V III J a m e s M u rr ay M a so n and J o h n S lid e ll
tu r e a n d M e rits o f T h e ir
I X T h e D e p a rtu re o f th e Com m i s si o n e r s fo r
X T h e S e izu r e
X I T h e E ffe c t in A m e ri c a
X II T h e E ffe c t i n
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O O OO O O O O O O O O O O O O O O OO O O OO O O O O O O O .
Briti s h D e m and i n
X V V i e w s o f O th e r E u r o p e a n N a ti o n s Co nce rn i n g th e
T re nt
X V I T h e A n sw e r o f th e F e d e r a l
X V I I T h e Su rre n d e r o f M so n a n d
X V III E a rl R usse ll s V i e w o f th e A m e ri can Po s iti o n
X I X I nte r n ati o na l L aw in th e T re nt
X X R e fl e cti o n s o n th e Co u r se o f th e Briti sh G ove rn
XI V
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Co n s id e ra ti o n
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. OO O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
( S)
MB Q UQ I Q
I N T R ODUCT I ON
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h istory of the dipl o matic relation s b e tw ee n G r e at
B r i t ai n a n d the Un i t ed Sta t es suggests an interesting and
valuab l e fi eld to t he st u d e nt o f An glo A me ri c an hist o ry
a n d i n te rn at ion al l aw I t is a fertile fi eld st i ll largely
u nw o rked N o on e so fa r a s I k n o w h as yet ven t u r ed
u p on an e x h au stiv e an d c onn ec t e d di scu ssion o f the im
p o rta nt subj ects w hich this theme i nvo lves One o f the
mo st i n teresti n g a n d u nw ritte n chapters i n this hist o ry is
t o be f o u n d i n the relations be tween Great B r itain a n d
the U nited States du r i n g our civil war as ill u strated in
th e c a se o f t he Tr e nt an d t he di scu ssion to w h i ch this
case gave rise Mu ch has bee n writ ten o n t his cele
Mr Harris has set fo r himself the task o f
b r a te d case
exami n i n g the literature o f the subject o f reviewing the
original material and placing in brief and accessible
shape the imp o rtant a n d esse n tial features o f the dis
All wh o wish a ready access to a faithful r e
c u ssio n
vie w and c o mple t e resume o f this n o table chapter in o ur
f o reign rel ati on s w ill appreciate h i s service
The right o f se arch i s historicall y a very i n teresti n g
subject On tw o no table o ccas i on s it brought u s int o
seri o us c o ll i s io n with Gre at B r itai n O n e o f these occa
sions was in the war of 1 8 1 2 the o ther in the a ffair of
THE
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I N T R OD U C T I ON
8
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the Tr e nt in 1 86 1
The war of 1 8 1 2 I s to b e stu di e d
c hi e fly as a p art of the history of internati o nal l aw Th e
r e ader who tu rns his a ttenti o n t o this war will th er e
for e desire to bring wi thin his vie w the history of th e
a ffair o f the Trent The merits of the two dis c ussions
in 1 80 6 1 8 1 2 a n d 1 8 6 1 are i n separable M r Madis o n
a nd Mr S ew ard the A m eri can contributors to th e dipl o
m ati c l iterat u re o f this discuss ion are to b e c onsider e d
to gether I t will thus b e seen that a co m petent a c c o u nt
of the cas e of the Trent a n d the principl e s of publi c
law which it involves brings w ithin the vi e w a pr e tty
W ide ra n ge o f h i st o rical d i scu ssi on
One o f the pr o mine n t c auses o f th e war 1 8 1 2 was th e
right then clai m ed by Great B r i t ai n o f sear ching th e
vessels of the Unit e d States u po n the high s e as for
British s u bj ects with th e purpos e of i m pressing the m
into the serv ice o f th e British navy The w ay in whi ch
Great Bri t ain exercised this pow e r of s ea r ch did m or e
than all other causes c o mbi n ed to aro u s e i rritation and
antagonis m in A m erica Mr Webst e r in his c orr e
L
o
rd
Ashburton
in
gav
e
an
s o n d e n ce with
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p
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A m erican de fi niti o n o f this a ss u med righ t
E ngl a nd
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“
asserts th e right
says M r W eb st e r of i m pressing
British subje cts in ti m e of war o u t of neutral ships and
o f deciding by h e r visiting offi cers who am ong th e c rew
of s u ch merchant ships are British s ub j e c ts S he asserts
this as a legal prerogativ e of the crow n wh i ch p r e r o ga
tive is alleged to be fo un ded o n the E nglish l aw of per
e tu al a nd indiss o luble allegiance of th e s u bject and h is
p
obligation u n d e r all c ir cum stan ce s a nd for his whol e
life to r e nd e r m ilit ary s e rvi ce to the c rown whe n e v e r t e
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I N T R OD U C T I ON
9
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G rea t Britain d id not reno u n c e this righ t a t Ghe nt
1 8 14,
in
nor has she at a ny ti m e si nc e spe c i fi cally s u rr e n
d e red it But the right of search for s uc h a p u rpos e a s
E ngl and then asserted it is now ob solet e
I t is saf e to
say th at it w ill never again b e attempted in time of war
agai n st a ny vessel fly i ng a neutr al flag
American
dipl o macy has co ntrib u ted not a littl e t o this d e s i rable
result
In 1 86 1 a publ ic arm ed v e ssel of th e U nit e d States
f o rcibly searched an E n glish mail ste a me r for the pur
p o se o f recoveri n g cert a i n ge n tlemen w h o were cla i med
as c i t i zen subjects of the Unit ed States The act w as
not o n e o f h o s t il ity t o ward E n gla n d n o r as an ac t o f
search was it nearly so prov o k in g as m any which had
b e en previously commit t ed by Great Britain agai n st
u s The case arisi n g o u t o f this se izur e is a s u bj ec t of
the fi rst imp o rta n ce i n o ur n a tional hist o ry and the r e
s u lt of the case with the diplomatic disc u ssion between
Mr Seward and Lord Lyons m ay be s aid t o have
fi nally established as per m anent publi c l aw the princi
ple underlyi n g the precedi n g hist o ri c A m eri ca n co n te n
ti o n o n th is s u bject The histo r y of the c as e its p o liti
c al aspects the diplomatic discuss ions to whi c h it gave
rise th e principles o f l aw which it has helped t o estab
lish the o pini o ns o f eminent p u blicists the c o nclusions
of i n ternational law and the rel ation o f the c ase to pre
c eding discussi o ns —th e s e theme s indi c ate th e sc o pe of
M r Harris s essay
JA M E S A W O OD B UR N
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n dia na
U n i v er s i ty
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CHAP T E R L
RE
L AT I O N S WI T H
E
N G L AND .
U ND I S T UR B E D relations h ave n ot a lways e xi st e d b e
tween the two gr eat bra n ches o f the A n gl o Sax o n ra ce o n
opp o site s ides o f the Atlantic The E nglish c o l o nies in
the New W orld qu arreled conti nu ally with their m other
cou n try F i n al l y revol u ti o n and war e n abled the colo
n i sts to free themselves from E nglish r u l e
alth o u gh
caus e s of dispute have ever c on ti n ued t o exist A co n
tin u o u s record o f the i n ternational diffi c u lties betw e en
the United States a n d E n gla n d wo u ld f o r m no in co n
s id e r ab l e part o f American hist ory
An alm o st u nbroken s u ccession of disp u t e s ha s o c on
pied the atten t i o n o f statesmen in both c ou n tries for
mo re than a ce n tu ry The Fede r al government had
scar ce l y been o rganized when the fi rst seri ou s caus e of
tr0uble a r o se E n gla n d claimed the right f o rcibly to
v is i t and sea r ch American merch ant vessels on the high
s eas in tim e o f peace
Th o us a n ds o f American c i tizens
havi n g been impressed in t o the British naval se rvice
the a rbitrament o f wa r w a s resorted to This did not
decide th e m atter The abstract right of search and
seizure was steadil y ma i ntai n ed by E n gland fo r al m ost
ha lf a ce ntu ry after the cl o se o f the w a r of 1 8 1 2 A n
11 )
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TR E N T A F F A I R
TH E
12
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a tt em pt to p u t it into practice a gain off the c o ast of
C u b a in th e spring o f 1 85 8 c a u s e d a n o u tbu rst of pop
u lar indignation in every part of the Unit e d Sta t e s a nd
A me rican war v e ssels in C u b a n w a ters w e re im m e di
a tely ordered to r e s e nt s u c h ou tr a ges at all hazards
This looked l ik e war a n d wi thout further delay Grea t
B r itain ab and o ned the cl aim fo r which s h e had so long
1
co ntended
B o u n da ry d isputes w ere a ca u se o f m u ch
agitati o n f o r m a ny years Lo n g a n d tedi o us neg o tiati o n
was required t o adjust the n o rt hw es t ern b o undary of th e
U nited S t ates between Ma i n e a n d New Brun swick
Alth o ugh the Ame ri can cla i ms in this regi on w e re ably
presented a n d fai r ly established B ri tish writers ha v e
repeatedly asserted that the Un ited S t ates g o vernment
in this i n s t ance accomplished its pu rp o ses by me ans
which were u nfair u nj ust and en t irely u nworthy of
2
mo dern diplo m acy
Scar ce ly had a trea ty been concl u ded by which this
b ou n dary was settled when the Oreg o n question beca me
o n e o f g r eat p ro mi n e n ce
a n d in 1 844 the allitera t iv e
”
campaig n cry o f fi fty four f o rty o r fi ght testi fi e d to
the serious character o f the d ispute A settlement was
fi nally effected by c on ced in g m o st o f the E n glish cl aims
al thou gh e x President John Quincy Ad ams and o ther
e qu ally n o ted Americans pr o tested against what see m ed
to them a disgraceful surre n der The details o f the
vario u s controvers i es ca u sed by E nglish cond u ct d u ring
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ri c a n D ipl o m acy pp 2 62 3
3
Lo d o n a
te ly R e vi e w N o 2 2 1 p 2 6 1 ; We st m i n ste r
R e vi e w V o l x x 1 pp 2 2 2 3 F o a fu ll di scu s i o o f th e n o rt h
w e ste rn b ound ary q u e s ti o n s e e Wi n so r s N a rra tive a nd Crit
i cal H istory o f A m e ri ca V o l V I I p 1 80
1
yl e r s
See S c h u
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D I SP U T E S
WI
TH
GR E A T B R I T A I N
13
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th e A me ri c an c ivil war a re fresh in the memo ry o f a
gen e ration still l iving I n o ur o wn time fi shery disp u te s
h av e tested th e skill of diplomatists in both co u ntries
Th e re h a s prob ably never been a ti m e ho w ever bri e f
in th e history o f the United States when ab sol u tely no
c a u se of differe n ce existed betw een the two nations At
th e pr e sent date ( 1 895 ) o n e h u ndred seven pres idential
me ssages r e viewing the state o f the cou n try hav e been
s u b m itted to th e A m erican c o ngr ess at th e o peni n g of
its regu lar sessions I t is a s i gn i fi ca n t fact th a t seventy
e ight of th e s e mess ages —almost th r ee fo urths of the m
—h av e c all e d the attention o f c on gress to diffi culties of
mo r e or l e ss importance w ith G reat Britain To the
s e v e nty e igh t me ss a ges of the l atter class e v e ry pre s i
d e nt h as c ontrib u t e d e xcept Garfi eld T aylor and Will
ia m H e nry Harrison
Toward the clos e o f th e year 1 860 how e v e r Britis h
and A m erican i n ternati on al affairs had ass ume d a much
mo re favorable aspect than u sual All o f the m ost
perplexing a n d da n ger o us q u esti o ns which had s o l on g
distu rbed the relati on s o f th e two co un tries had b e en
p e ace ably a n d fi nally settled This result gav e the
gre atest satisfacti o n to th e people and government o f
th e United Stat e s I n his message to congress at the
op e ni n g o f the sessi o n in December 1 8 60 President
“
Buchanan said :
Our rel ati o ns wi th Great Brit ai n ar e
of the most friendly character Sinc e th e c o mm enc e
m ent of m y ad m i n istration the two d angerous q u estions
a rising fro m the Clayt o n Bulw e r tre aty a n d from the
righ t of se a rch cl a i m ed by the British government h av e
b ee n a m i cab ly a nd honorab ly a dju st e d T he d is c ord ant
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A F F AI R
TR E N T
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c o nstr u ctions o f th e Clayt o n Bulwer tre a ty whi ch at
di fferen t peri o ds o f the discussi o n bore a threat e ni n g
aspect have resulted in a fi n al settle m ent entirely satis
factory t o this gover nm ent
“
I t m ust be a s o urce of sincere satisfac tion to all
classes o f o ur fellow c i t i zens and especially to those e n
gaged in foreign com m erce that the clai m o n the part o f
Great Britain forcibly t o visit a nd search A me rican
m ercha n t vessels o n the high seas in tim e o f peace h as
been ab andoned This was by far the mo st da n g e r o us
qu estion t o the pea c e o f the tw o n ati o ns which has ex
Wh i le it re m ained O pen
iste d s ince the war o f 1 8 1 2
they m ight at a ny m o m ent have been precipitate d into a
w ar
“
The o nly questi o n o f any i m porta n ce which still
rema i ns o pen is the disputed title between the two
governments t o the I sland o f S an J u an in the vicin ity
”
I t was e vident that both
o f Washi n gt o n territ o ry
c o untri e s were expecting this q uesti o n t o be settled with
o u t any trouble
“
The pres ide n t also s aid in the s a me m essage :
The
recent visit o f the Pri n ce o f Wales in a private ch arac
ter to the pe o ple o f this c ou n try has pr o ved t o be a m o st
a uspicio u s eve n t In its c onsequences it can not fail to
increase the kindred and kindly feel ings which I tru st
m ay ever actu ate the g o vern m ent a n d pe o ple o f b o th
co u ntries in their political and s o cial i n terc o urse with
”
e a c h other
L ord Lyons the British m inist e r at Washi n gton tru ly
s aid o f this me ssage that its lang u age was the m o st cor
dia l in c h ara c te r of any whi ch had ev e r a ppe a r e d in
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VI S I T
OF
P R I N CE
TH E
WA L E
OF
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1
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5
s uch a c o mmu nicati o n Th e B r itish g o vern m ent and
peopl e app e ared t o apprecia t e t he friendship a n d good
feeling for them w h i ch prevailed i n the Un i t ed States at
that ti m e As an evide n ce o f th i s fact Quee n Victoria
se n t her so n the Pri n ce o f Wa l es o n a vis i t t o th e
U n i t ed Sta t es i n the l atter pa r t o f the year 1 860—th e
even t referred t o in Pres i de nt Bucha n a n s message The
Prince was rece ived everywhere w i th the hearty and
enthusiastic w el come wh i ch w a s d u e to s u ch a distin
i
u
h
e
f
s
d
pers
o
nage
A
ter
t
he
v
isit
had
terminat
e
d
th
e
g
British minister at Washi n gt o n was di r e cted to e xpress
the thanks o f her maj esty a n d to say to the p res ident
and citize n s o f the U n ited S t ates that o n e of the m ain
o bjects wh ich she had i n vie w in s a n c t i onin g the vis it o f
“
her so n to Americ a was t o pr o ve the si n ceri ty o f th o se
se n timents o f es t eem a n d r egard w hich her majesty a n d
all classes o f her subjects e n tertai n fo r t he k in dred ra c e
which o ccupies s o disti n gu ished a p o sit io n i n the c o m
”
“
m u nity o f n atio n s
Her m ajes ty trus t s c o ntin u ed
“
the British m i nister that the feeli n g o f c o nfi de n ce and
affecti o n o f wh i ch late e v ents have pr o ved be yo nd all
question the existence will l on g c on ti n ue to prevail b e
tween the two c oun t r ies to their mutu al adva n tage and
to the general in t erests o f civil izati o n and huma n ity I
a m c o m m a nded t o state t o the preside nt th a t the queen
wo u ld be grati fi ed by his m ak in g kn o w n ge n erally to
the citizens o f the United States her grate fu l sense of
the kindness with which they recei v ed her s o n who has
retu rned to E ngl and deepl y i m pressed with all he saw
during his pr o gress thro u gh the states a n d m o re espe
so
with
the
friendly
and
c
ordial
good
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ani
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16
TR E N T
TH E
A F F AI R
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fe ste d tow ards
hi m on ev e ry o c casion a n d by all c l a ss e s
” 1
of the com m u nity
This m essage was promptly answered by th e A m eri
c an assistant secr e tary o f state who said am o ng other
“
things :
I am instru c t ed by t he preside n t to express
the grati fi cati o n with which he has learned how cor
r e ctly her m ajesty has appre c iated the spirit in which
h is royal highness was re c eived thr ou ghout the republ i c
a n d the cordial manifestation o f that spirit by th e peopl e
of the United States which accompanied hi m in every
step of h i s progress Her m aj esty has justly rec o gnized
that th e visit o f her so n arou sed the ki n d and generous
sym pathies of o u r citize n s a nd if I m ay s o speak has
cr e at e d an a l m ost personal inter e st in the fort u nes of th e
royalty w h ich he so well represents Th e president
tr u sts th a t this sy m pathy and interest towards the futu r e
r e pr e s e ntativ e of th e sovereignty o f Great Britain are
a t once an evid e nce and a gu aranty o f that c o nsci ou s
n e ss o f co m m o n interest an d mutu al regard w hich have
bo u nd in the p a st a n d wil l in the future b ind t o ge ther
m or e str ongly than treat i es the feeli n gs a n d the fo r
tu nes o f the tw o natio n s which represent the enterprise
the civilizati o n and the constituti on al liberty of the sa me
” 2
great rac e
While the Prince of Wales was in the U nited State s
th e Lo ndon Ti me s d e scribed his visit t o the to mb o f
Washi n gton at Mo u nt Vern o n a n d his pl a n ti n g a chest
n u t whi l e ther e The cl o si n g paragraph read as f o l
“
I t s e e me d when the r o yal yo u th c losed the
lows :
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Ly o n s to Ge n
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Cass , U
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S
r t ry o f s tate
s ec e a
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M r T re sco tt
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to
L o rd Ly o n s , D ec
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1 1 , 1 860.
,
D e c 8,
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E N GL I S H F R I E N D S H I P F OR A M E R I CA
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1
7
earth around the littl e germ tha t he w a s burying th e
last faint tr ace of discord betw een u s and o ur gre at breth
”
Other E nglish newspapers in com
r e n in th e west
m e n tin g u pon the prince s w e l c o m e in A m erica gave
u tt e r a n ce to senti m ents whic h w ere extre m ely cordial in
c haracter Two e xtracts from le ading Lon do n papers
“
m ay be n oti c ed
Th u s we believe an a lliance has
b e en c ons o lid a ted which w ill e nd u re f o r the mutu al bene
fi t n ot only o f the two nati o ns but of the civil i zed
” 1
“
At no ti m e c ould we desire mo re e arnestly
world
th an we d o now th e c lose allian ce of the great Anglo
” 2
S axon fa m ily
Oppo rtu nities w e r e soon to b e off e re d for testing the
“
sin c erity of thos e re c e n tly expressed sentiments of
e st e e m and re g ard which her m ajesty and all cl a sses of
h er su bje cts ente rt a in for the kindre d ra c e which o c e n
pies so distin gu ished a position in th e c o mmu nity of
”
nations
So u th Carolina seced e d De ce m ber 1 7 1 860
A hostile go vern
O ther state s f o llowed her example
m ent w as organiz e d with in the territ o ry o f th e United
S tates A w ar cl ou d w a s rap i d ly gatheri n g u p o n the
L o rd Ly on s duly rep o rted
A m erican p o litical h o riz on
all o f the se o c c u r r e nces to his government On P ebru
ary 4 1 86 1 in a co m municati o n address e d to L o rd
Jo hn R u ss e ll th e British mi n ister fo r f o reign affairs
Lord Lyons gav e a detail e d acc o unt o f M r Se w ard s
views c on ce rning th e state of th e c o u n try and o f his
plans for se cu ring the pea ce ab l e retu rn of the s ec eding
”
“
I n this d ispatch the
the conf e deration
s tat e s to
”
“
A me ri c an u ni o n is c har ac t e riz e d as a c onfe d e r a ti on
,
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,
’
,
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,
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,
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,
,
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,
’
.
.
.
I
Lo n
d o n Po st
Lond
n
p
,
N
o v . 1 6, 1 860.
N e ws , N
o v . 1 6,
1 86 0.
18
TH E
TR E N T
AF FAI R
S in ce the a doption of the c onstitu tion no s u ch u s e of th e
”
“
word con federation had ever b een m ade in a ny
diplo m atic communicati o n I t was indicative of the
E nglish view o f the nature of the American u nio n
L ord J o hn R ussell replied to the ab o ve co m m u n ica
tion ju st tw o weeks bef o re Mr Lincoln was ina u gu rated
After saying that the success o r fa i lure o f Mr Seward s
plans w ere m atters o f deep i n terest to her m ajesty s
governm e nt a n d that i t was n o t the i r duty t o o ffer ad
“
vi c e Lord R ussell said :
Supp o si n g h o wever that
M r L inc o ln acting u n der bad ad v ice sh o uld endeavor
to pro vide e x cite m ent f o r t he publ i c m ind by raising
qu estions with Great Britain her m ajesty s governme n t
fe e l no hesitation as t o the p ol icy they would p u rs ue
T h ey wo u ld in the fi rst place b e very f o rbearing They
wo u ld show by their acts h ow highly they value th e r e
l atio n s of pe a ce and a m ity w ith the United Stat e s
But
they wo u ld take care t o let the g overnment which mu l
tip l ie d prov o cati on s a n d s o ught quarrels u n dersta n d t hat
th e ir for beara n ce spru n g fr om the c on sciousness o f
strength a n d n o t fr o m the timidity o f weakness They
w o uld warn a gove r n m ent which was m aking political
capital o ut o f blustering de m onstrations th at o u r patie nc e
” 1
m ight b e tri e d too far
I t is not e asy to u nderstand why L o rd R u ssell should
mak e use o f s u ch l ang u age at this time O nl y seventy
two days b e for e this dispatch w a s written t he mo st co r
”
“
dial feelings o f c on fi den ce and affection for the
A me ric a n p e ople h a d been professed in the co m m u n ic a
tion c oncerning th e visit of th e Prin ce of Wa l e s , a nd in
.
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’
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,
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,
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’
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,
E arl R u sse ll to L o rd Ly o n s, F e b
.
2 0, 1 86 1 .
CH A PT E R II
L S H SYMP A T HY
E NG I
F OR
TH E
.
C O N FE DE R A CY
.
F R OM the b e ginning o f the sec e ssi o n m ove m ent th e
c e ntral aim o f the Federal governme n t and o f the l oyal
pe o ple Of the United States was t o preserv e the Uni o n
I t was th e pri nc iple o f u nion whi c h had bro u ght t he
A m eri c an c o lonies t o gether and enabl e d them t o e stab
“
l is h their indepe n dence I t was o n ly after a m ore
”
perf ec t union had b ee n for m ed that prosp e rity a nd
p o wer at ho me and influ e n ce abroad had com e to the
Un ited St a tes a s a nation I t was clearly s e en th a t if
the prin c iple o f secession w e re o nc e establ i shed ther e
w ou ld b e n o thing t o p r eve n t the gre at A me ri c an co m
m o n w e a lth fro m cru m b l i n g I n t o frag me nts
The hon
o r ab l e p o sition o f the Un i ted Stat e s a m o n g th e nati o ns
of the w o rld as well as a ll o f the good res u lts a t ho me
which had been gained b y mo re than three qu arters of a
century o f u nion w ou ld be irretrievab ly l o st B u t th es e
were not the only b ad effects likely to f o llow s u c c essf u l
secession I t w as th e avowed intention o f the leaders
of this mo ve m ent to establish in the s ou thern states a
republic wh o se very c or ner st o ne was slavery Wi th
an immense sl ave p o pul a ti o n W ith al mo st absolut e con
trol of the c otton supply o f the world with a peopl e
.
.
.
,
,
.
,
-
.
,
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-
.
,
,
(
2 1
)
22
TH E
TR E N T
AF FAI R
.
that too k p r id e in the m ilit ary a rt with ab l e a nd e xp e
r ie n ce d lead e rs
the fo u nding a nd f u tu re s ucce ss of s uc h
a re p u bli c wo u ld h av e been attended b y e vil co n se
u
n ce s wh i c h no one c o u ld foretell
e
q
F or th e se reasons the govern m ent and loyal people of
th e U nited States earnestly hoped that the secessi o n
m ove m ent would n ot receive a ny s u pport or e nc ou rage
m ent fr om for e ign nations especially fro m E ngland
The members of the E nglish c abinet at that ti m e wer e
all bitterly Opposed to slavery and had be e n in full sy m
p a thy with the gr e at m ove me nts which had u tt e rly de
stroyed it within the limits o f th e e mpire
Th e existe nc e Of slavery in the S o uth ha d ca u s e d
mu ch a nnoyan c e to th e E nglish government a nd people
N e gro sub j ects of the qu e en w e re be ing c o nstan tly kid
napped in s ou th e rn ports and sold i n to slavery To
obt a in r e dress in s u ch ca ses w a s impossibl e Th e
e scape of fu gitive sl av e s into British territory was an
oth e r cause O i mu c h trouble Only a short time be for e
th e secession move m ent beg a n all E ngland had been
sho cke d by th e report that a British captain h ad b ee n
tarr e d a nd f ea th e red at Charleston for allowing a negro
to sit down a t th e t able with hi m in his o wn vessel
All of thes e m a tt e rs how e ver w e r e quickly forgotten
F ro m the very b e ginning it was evident that E nglish
sy m pathy w a s with th e S o u th I t was app arently for
gotten that s u ch a cours e m eant sup p o r t a n d e n c o u rag e
m ent for h um an sl av e ry—th at institution which was so
abhorred by the people and states m en o f E ngland Con
sistency in th is m atter al o ne w ou ld see m to indi ca t e that
the British g o v e rn m ent and p e opl e c o u ld not afford to
sy m pathiz e with any sort of m ove me nt whi c h had fo r its
,
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,
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‘
.
E N GL I S H S T
M P A T H Y F OR C ON F E D E R A
TE S
.
23
p rin cipal object the fo u n di n g o f a new republic espe
o f thes e
c ia l l
t
o
pe
r
petuate
a
n
d
e
x
tend
s
l
avery
N
o
ne
y
c o ns i de r ations h ow ever seemed t o exert any influence
W it h rare exceptions the press the pe o ple a n d the
g o vernment were heart a n d s o ul with the S o uth in its
e fforts fo r the dism emberme n t o f the Amer i ca n com
“
m o n w e a l th
Mr Justi n Mc c art hy says :
The vast
majori ty o f what are called the g o vern i n g classes were
o n the side o f the South
L o nd o n club life w a s vir
The most powerful p a pers in L on
tu a lly all so u ther n
d o n and the most popular papers as w ell were o pen
1
A writer in
pa r tisa n s o f the s o uth ern co n federatio n
“
the Atlanti c M on thly fo r N o ve m ber 1 86 1 says :
We
have read at least three E n gl i sh newspapers for each
week that h as passed since o ur tr ou bles began ; we have
been a reader o f these papers fo r a series o f yea r s I n
no t one o f the m have we met the sentence o r the lin e
which prono u nces h opefully with bold assu rance fo r the
renewed life o f ou r Uni o n In by far th e m o st of the m
there is reiterated the most p o sitive a nd dogged aver
”
m e n t that there is n o future f o r us
E v e n the great and con servative E nglish quart e rlies
a ided the newspape r s in their effo rts t o enc o urag e and
j ustify the se cess io n m o vement A writer i n the E din
burgh R eview d i sc u ssed the situ ati o n in the United
States H i s ab ility to d o this may b e re adily inferre d
“
from h is asserti o n that un der the e x ist in g c o nstitu tion
o f the U n ite d S ta te s wh i ch the freeme n o f t he N o rth a r e
i n arms no w t o de fe n d sla v ery must be c o nsidered t o
f o rm a p art a n d pa r cel o f the l aw o f the Uni on
To
e stablish this prop o siti o n he th e n quoted fro m a n ame nd
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d
,
1
H i story
of
Ou r O wn T i m es, V9 1
.
11,
pp
.
2
2 4 22
5
.
TH E
34
TR E N T
AFFAIR
.
me nt to the c onstituti o n wh i ch he said provid e d th at
that instru m ent could never in futu r e be so a me nded a s
to give co n gress p o wer to abolish or interf e r e wi th sl av ery
“
in a ny state This the writer said w a s th e very last
a m endment o r addi t ion t o the co n stit u tion passed o n th e
o f Presid e nt
d
Marc
h
of
this
ye
ar
that
is
on
th
e
e
ve
3
”
L inc o ln s inaugu ration
I n revie w i n g t he c on dition of
“
the people O f the N o rth he said :
They are fi ghting for
”
territ o r i al d o m in i on
I n de fi ni n g for his readers ju st
”
“
what was m eant by territ o rial dom ini o n
he pro
“
the m that i t w a s the pow e r to enforc e
c e e d e d t o tell
the will o f the Nort h over the S o uth by superi o r for ce
to c om pel the m i no rity which is a local m ajo rity to s u b
m it in a w o rd t o c omm a n d the country and to su bd ue
the people I f th is b e not the Object for whic h the
A m ericans of th e Union are c o ntending agains t the d is
u nion i sts w e confess o ur inabil i ty t o appr e hend it for
n o less e r ob j ect c o u ld ju stify a war c ond uc ted on s uch
”
a sc a le
“
A writ e r in the Q u arterly R evi e w s aid : We b eli e v e
th e co n que st o f the South to be a ho peless drea m and
the r e u n ion of th e state s in on e a ll powerfu l rep u bli c an
i m possib ility
“
Th e re is verg e a nd roo m e no u gh o n the vast c onti
nent o f A m erica for two or th ree o r even more power
ful rep u bl i c s and e ac h m ay fl o urish u ndist u rbed if so
inclin e d witho u t being a so u rce o f disqu iet to its neigh
b ors Ther e will be no l o ss o f an yth in g w h ich c ond u ces
to the general ha ppiness of mankind F o r th e c ontest
on the part o f t he N o rth n ow is u n d i sgu isedly fo r emp ire
“
As to the attem pt to s ub ju gat e th e Co nf e d er ate
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1
E
dinbu rgh
R
e
vi ew
,
Oct ,
.
1 86 1 .
P OS I T I ON
OF E N GL I S H
Q UA R
TE R LI E S
2
5
S t a tes s u pp o sing it s u c ceeded what then ! I s th e North
p r epared to h o ld the S o uth by the s ame tenure that A u s
tria h o lds V enet i a ! A n d is there a states m an in the
Un i o n w h o believe s that in futu re it could b e held in any
other w ay !
“
But the idea o f a fed e ral republic Of which the on e
hal f is i n dead l y h o s ti l i ty to the o ther a n d c o erced i n to
a hateful pa r t n ership i nv o l v es a pract i cal c ontr adicti on
I t w o uld no l o nger b e the un i o n o f free states but a
” 1
tyranny
The same wr iter c on fi de n tl y predicted se
cession a m ong the n o rthern states o n acc o u n t o f ex ec s
sive taxat ion a n d the ha r dships i n cident to w ar
“
A w r iter in the Wes t m in ster R eview s aid :
The
North i s fi ghti n g to defe n d an abstracti on—the co n stitu
ti o n—the S o u th t o defend his h om e his wife and his
c hildr e n
“
Without nicely b al a n ci n g the virtu es o f the conte n d
ing parties they ( E ng l ishmen ) ca n n o t help believing
that m oderati o n j us t ice a n d n at io nal h o n o r will fi n d
2
am pler devel o pment in a d i vided republic
E a r ly i n 1 8 6 1 a pr o mine n t E n glishman o f L iverpool
pub li shed a b o o k design ed t o infor m the British public
c o n cerni n g the American si tu at io n This b oo k w a s ex
te n siv e ly circulated and did much to infl u ence publ ic
O pini o n in E ngland The m o st ex tre m e views o f th e
secessi o nists w ere upheld and defended The attempt
t o restore the U n i o n was den o u n ced a s a la m entable d e
l u s io n which had been unde r taken as a result o f excite
me n t in the N o rth The a u th o r s p o si t i o n is well stated
“
in the fol lo w ing quotat i on :
Se c ession is a ju st a nd
,
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1
d Q rte rly R e vi e w N o 2 2 1
We stm in ste r R evi e w V o l x x 1 p 2 1 2
Lo n
on
ua
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.
26
TH E
TR E N T
AF F AI R
.
clear constitutional right o f t he states and no violation
” 1
o f a ny e n actme n t o f the Fede r al c o mpac t
The quee n in her speech fro m the thro ne F ebr u ary
ff
1 86 1
f
re
e
rr
ed
t
o
Ame
r
ican
a
ai
r
s
a
n
d
exp
r
essed
a
5
“
c onve n ti on al w i sh that the d i ffe r e n ces migh t be sus
c e tib l e o f a satis fact ory adjus t me nt
C
on
cerning
th
i
s
p
expression Mr T o u m lin Sm i th s oon a fterward said :
“
Th o se last l oo se w or ds a r e characteristic o f the very
loose notions that a r e c o mm on in E n gla n d o n the sub
e c t o f what used to be
t
he
U
nit
ed
S
t
ates
f
N
o
rth
o
j
Ame r ica I t is fro m the very n a t ure o f the facts no
other than imp o ss ible that the di ffere n ces can be s u s
c e tib l e
f
hatever
that
means
satisfactory
adj
u
st
w
o
p
)
(
”
m ent 3
Such exp r essions of O pinion from these vario u s
so u r c es advanced so earl y in the g r eat str u ggle and
u ttered with such c o n fi dence were o n ma ny accou n ts
m ost u nwarranted a n d mischiev o us The press was a
mo st pow erful fac to r in m o ldi n g a n d di r ec t i n g E nglish
public opin i on in fav o r o f t he C on federacy I ts c o u rse
also t e nded to prej ud i ce t he U n i o n cause i n the eyes o f
the world and at the same time t o establish the in su r
ge n t c a u se as a j ust o ne This pr o duced a c o rrespond
i n g degree o f disco u ragement amo n g the friends of the
Uni o n
A very large m aj o rity o f the mo st pro minent publi c
m en o f E n gl a n d n ev e r lost an o pp o rtu n i ty t o express
u n favorable O pi nio ns c on cern ing t he n o rthern cause
The f o ll o wing qu o tati on s are indicativ e of the s e nt i
m ent which prevai l ed among them :
,
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p e nce s T h e A m e ri c an U ni o n p 2 46
3
P arli am e ntary R e m e m b r a nce r V o l W p
S
’
”
“
,
,
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,
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3
.
TRE N T A F F A I R
TH E
23
.
I s e e in A me ri ca th e
T he E a rl of S h r e wsb u ry :
trial of de m o c racy and its failure I b el i eve that the
diss o l u tion of the U n i o n i s inevitable and that men now
before m e will live to see an arist o cracy established in
” 1
A m erica
“
S ir J o hn P ak in gto n M P :
F r o m President L in
c o l n d o wnw ard the r e is n o t a ma n i n Ame r ica wh o will
venture t o tell us that he reall y thi n ks it p o ssible th at by
the f o rce o f circu m stances the N o rth can h o pe t o c o mpel
the S o uth to again j o in th em in c o nstitu ti n g the United
”
S t ates
R ight H o norable William E Gladstone chancell o r of
“
the exchequer : The Federal g o vernme n t c a n never suc
I f it sh ou ld it
ce e d in pu t ting d o w n th e rebelli on
w o uld on ly be the p r e face a n d i n tr o duction of p o litical
” 2
diffi cu lties far greater tha n the w a r itself
On a n
other a n d later o ccasio n he s aid that the pres ident of the
“
Southern C o nfederacy Mr Jeffers on Davis had made
an army had m ade a navy a n d m ore than that had
” 3
mad e a nati on
In a speech delivered at Dover in th e a u tum n of
Lord Palmersto n t he E n glish premier sp o ke i n
1 86 1
“
a taunting m anner o f the fast ru nni n g which signaliz e d
th e b attle o f Bull
Soon after th e beginning of the A me ri ca n c ivil w a r
“
.
,
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,
a
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,
,
p e e ch a t Wo rce ste r 1 86 1
1
S p ee c h a t E di b u rgh J a n u a ry 1 86 2
1
S ee R u s se ll s L i fe o f
S p e e ch a t N e w c a s tl e O c to b e r 9 1 86 2
G l a d s to n e p 1 5 5 ; a l so J u s ti n M c Ca thy s H i s t o ry o f Ou r O w n
T im es Vol 11 p 225
S e e D e G a s p ar i s accou n t o f t h i s m a tt e r i n h i s L A m e iqu e
d eva t l E u o p e c h apte r o n th e c o nd uct o f E ngl and i n th e b e
gi nning o f th e A m e ri c an c ivil w ar
1
S
,
n
,
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,
’
,
r
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,
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,
n
r
’
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n
’
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,
,
“
’
”
,
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’
r
VI E
WS
E
OF P R OM I N E N T E N GL I S H M E N
2
.
9
dward A Free m an the distingu ished E n gl i sh his
to rian published a no ted w o rk the t i tl e page o f wh i ch
“
reads as fo llows : Hist o ry o f federal gover n me n t fr o m
the f oun dati o n o f the Achaia n League to the d i srupt io n
”
of the U n i t ed States
A lis t of examp l es o f federal
“
government is given O n e o f the m is
The U n i t ed
States A D 1 778
These e xpressio n s fro m the le ading p u bl i c m en o f
E ngland leave n o d o ubt as t o the sentime n ts of the in
fl u e n tial classes i n tha t c o un try
They h o ped for th e
triumph o f slave ry the success of the secessi o n prin
a n d the divisi o n a n d ruin o f the great American
cip l e
com m o nw ealth S u ch se n t i men t s were do u btless in
spired by jealo u sy a n d hatred o f A m erica and by the
thought that E nglish commercial a n d othe r interests
would be gr e atly adv a n ce d by the s ucce ss of th e Co n
fe d e r acy
.
,
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A U T H O R I T I E S A N D R E F E R E N CE S
1.
2
.
3
.
4
.
5
.
6
.
7
8
.
.
9
10
.
tl anti c M o nth ly
Bl a i n e J a m e s G :
ve m b e r 1 8 6 1
T w e n ty Y e a r s o f Co g re s s
D e Ga p a i :
L A m e i qu e d e v a n t l E u Op e
E di n b u rgh R e vi e w O t o b e r 1 8 6 1
F re e m a n E A : H i st o ry o f F e d e ra l G ove rnm e nt
L o nd o n O g a te r ly R e vi e w N o 2 2 1
L o ssi n g B J : C ivil Wa r in A m e ri ca
M c c a rthy J u stin : H i sto ry o f O u r O w n T i m es
P a rli a m e nt a ry P a p e r s 1 8 6 2 V o l l x v n
R u sse ll s L i fe o f G l a d t one
Sp e n ce J a s : T h e A m e ri c an U n ion
Wes tmin s te r R evi ew V ol x x r
A
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CHAPT E R
THE
Q U E S T I O N OF
C
III
O NF E D E R A T E
.
I ND E
P E ND E N C E
.
WH E N the so u thern states began to secede the attitu d e
,
of f o reign g over n me n ts t o ward the m was a matter of
mu ch c on cern t o the Federal g overnme n t At that ti m e
any acts O f f o reign p owers l oo k in g t o w ard a rec o gni ti o n
of th e seceding sta t es w o uld have increased the e mb ar
r as sm e n t o f the U n i t ed S t ates g o vernment and tend e d
to give en co uragement t o the rebellion
A f e w days prior t o the close o f Pres ident B uchan
an s a dministration his secretary o f s t ate Jere m iah S
Black s e nt a circul ar letter t o all United States m in
i ste r s at foreign co urts requesting them t o do all that
was necessary and pr o per t o p r event the independenc e
o f the seceding states fr o m bei n g rec o gnized by the gov
e r n m e n ts t o which t hey were respectively accredit e d
“
Am o ng other thi n gs Mr Black said :
This govern
m ent has n o t reli n quished its c on stituti o nal j urisdiction
within the territory o f those states n o r does it desire to
do so I t m u s t be very evide n t that it is the right o f
this govern m ent to ask o f all foreign p o wers that the
latter sho u ld tak e no steps which m ay tend to en c o u rag e
the revolutionary move m ents o f the seceding st a tes or
incr e ase th e dange r o f d is a ff ec tion in th ose whi ch still
” 1
r em ain loyal
1 M r Bl ack to U S m i n i ste r s a b roa d F e b rua ry 2 8 1
86 1
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3
TREN T
TH E
2
A F F A I R
.
When this matter was br o ught t o the a ttent i on of
L o rd R ussell by Mr Da l las the American m iniste r at
L on d o n his l o rdship said that while he regretted the
secessi o n he was n o t i n a p o s iti o n t o b i n d the British
g o vernment to any particular c o urse o f a c ti o n
I m m ediately u pon becomi n g secre t ary o f st a te Mr
Seward sent a se c ond circular to the United States m in
iste r s abr o ad repeating with renewed emphasis th e in
“
str u ctio n s of his pr e de c ess o r
a n d urgi n g them to the
exercise of the greatest possible d i lige n ce a n d fi del ity
o n your part to co u nter a ct and prevent the designs o f
those who w ou ld invoke f o re i gn intervention t o em
”
barrass or overthrow the republ i c
He als o s u ggested
that it would be gre atly t o th e advantage o f fo r eign na
tions for the Union t o b e preserved a n d that the revolt
“
should it br e ak u p the U nion m ight tend by its in
fl u e n ce to disturb and u nsettle the e x isting s y ste m s o f
g o vern me nt i n other parts o f th e w o rld and arrest that
pr o gress o f improve m ent and c ivilizatio n which marks
”
the era in which we l ive
Mr Se w ard als o expressed
his confi dence that these with o ther c on siderati o ns w ould
“
prevent fore ign govern m ents fr o m yielding t o s ol i cita
ti o ns to intervene in a ny unfrie n dly way in the d o mestic
”
“
c o ncerns of o u r c o untry
Yo u will be pr o mpt
“
c o ntinued Mr Sew a rd in transmitti n g to this depart
m ent a ny informati o n yo u m ay receive o n the subject o f
th e atte m pts w hi c h ha ve s u ggested this co m m u n ic a
” 1
tion
When this disp a t c h was co mmu nic a t e d to L ord R u s
s e ll he r e plied th a t the gov e rn me nt was in no h urry to
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Mr
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Sew a rd to th e U
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S m i ni ste r s
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a
b r o ad M a r c h
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9
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1 86 1 .
R E S P ON S E S T O M R
.
SE
WA R D
S CI R C U L A R
’
33
.
r ec ogniz e the s ece ssion a s fi nal b u t that h e th o u gh t th e
m atter not rip e for d e cision o n e way or the other 1
His lordship also d e cli n ed t o disc u ss th e s ub j e ct
further at th at ti m e N O words of sy m p a thy were
u ttered no good W i shes for th e preservation of the
U nion w e re extended bu t only a n answer whi c h said
in substan c e that E ngland was ready to ac knowl e dg e
Conf e derate ind e p e ndence whenever it w a s expedi e nt t o
do so L ord R ussell s answer did not even a ss ur e th e
Unit e d S tates that E n gland me ant to o bserv e th a t ab so
l u te neu trali ty which inte rn a tional Oblig a tion wo u ld
i m pos e
M ost a n sw e rs fro m othe r c ountri e s in respons e to Mr
Seward s c irc u lar w e re qu ite different fro m that which
E ngland gave
I t will be su ffi cient to notice three o f
“
the m Pru ssia fro m the principle of unrelenting opp o
s itio n to all revol u tionary mo vements wo u ld b e th e last
to re c ognize any a e f a oto government Of the dis affe c ted
” 2
“
states of th e A m er i can Union
A u stria was n o t in
” 3
a cto g o ve rnm e n ts any w here
cl in e d to re co gnize d e
f
“
Spain would have n o thi n g t o do with the rebel party in
th e Unit e d States in any
Very favorable r e
8 p o n se s w e re received als o fr om m ost o ther c ou ntries
R u ssia I taly and Switzerla n d se n t assurances of the
w a rm est sympathy for th e caus e of the U n i o n I ndivid
ua l e xpr e ssi o ns fro m great m en o u ts i de E n gl and wer e
not wanting i n the beginning of the st r uggle On Sep
t embe r 1 0 1 86 1 G a rib aldi the I t a li a n p atriot a d
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M r D all as to M r Se wa rd A pril 9 1 86 1
1
M r Wrig h t to M r S e w a rd M ay 8 , 1 86 1
1 Mr
o n es to M r S e w a rd , A pril 1 5 1 86 1
J
1 M r P rr
w
a rd , J u n e 1 3 , 1 86 1
M
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TH E
34
TR E N T
A F F AI R
.
dr e ss e d a lette r to the U n ited States c on sul at An twerp
in which he e xp r essed a n int enti on t o c o me t o Ame r ica
and enlist i n the Fede r al army if ci r cu m sta n ces would
permi t hi m t o do s o
When Cha r les Francis Adams became the American
m inister t o E ngla n d he w a s instructed t o take a still
m ore decided stand agai n st the r ec o gniti o n o f the in
depe n dence o f the C o n fede r ate States S a i d Mr Se w ard
“
in his letter o f i n struct ion s t o Mr Adams :
Y o u w i ll
in no case l i sten to a ny suggesti o ns o f c o mprom i se by
this g o ver n me n t u n der f o re i gn auspices w i th its discon
tented ci t izens I f as the p r es i de n t d o es n o t at all ap
prehend y o u shall unhappi ly fi n d her majesty s g o ve r n
me n t t o lerating t he app l icat ion o f the s o called s e ce d
i n g states o r waver in g ab o ut i t y ou will no t leave them
to supp o se fo r a m o ment that t he y can gra n t that app li
cati on a n d remai n the fr ie n ds o f the U n ited States Y ou
m ay e v en assu r e t hem p ro mptly i n that case that if they
determine to rec o g n ize they may a t the same t ime pre
pare t o enter i n t o an allia n ce w ith the enemies o f this
republ ic Yo u al on e w i l l represe n t y ou r c o untry at
L on d o n and y o u w ill represe n t the wh o le o f it there
When yo u are asked t o d ivi de that du ty with o thers
dipl o ma t ic re l at ion s betw ee n the g o vern me n t o f Great
B r itai n and th is g ov er n me n t w ill be s u spe n ded a n d will
rema in s o u n til it shall be see n wh i ch o f the tw o is m o st
str on gly i n tre n ched in the c o n fi dence Of the ir respectiv e
” 1
nati on s and o f ma n kind
At a nother ti m e whe n referri n g to the m atter O f re c og
indepe n dence Mr Seward said :
n izin g Confederate
“
I have never f o r a m o m e n t b e lieved that s uch a r ec og
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M r Seward
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to
M r A d a m s , A pril , 1 86 1
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5
3
TRE N T A F F A I R
TH E
.
ra cy H e th o u gh t it wo u ld do much tow a rd b re aking
“
u p the slav e trade which he a ss e rted w a s m ainly car
ri e d on by ships sailing fro m north e rn ports a nd flo a te d
by n o rth ern capital that it wo u ld a me liorat e the c ondi
tion o f sl avery s e cur e pea ce a nd fre e do m of trade H e
a lso regarded it as a j ust retaliati o n against th e North for
having enacted the Morrill tariff and a s a vind i c ation of
the right o f a p e ople to a ss e rt their indep e nden ce Mr
Grego ry c oncluded his letter with th e strong convi c tion
that the rec o gn iti o n of th e Confederacy by b o th E ngl and
“
and Fr a nce j u st then wo u ld c ause the w a r p arty in th e
N orth to paus e be fore plunging their c o u ntry me n d ee p e r
” 1
into th e s ad struggle
I t is e vid e nt fro m th e f ac ts alr e ady pr e sent e d a nd th e
Opinions r e ferr e d to th at it w a s neither the right e o u s
n e ss of th e north e rn ca u s e nor l a ck of sy m pathy for th e
So u th that pr e vented a n e arly re c ognition of the Con
feder acy by E ngl a nd I t was thought t o be in e xp e di e nt
a nd p e rhaps not qu it e s afe to rec o gnize th e in d e p e n d
e n ce of th e Confe d e rat e States o th e rwis e the r e wo u ld
hav e bee n no he sitation in doing it
c
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A U T H O R I T I E S A N D R E F E R E N CE S
1.
2
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3
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4
.
5
1
D ipl o m ati c
rre sp o nd e nce w it h G re a t Bri tain
N o ti ce B o o k H o u se o f Co m m o n s 1 86 1
P o ll a rd E A : T h e L o s t Cau s e
S e n a te E x D oc : 2 d S e ss i o n 3 7th Co ngre ss
S ewa rd s Wo r k s V ol v
co
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Poll ar d
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1 86 1 .
,
Vol
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Lost Cause ,
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pp
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1 2 6 -7.
.
1.
CHAPT E R
THE
’
QU E E N S N E U T R A
IV
.
P R O C L AMAT I O N
LI T Y
.
th e l a ps e of sixty d ays afte r th e b eginning of
M r L incoln s administrati o n Fort Sumter had s u rr e n
dered aft e r a s e vere b o mb ardment ; seventy fi v e th o usa n d
troops had b ee n called for ; a nd a bl o ckade o f th e so u th
e rn ports h ad be e n pro c lai m ed The ins u rr ec tion was
c onst a ntly assumi n g gre at e r proportions and a m or e
th reate ning attitu de Of actu al w ar the r e h a d b e en
non e wh i c h r e s u lt e d in bloodshed except a stre e t fi ght
be tw e en Federal s o ldiers and a Balti m or e m ob Th e se
e vents how e v e r tended to m ake the relation of foreign
powers tow ard the tw o govern me nts in A me ri ca m u c h
m or e del i ca te and hazardo u s
Upon ass u ming the duti e s o f th e pr e sid e n cy M r
L in c oln had app o inted Charl e s Francis Ada m s m inist e r
to E ngland Mr Ada m s was carefully i n stru cted to
e xpl a in to th e British govern m ent the position o f the
n ew ad m inistrati o n toward the se c ed e d stat e s and the
rel ation wh ic h th ey sustained to th e Union He w a s
a lso instru c t e d to say that there w a s yet hope of a pe ace
abl e r ec on c iliation a nd that if it w as desired to pro m ote
the be st inte rests of the U nit e d S tates foreign powers
sh o ul d be ca r e fu l to c o mm it no ac t o f s o call e d n eu
( 3 7)
B E F ORE
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8
3
TR E N T
TH E
A FF A I R
.
tr ality,
a m ove which wo u ld only e xt e nd aid a nd sym
pathy to the secessi o n cause
I t w a s expected th at Mr Ada m s wo u ld arriv e in
London early in May and promp t ly prese n t the views
and p ol icy o f Mr Li n coln to the British government
In h is report o f an o ffi c i al i n terv i e w w i t h Lord R ussell
c o ncer n i n g this matter Mr D allas Mr Adams s prede
“
cessor i n O ffi ce a t L on d o n s ays :
I i n formed h i m t hat
Mr Adams had app r ised me o f h is i n te n ti on t o be o n his
w ay hither in the ste amship Niaga r a w hich left B o ston
o n the I st May a n d that he w o u l d pr o bably arrive in
less than tw o weeks b y the 1 2 th o r 1 5 th inst His
lordsh i p ac q uiesced in the expediency o f disregarding
m er e r um or and waiti n g the full know ledge to be
1
br o ught by m y s u ccess or
N o twithst a ndi n g this o ffi cial ass u r a nce fr om L ord
R ussell that nothing w o uld be do n e pri o r t o the arrival
o f Mr
Ada m s 3 c o u r se o f acti on w a s immedia t ely de
te r m in e d u pon wh ich seemed des i gned t o give the greatest
possible O ffense t o the U n ited States
On May 6 in answer to a quest i on p u t to h i m in th e
H o use O f Commo n s c o ncerni n g the prop o sed policy O f
Gre at Britain t o w ard the Co n federacy his lordship s aid :
“ The attorney and s o l icitor general
and the queen s
advocat e and the governme n t have co m e to the O pi n ion
that th e S o u thern Confede r acy o f A m erica a ccording t o
thos e principles which see m t o b e just mu st b e treated
” 1
O n May 1 3 the very d ay that Mr
as a bell i gerent
Adams la n ded at Liverpool a n d only a few hours be fore
h e arrived in Lond o n as if to exhib it the gr ea test possi
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M r D all as
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1
H
a
nsa rd s
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to
Pa
M r S e w a rd , M ay
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rli am e ta ry
n
D eba
2 , 1 86 1 .
te s
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V ol
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CLx u
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p
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1 5 66
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B E L L I GE R E N T J BE C O GN I T I ON E
XP L A I N
E D
39
.
ble l ack of c o u rt e sy to ward hi m and th e gov e rnm e nt
which he r epresented the quee n s n eutral i ty proclama
t i on was i ssued I t fo rb ade the e n l i stme n t o f a ll
British subj ects o n land or sea i n the service o f e ither Of
th e contending part i es and als o warned her majes ty s
subjects n o t t o carry o fli ce r s soldiers dispatches o r any
article o f the n ature o f c on trab and o f war for the u se o r
service o f e ither the Federa l s or Confederates This c o n
stituted a c o mplete recog n iti o n o f the Con federacy as a
belligere n t p o wer th at is as e n t i tled s o far as E n gland
was concerned t o all those except i onal rights a n d priv
il e g e s that i n ternational l aw assigns t o s o vereign states
which are at war w i th e ach o ther
Perhaps a b r ief e xplanat ion o f this matter w o uld not
be inapp ro priate here All s o vereig n o r i n depende nt
states are g o verned in the ir relati o ns t o ward each o ther
by a collec t i on o f rules call e d i nt ernati on al law These
ru les or laws are o nly p r ecedents maxims and O pini o ns
wh i ch have acquired all the fo rce o f l aw fr o m h avi n g
been generally accep t ed a n d a dte d up on a n d fr o m a sense
that it is a matter o f g r eat a n d u niv e r sal c on ve n ience t o
h ave some fi xed s t a n da r ds fo r adjus t i n g the disputes of
s o vereign nati on s a n d regu l ati n g their c on duct t oward
each o th e r I nte r nati o nal law assigns t o all sovere i gn
states certain r ights pri v ileges a n d Obligations which
are n o t exte n ded t o un recogni zed c o mmu ni ties o r n a
ti o ns I n the begin n ing o f its career a n i n surge n t state
can not possess a ny o f the pr i vileges which i nt e rn ati on al
l aw assigns t o indepe n dent states T o rec o g n ize the
belligerency o f such a state i s t o acc o rd to it by the rec o g
all o f th o se excepti on al w ar privileges
n i z in g p o w er
and rights which internati o nal law wo u ld give to it if
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TR
TH E
0
4
it
EN T A FFA IR
.
w e r e sov e r e ign Su c h recognition c arrie s with it n o
rights privileges or cond i ti o ns except thos e ne ce ss a ry
for cond u cti n g hostilities I nsurgents c arrying on war
with ou t being recognized as belligerents m ay b e treated
as r eb e ls traitors and pirat e s When suc h r ec ogniti o n
ha s been extended to the m they are no longer so t e
garded and when captu red are treated as prisoners of
war When a fo reign p o w er rec o gnizes the h e l lige r ;
e ncy of an ins u rge n t go v er nm ent it thereby places that
governme n t a n d the o n e with which the insurge nts ar e
at war u p o n an equality so far as war privileges and
d u tie s a r e c o ncer n ed A case w ill serv e to illustrate
There was recently a civ i l war in Brazil The in sur
gents were never rec o gnized as belligeren t s and he n ce
were n ot entitled to a ny mor e rights and privilege s th a n
traitors and pirates have I f the Br a zili a n govern m e nt
h ad c onceded bellige r ent rights to them c a ptu r e d in sur
gents w ould then have be e n entitled to a ll of th e rights
o f prisoners of war I nde e d s u c h recogniti o n wo u ld
h ave cloth ed the ins u rgents s o far as th e Brazili a n gov
c o ncerned with all of the war pow e rs
e r n m e n t was
privileges and d u ties that belong t o a sover e ign a nd ind e
p e ndent state bu t it would h ave d o ne noth ing m ore
The s a m e advant ages wo u ld h ave been s ecu re d to the
ins u rgents so far as the United Stat e s was con c erned
if the Fed e ral govern m ent at Washingt o n had re cognized
the m as belliger e nts In a ll o f their fu tu re relation s
with th e U nited States they wo u ld have be e n pl a ce d
u pon an equal fo oting with the Brazilian govern m ent as
regards all war rights privileges and duties N O o ther
rights would hav e been conferred for a recogniti o n o f
b ellig e rency is only p artial in ch ar ac te r N O tr ea ty with
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WH
Y B
E L L I G E R E N C Y I S R E C O GN I Z E D
x
4
.
the United States co u ld have bee n c oncl u d e d neith er
c ou ld a ny ambassad o r hav e bee n sent to this c o u ntry or
o n e rece ived fro m it
A hasty recognition of this ch ar ac ter by th e United
States or any other fore ign c ou ntry w o uld h av e b een an
act v e ry u n fri en dly to the Brazilian govern m ent
The right Of a fo reign state t o recognize the b e llige r
e ncy o r e v en the indepe n dence o f an i n surgent g o vern
m ent under ce r tain c o nd itions can not b e questi o ned
The e n ds and purp o ses of s u ch recogniti o n howev e r
m ay be quite di fferent in character They m ay b e ar
ranged under two separate heads
F irst The recog n i t ion of a m er e fact a s it a c tually
exists Where a s t ate of war or o f independenc e exists
bey o nd d ou bt or qu e sti o n it may b e recognized as a
fact I t is no t o nly the privilege b u t also t he d u ty of fo reign
states to rec o gn ize a state o f war or b e lligeren cy after
such state exists in fact I t is n o t e asy to defi n e a state
of w ar that is t o say precisely h o w mu ch o f forc e is
required and h ow perfect the organization mu st be in
order to disti n guish such a state fr om that o f mere in
s u rrecti o n Langu age can n o t express the ide a with
exactness N o o n e w ill say that a state o f war existed
d u ri n g the Dorr rebelli o n in R hode I sl and I n 1 84 2
neither will it be pretended th a t such a state did not
exist while the American civil war was in progr e ss
R ecognition sh o uld be acc o rded als o to a g o vern ment of
whatever origin after its i n depe n dence has been fu lly
establ ished An insurgent g o vern me nt rarely su cc eeds
in achie v m g its i n depe n dence at a blow There is
u s u ally a peri o d O f stru ggle and u ncertainty during
wh i c h it is very un ce rt a in wh e the r th e n ew ord e r of
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4
TH E
2
TR E N T
AF F AI R
.
things will prevail o r not While such a state of un cer
tai n ty e x ists it is neither prudent no r w i se for neutral
natio n s t o ackn o wledge the in depe n dence O f an in su r
ge n t go ve rn ment since a fa c t sh o uld n o t b e a ckn owl
edged in ad v a n ce o f i ts ac t ual exis tence
Sec on d The rec o gn i t i on o f bel li gerency or even o f
i n depe n de n ce by a for eign g o ver n me n t may b e acc o rded
n o t simply t o ackn o w ledge a n e xi s t i n g f a ct but as a
means t o an e n d Such a n ac t w ould be very u n fr iendly
o r even hostile toward the g o ver n ment aga in st w hich t he
insu rge n t p o w er was O pp o sed Fra n ce acknowledged
the i n depe n dence of the U n ited States as a m e a ns to
achie v e that result n o t as a n e x isti n g fact
I n view o f the fo reg o i n g p ri nc i ples a n d o f the c irc um
sta n ces under w hich t he Bri t ish n eut r al ity procl amat io n
was iss u ed it bec o mes ve ry evide n t that it w a s d e lib
desig
n ed t o
aid
a
n
d
e
n
c
ou
rage
the
ins
u
rgent
e r a te l
y
cause in the U n ited States a n d at the same ti m e to
disc o urag e a n d depres s the frie n ds of the U n ion Th e
pro o fs are m a n ifest f ro m a n e x aminati on o f the case
Only seve n ty days be fo re her m ajesty s neutrality
1
pr o cl ama t ion w a s issued Mr Li n coln s administrati o n
had ass um ed the resp on s ib i l ities of g o ve r n me n t at Wash
D u ring t he preceding admi n istratio n all de
in gto n
a rtm e n ts o f g o vernme n t there had bec o me greatly de
p
m oralized and it was n ecessary t o re o rganize a n d puri fy
the m before any steps c o uld be taken t o O ffer active r e
i n surrection Time e n ough had n o t
s istan c e to the
elapsed f o r the n ew admi n istr ati o n t o fo rmulate its
vie w s and devel o p its p ol icy t ow ard the impend i ng d i f
fi c u l tie s
Alth o ugh these th in g we r e u n derst oo d at
Lond o n and Mr Adams was h o urly expected th e re
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TR
TH E
44
EN T A FFA IR
.
“
ha s s aid c on ce rning th is ma tter :
I t will be fo u nd w e
think tha t all nati o ns which hav e d e sired to pr ac ti ce
ju sti c e a nd fri e ndship towards a st a te t e mporarily d is
turb e d b y insurr ec tion hav e fo r e b or n e fro m c on ce ding
b elligerent privileges to th e insurg e nts in a nti c ip a tion o f
their co nc e ssion b y th e d isturbed stat e its e lf A nation
whi c h dep a rts fro m th is d u ty a lw ays pr ac ti cally c o m
” 1
m its its e lf a s a n a lly to th e ins u rg e nts
I t was not
long aft e r th e neutrality procl a m ation h a d be en iss u ed
u ntil th e insurrection ass u med the c haract e r o f a great
c ivil w ar and belligerent rights were th e n d u ly extended
to the Confederates by all of the Federal auth o rities
I n the begin n i n g it was only a p e rs o nal w a r an e ffo rt
of the Feder a l g o vern m ent to s u ppre ss r ebellion on the
p a rt of individ u als U nited St a tes co u r ts hav e repeat
held
that
a
stat
e
of
civil
war
that
is
a
war
b
e
e dl
y
tween g o v e rn m ents one whi c h entitl e d th e Co n f e derat e s
to b e lliger e nt r e c o gnition d id not exist u ntil after Pr e s i
dent Lincoln s proclamation to th at effe ct issue d A u gu st
in p u rs u an c e of th e act of congr e ss of J u ly 1 3
1 86 1
16
B e lligerent r e cognition afterward extended by
1 86 1
f o reign powers wo u ld hav e been entirely in accordance
11
with the principles Of strict fairness a n d ne u trality
The
Confederacy
was
compos
e
d
of
states
which
4
had withdrawn fr o m the Un i o n I n so far as they w ere
able to d o so This had been done by an u n co n stitu
on e wh os e v a lidity was
tio n al act know n a s s ece ss ion—
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1
M r Se w a rd
.
1
5 cc
to
d e ci si o n s
M r A d am s J a n
,
.
of
U
.
S
A m L aw R e g , N S , 73 2 ;
s ou
L aw R eg , N
, 3 A m
a ce , 1 5 8
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.
ri
l
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.
1 2,
1 86 7.
ircu it c o u rt s ta te o f M a ryl and 6
U S di s t c o u rt e a s te rn di s t o f M i s
S 73 5 ; U S su pre m e co u rt 1 0 Wa l
c
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,
N E U T R A L I T Y P R O CL A M A T I ON
UN
T
U
S
y
.
45
n e v e r a t any ti m e a d m itte d b y th e p e ople of the U nited
States The ir fo u ndation for a govern m ent w a s not
solid e no u gh t o c o mm and any deg re e o f respe c t or con
fi d e n ce fr om foreign powers a nd theref o re at th at ti me
not worthy even o f recogniti o n as belligerents
The pri n ciple Of se cessi o n with o ut restraint or o pposi
tion of any ki n d h ad been established by the m when
th ey wi thdrew from the Federal Uni o n Their own or
a n iza tio n was n o t a un i o n b ut a con federati o n with
g
“
ea ch state acti n g in its o wn s o vere ign a n d i n dependent
1
With a g o vernment b ased upon a confed
c apaci ty
c rat io n of states e a c h O f which had the privilege o f
s ec eding at pleasu re wh at assurance could be given that
tr e aty obliga t i o ns w ou ld be m et o r that debts c ontra c t e d
wo u ld b e paid or that any sort o f act g uaranteed by the
com m on a u th o rity would b e e x e c u te d in good f a ith !
Co u ld it h av e been m o tives friendly to the U nit e d S tat e s
whi c h ind u ced E n gland to extend belliger e nt r e cogn i
tion t o s u ch a govern m ent at that time !
I
a s very well u nderst o od in E ngland th a t th e
t
w
5
Co n federates had no navy w o rthy o f the name and that
th e ir fa c ilities fo r b uilding ships and m anufa c tu ring
mu nitions of w ar in their o w n c o u ntry were very l i m
ite d
I t was do u btless with a vi e w o f supplying th e
Conf e derates with th e se thi n gs that th e ne u trality pro c
This is evide n t fro m a
l am atio n was iss ue d so early
speech m ade by L ord Chel m sford in th e British parli a
“
m ent in which he said
I f he m ight add the South
ern C o nfederacy had not been rec o gnized by u s a s a bel
l ige r e n t p o wer he Z agr e e d with his noble and learned
friend ( Br o ugha m ) that a ny E nglish m an aiding th e m by
1
Se e P re am b l e o f th e Co n s titu tion o f th e C o n fe d e r a te Stat e s
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6
4
TREN T A FFA IR
TH E
.
o u t a privateer agai n st the Federal gov e rnm e nt
” 1
w o uld be guilty o f p i racy
6 The neutrality pr o c l am atio n created the condition
o f bell i ge r e n cy on the pa rt o f the C on federates inst ea d
Mr Adams said
Of ack no wledgi n g a n existi n g fact
“
c oncer n ing this m at t er
The B ri tish g o ver n ment t o ok
the i n itiative and decided practica l ly that it w as a str u g
gl e o f tw o s ides A n d furthe r m o re it pr ono un c ed the
i n s u rg e nts to b e a belligere n t sta t e befo re they had ever
sh own the ir capacity t o m ai n tai n a ny ki n d o f warfare
whatever e xcept within the ir o w n harb o rs and u nder
every p o ssible adva n tage I t c o nsidered them a marine
power befo re they had ever exhibited a si n gle privateer
u pon th e oce a n N o t a s ingle armed vessel had yet
been iss u ed fr om any port u nder the c o ntrol o f these
people They were n o t a n avigat in g people Th ey had
m ade no prizes s o far as I k n ew excepti n g s u ch as
they had caught by surpr i ses E v e n n o w I c ou ld not
learn that they had fi tted o u t a nythi n g m o re than a few
Ol d stea m boats utterly unable t o make a ny cru i se o n the
ocean and s c a r c ely strong en ou gh to be ar a cannon of
” 2
a ny c aliber
As has a lready been stated any o rganized fo rm Of
society m ay be recognized whe n it has advanced far
enough to defend itself agai n st the assaults Of enemies
and has exhibited su ffi cie n t capacity t o maintai n b i n d
ing rel ations wi th o ther p owers But the case is e ntirely
di fferent w hen a measure of rec o g n iti on brings abo u t
a result whi c h is d u e t o su c h recognition o nly
fi tt ing
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rd s P a rli am e ntary D e b ate s V o l CLX I I p 2 084
2
M r A d am s to M
Se w a rd re p o rt o f s ta te m e nt s m a d e
L o rd R u sse ll M ay 2 1 1 86 1
1
H
an sa
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r
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to
P OS I T I ON
B R I TI SH
TH E
E
XA M I
N E D
47
.
’
Mr Ha m ilt o n Fish Pres ident Gra n t s se c ret a ry of
“
state has w ell s a i d o f th i s mat t e r :
The assu m ed bel
—
i
fi
n
a
c
o
t
o
f
the
i
n
su
r
ge
n
ts
s
a
a war o n
w
n
c
r
e
e
i
l g
y
paper on ly not in t he fi e l d— l i ke a pape r b lo ckade t he
a nt ic i pation o f supposed bell i gerency to c o me but which
might n ever have c o me if not t hus a n ticipated and e n
” 1
c o u r ag e d by her majest y s g o ver n me n t
Many attempts have be e n made to def e nd the c o u rs e
of the British gover n ment in this matter A singu larly
fair m inded writer in his tre at m ent o f o ther subjects
“
s ays :
I f there w a s n o del l a m g o i n g o n the com m erc e
of the world could n o t be e xpec t ed to rec o gnize Presi
dent Lin co ln s blockade Of Charleston and S ava n nah
and New Orleans I nte rn ati o nal law o n the s u bject is
quite cle a r A state can n o t blockade its own ports
But a
I t can indeed order a cl o sure o f its o w n ports
closure of the ports would not hav e been so effectiv e
fo r the p u rposes o f t he federal gov e rn m ent as a bl o ck
ade A cl o s u re would have been a matter o f m u nic
ipal l aw only An o ffender against th e o rdina n ce o f
closure c o u ld b e only dealt with lawfu lly in American
wa t ers ; an offender against the de c ree o f bl o ckade c o uld
”
2
be p u rsued i n t o the o pen sea
L o rd S tanley o n ce
“
said :
Her majesty s govern m ent had but two c o urses
open t o them o n receiving the intelligence o f the pres i
dent s procla m ati o n na m ely e ither that o f a ck n o w l e dg
ing th e blockade and pr o cl aim i n g the neutral i ty o f her
majesty o r that of r e fu s m g t o ack no w ledge the block
ade a n d insisting u p o n the right o f her m ajes ty s s u b
e cts to trade with the ports o f the S o uth wh e re th e gov
j
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8
Mr
.
F
i sh to
M r M o tl ey Se pt e m b e r 2 5
,
.
J ustin M cc arthy
,
H
i st o ry o f
,
1 8 69
.
Ou r O w n T i m e s , V o l
.
11,
p
.
1 93.
8
4
TREN T A FFA IR
TH E
.
e r n m e nt
of th e U nit e d St a t e s c o u ld e x e rcis e no fi s ca l
”
co ntrol at that ti m e
The ablest perhaps o f E n glish writers upon inter
nation a l l aw has said in de fense o f the course o f his
“
I n m any of th e so u th e rn ports ther e
gov e rn m ent :
was a l arge amo unt of British property ; the cargoes in
the Mississippi al o ne at the end o f May were comp u ted
t o be w o rth a m illion sterli n g a n d the gre ater part of
these had been shipp e d f o r Liverp oo l A b lo ckade h a d
been procl aimed extending o ver a c o ast l i n e of some
three th o usand m iles Letters o f marq u e h a d been
publi c ly offered an invitati on very tempting to the a d
ventu ro u s and reckless me n who are al w ays to be f o u n d
in e very ma riti m e n ati o n B o th the government o f the
United States a nd th e d e f a cto govern ment o f the c on
fed e racy h ad assu m ed and were act u ally exercising o n
the high se as the rights o f war ; and the neutral who r e
sists the enf o rce m ent o f th o se rights does so u nder the
penalty o f captu re Bra n ches o f trade perfectly l awful
b efore m ight now b e treated as u n lawful a n d p u nished
by s e iz u re and con fi scati o n This was the state o f facts
existing duri n g the fi rst w eek o f May s o far as they
were k n own t o the E nglish publ ic ; and on these facts
the g o vernment was called up o n b oth by the m er ca ntile
com m unity a nd by som e o f the warm est partisa n s of
the nor thern ca u se to de fi ne its p o sition to recognize or
repudiate the blockade to accept o r reject the char
a cter o f a neutral power a n d to publish its decision a s
” 1
widely and a s speedily as po ssible
T h e foregoing argu me nts m ay be s umme d u p in two
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1
B e r nard s N eu tra li ty
War pp 1 2 8 1 30
M o n tague
A m e ri c a n
’
,
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-
.
of
Great Britai n
Du
ring th e
TH E
B R I TI SH
P OS I T I ON
E
XA M I N
E D
.
49
pro positions viz : th at President L incoln s pro c la ma
ti o n o f blockade constitu ted a pr io r recognition of th e
e x istence o f civil war in t he Uni t ed States and c on
sequent belligerency o n the part o f th e S ou th and that
it was necessary for the British go vern m e n t t o do so m e
thing to prote c t its citizens and their inter e sts against
losses in o r near the seat Of war
In answer to the l atter pr o p o siti o n it may b e s a id that
it was n o t at all n ec essary for British subjects to be in
any of the places of danger o r to remain there and if
they persisted in d o ing so they and their interests had
as m u ch protection as did the citizens of the United
Stat e s who w e re simil arly situated a n d that they ce r
ta in ly did not requ ire a n y mo re
Was C o nfederate belligerency re c o gnized by Presi
d e nt L in c oln s procl am ati o n declaring a blo ckad e of th e
so u thern ports !
At the time of her m aj esty s neutrality pro c l am ation
May 1 3 1 8 6 1 whatever o f war that may have e xisted
was n o t a war o f g o vern m e n ts but on ly o f individuals
o wi n g all e gianc e to the federal g o vernment I f th e
authority of th e U nited States was f o r th e ti m e being
suspended in so me of th e state s th o se stat e s were still
c o mpon e nt parts of th e u nion Th e distu rb ance was
legally a nd offi cially held by a ll of th e f e der al auth o r
i t ies c ivil as well as military to be strictly lo c al in ch a r
acter and a s such the go ver n me n t at Washi n gt o n h a d
an u n d o ub t ed right t o cl o se the p o rts within th e stat e s
in ins u rr e c t ion by a blo ckade a nd to forb id all int e r
c o urs e between strangers and the peopl e of th e blo c kaded
c ities The fede r al authorities also had the right to u s e
the ar me d an d n av al for ce s of the U ni te d S tat e s to e n
’
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5
TH E
0
TR E N T
A F F A I R
.
for ce a blockade after that co u rse had b e en determ ined
u pon The fo rm o f cl o sure best adapted to the ends
in view was a bl o ckade which w a s lega l ly declared and
e xecuted as a means f o r subdui n g a l o cal insurrection
a nd un t il such l o cal tr o uble a c t u ally devel o ped i n to a
state o f civil w ar the m ere fact that certain p or ts w ere
bl o ckaded did n o t c on fer a ny bel li ge r ent rights wh at
ever up o n the insurgents I f a me r e expedie n t bk
a d o pted by the federal g o vernme n t as a re m ed y fo r l o cal
insurrecti o n it d o es no t f o ll o w as a c on seque n ce that th e
i n surge n ts are invested with belligere nt rights which
foreign nations must im m ediatel y rec o g n ize
The p o siti on that a nati o n ca n n o t blockade its own
p o rts b u t can only order a c losure o f them when they
are held by a h o stile f o rce can n o t b e defended a l
th o ugh Mr J u stin M c c arthy h o lds the contrary v i ew o f
the m atter I f the right o f blockade b e denied u nder
such cir c u m stances the right o f the gover n ment t o the
port is denied ; b u t if the gover n me n t have n o right
the n the port beco m es free and w o uld remain s o u nless
it be destroyed by t he g ov ernment that orig i nall y held
and yet c laimed it bec a use a m ere decree of closure
witho u t a blockade super a dded c o uld n o t avail anythi n g
a gainst a foreign nation that might choose to c o nfer
b elligerent rights up o n the i n surge n ts
As an exampl e o f this an ill u strative case may b e
c ited D uri n g a peri o d o f fi v e years s uc ceeding the
y e ar 1 83 1 R ussia bl o ckaded her o wn p or ts o n the east
e rn sh o re of the Black se a b e ca u se they w e r e in the
poss e ssion o f Circassian rebels This bl o ckade w a s
r ec ogn iz e d by E ngland witho u t conferring bell ig e rent
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CHAPT E R V
L
E NG I
SH NE GOT I A T I O N S
IN
WI T H
.
THE
I
N S UR GE NT S
.
April 1 85 6 amb a ss a d o rs fro m a ll of th e prin c ip a l
E u rop e an c o u ntries m et at P a ris a nd a dopted a s arti c l e s
o f m ariti m e law the fo llowing propositions :
“
1
Private ering is and re m ains abolis he d
“
2
The neutral flag covers e n emy s goods with the
e x ce ption o f co ntraband of w a r
“
N
eu
tral
goods
with
the
e
x
ce
pti
o
n
Of c ontr ab a nd
3
of war are not liable to capture u nd e r the en emy s fl a g
“
e ffe c
Bl
o
ckades
in
order
to
be
binding
m
u
st
b
e
4
tive that is to say m aintained by a for ce s u ffi cient
”
really to pr e vent access to the co a st of the e ne m y
By its own ter m s the declara t ion of Paris a s th e se
principles were afterward known was not to bind any
co u ntry whi c h did n o t accede to its term s The fo u rth
point was already a well settled p r i n cipl e o f int e r
national law The third was looked u pon a s having
al m ost the force of a m axi m o f l aw Th e propositi o n
that a ne u tral flag protec ts goods of a n en em y save c on
tr ab a n d o f w a r was o n e over which ther e had be e n
much c ontr oversy The em pl o ym ent of private e rs had
alw ays b ee n r e garded as a right which e very nation
poss e ss e d T he U nit e d States had n ev e r b ec o me a
( 53)
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54
AFFAI R
TR E N T
TH E
.
party to th is de c laration ju dging it not to b e e xp e di e nt
to relinquish the right o f u si n g privateers To do this
wo u ld hav e pla c ed the U n ited States at a great dis
advantage in a contest w ith a nation l i ke E ngland whi ch
possessed a greatly s u peri o r navy Private ers a r e a
m ost effective weapon against the c o mm er ce of a pow e r
ful ene m y
A large navy m ight e as ily hold the s m all navy of air
ene m y in check destroy his co m m e rc e and blockade
his ports all at the s ame time A sma l l navy aided by
m any pri vateers t o prey o n the c o mmerce o f an e n emy
c an easi l y engage the a tte n ti o n o f a very large navy
The U n ited S t ates had o ffered to accept the d ec l ar a
ti o n of Paris on c ondition that it b e so a m ended as to
exe m pt all private property from c aptu re at se a by th e
p u blic ar m ed sh i ps o f an ene m y as well as by pri
This prop o sition was ref u sed I f it had b e en
v a te e r s
a c cepted fu t u re naval Oper a ti o ns wo u ld hav e b e en
li m ited stri c tly to the p u bli c ar me d ships of h e llige r
ents 1
Sir Henry S umner Main e a noted E ngl ish a u thori ty
on internati o nal law a fter co n sidering the a m o u nt o f
i nj ury that might be d o ne to his c o u ntry in case her food
supply should be c u t o ff in ti m e o f war by the n ume r
“
ous a nd active private e rs o f an ene my says : I t se em s
then that the pr o posal of the A m erican g o vern m ent to
give up pri v at e ers o n condition o f exe m pting all private
property fr om captur e m i ght w e ll b e m ad e by so me
very str o ng friend o f Gr e at Britain I f u nivers a lly
adopted it wo u ld s ave o u r fo od and it wo u ld sav e the
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1
S ee
t t
s a e,
,
di scuss i o n by
E x D oc
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,
H
3 d S e ss
on.
ion
W
.
2 4th
L
.
M a rcy , U
Cong
.
,
V ol
.
1,
.
S
.
p art
r t ry o f
pp 33 34
se c e a
1,
-
.
.
CON F E D E R A T E G O VE R N M E N T A D D R E S S E D
.
c o mm odities which are th e pri ce of o u r food fro m th e ir
m ost f o rmidable ene m ies and w ou ld d isar m the m ost
for m idabl e class of those e n em ies 1
Only fi v e days after the ne u tr ality procla ma tion was
iss u ed Lord R ussell addressed a c o m m u n icati o n to Lord
Lyons at Washingt o n aski n g the l atter to take such steps
a s he mi ght dee m necessary in order t o secure the assent
of th e Confederate g o vernment to the l a st thr ee articl e s
of th e de c laration o f Paris
On July 5 1 86 1 Lord Lyons a ddressed a c o mmu ni
c ation to R obert Bu n ch the British consul at Charles
“
ton in w hich he said :
The cours e of ev e nts having
invested the states a ss um ing the title o f th e Confe derat e
States of A m erica with th e character of belligerents it
has beco m e necessa ry f o r her m ajesty s gover n ment to
obtain fro m the existing g over n ment in those stat e s
sec u rities c o n c erning the pro per treat me nt of ne u trals I
am au th o riz e d by Lord J o hn R ussell t o c on fi de th e nego
tia tio n of this m atter to you and I h ave great satisfaction
in d o ing so In order to m ake yo u a cqu ainted with the
views of her m aj esty s gov e rn m ent I trans m it to y ou
a dupli c ate o f a dispat c h to me in which they are f u lly
stated I t is essen t ial u nder present cir cum st a nces
that y ou sho u ld act with great cauti on i n order to avoid
raisi n g the questi o n o f the recogn iti o n o f the new con
federacy by Gre at B r itai n On this account I think it
inadvisable that you should go to R ichmond o r place
yoursel f in direct communication with th e ce ntral
a uthority which is established there
“
The mo st c onvenie n t c o urse will prob ab ly b e for
yo u t o take adva n tage o f the inter c o u rse whi c h yo u
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M aine
’
s
I
nte rna ti o na l
L aw ,
pp
.
1 2 1 -1 2 2.
6
5
TH E
TRE
N T A FFA IR
.
n a turally h old with M r Pick e ns the gov e rnor o f the
s tate of S o uth Carolina
I can n o t d o ubt that if yo u
explain v e rb ally to M r Pick e ns the vi ews of h er
m ajesty s govern me nt h e will h av e no diffi c u lty in
d u cin g the govern m ent at R ich m ond to r e c o gniz e by an
O ffi cial act the rights se cu red to ne u trals by the second
and third articles o f the declarati o n o f Paris and to a d
m it its o w n responsib ility for the acts o f privateers sai t
”
in g un der its letters o f marque
Cons u l B u nch w a s u nable t o see G o vernor Pickens
wh o was a t that ti m e in the interior o f the state looking
after his plantati on Mr Bunch how ever i mm ediately
s ecu red th e se r vi c es of an age n t in the pers o n o f a Mr
T r e sc o t wh o w as very well known to Lord Lyons Mr
T r e s co t w e nt at once to R ich m ond a n d laid the m atter
b efor e J e fferson D avis preside n t o f the Confederate
S tat e s M r D avis express e d regret that the appl icati o n
h ad not b e e n m ad e in a mo re formal m a n ner bu t he
at on ce c alled a c ab inet meeting f o r c onsider a tion o f the
m atter after wh ich it was immediately sub m itted to th e
Conf ederate congress Witho u t d e l ay that body passed
the follow ing resol u ti o ns :
“
R es ol ve d By th e c ongr e ss of th e Confe d e r a t e S tat e s
O f A m eric a :
“
I st
Th a t w e m aintain th e right of priv a teering as
it h as b e en long est ablish e d by the pra c ti ce and recog
n ize d by the l a w o f nations
“
2d
That the neutral flag cov e rs en emy s goods with
the exc e ption of co ntrab and o f war
“
d
That
n
eu
tral
go
o
ds
ith
th
e
e
xc
e
ption
of
c
on
w
3
traba u d o f w ar a re not liab le to c aptu r e u nd e r the
e n emy s fl a g
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N E G O T I A T I ON S A T R I CH
“
h
t
4
M ON D
.
Blockades in order to b e bi n di n g m ust b e e ffe c
tiv e that is to say ma i ntained by a force suflficie n t
”
really t o prevent access to the coast o f the ene m y
These resoluti o ns w ere appr o ved Augu st 1 3 1 86 1
and re tu rned at o nce by Mr T r e s c o t to C o ns u l Bunch
w h o forwarded a c o py o f them t o L o rd L yon s at Wash
in gto n His lo r dsh ip was greatly pleased at Mr Bu n ch s
s u ccess i n this un dertaki n g a n d so e xpressed himsel f i n
a c o mm u nicatio n encl o si n g a copy o f the res o luti on s
and dispatch o f the consul t o L or d J o hn R ussell
Whe n this m atter w a s br o ught to the atte n ti on o f Mr
Se w a r d he at o n ce dema n ded the rem o val o f Mr
Bunch This w a s peremp to rily re fused by Lord R u s
”
“
sel l who repl i ed tha t M r Bu n ch w a s i n s tr uc t ed to
co n duct the n eg ot ia t i o n wi th the C o n federate States a n d
“
that Mr Bu n ch t he r e fore i n wha t he has d o ne in this
m atter has acted in obedie n ce t o the ins tructio n s o f his
g o vernment wh o accept the resp on sib ility of his pro
c e e d in s s o fa r as they are kno w n t o the f o reign depar t
g
ment a n d w h o can no t rem ov e him fr o m his O ffi ce for
”
havi ng o beyed i n stru cti o ns
Mr Bu n ch s e xequ a tu r was the n fo r m ally rev o ked by
Preside n t L i n c o l n Mr Bu n ch s act w a s a vi o lation of
a federal statute which made it a n o ffe n se fo r any person
n o t appointed or a u th o rized by the president to advis e
o r assist in any p o litical co r resp on de n ce w ith a f o reign
govern m e n t for the purp o se o f influencing its me as u re s
in relation to the United States 1
I t has bee n a ffi rmed by an able British writer that
“
this was an un o ffi cial applicati o n m ade t o the Con
”
“
federate State s s ince the chan n el o f c omm un i cati o n
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1
Se e
M r Se ward
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’
s
le tte r
to
Mr
.
A
d am s
,
Octo be r
2 5 , 1 86 1 .
TH E
3
5
A FFA IR
TRE N T
.
” 1
.
was a priv a te pers o n
This p o sition is not t e n ab l e
becaus e e very c omm unicati on was stri c tly o ffi c ial in
character and the m ere m eans of conv eying th em cou ld
no t change the character o f the c om m unications th e m
selves The fact th a t the British g o vern m ent ass um ed
the responsib il i ty fo r the a ct is o f itself s u ffi cient to estab
lish its o ffi cial cha r acter Th e whole proce e ding was an
O ffi cial invitation t o the Confeder a cy to exercise tho se
p owers which bel o ng only to a sov e re ign st a te to do
that which only an independent g o vern m ent ca n d o
namely to accept and bec o me a party to an internation a l
agree m ent that di ffered in n o sense fro m a tre aty
While this negotiati o n was bei n g co n ducted wi th the
C on fed e rate g o vernment an o ther of si m ilar purp o rt was
i n pr o gress with th e United States g o vern me nt which
was n o t only willi n g b ut an x i o us t o acc e pt the decl ara
ti o n o f Paris as a whole At this point in th e pro c ee d
i n gs the British g o ver n ment refu sed t o per m it th e United
States to ac c ept the Paris declarati o n pur e and s imple
except w ith th e dis t inct u ndersta n ding that E n gland
wa s n o t to interfere in any w ay whatever with priva
teeri n g on the part o f the Confederat e States What
was e quivalent to a treaty h a d been co ncl u ded between
E n gland and the Confederat e s by w h i c h th e l a tter wer e
t o be allowed the u s e o f privateers
“
In expla n ati on of this m atter M r Blaine says :
The
right o f privateering w as n o t left u ntouched ex c ept with
deep design By sec u ri n g th e a ssent of the Confed
c racy t o the o ther three articles o f the Paris c onventi o n
safety was assured to Bri t ish and F rench c argo e s u nder
the A m erican flag while every A m eri c an c argo w a s a t
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B e rnard s
’
N
eu
tra lity
of
Gre at Britain p
,
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1 91 .
CHAPT E R
MR
.
S
E WA RD
’
UL A R
S CI R C
N ORT H
VI
To TH E
E RN
ST A T
.
G OV
ES
E R N OR S
OF
THE
.
the fi rst half year of the A m eri ca n c ivil war
the p o l icy o f the E ngl i sh g o vern m e nt toward th a t of the
U n ited States appeared t o be on e o f studied u n fri e nd
The nu m erous semi h o stile a cts wh ich have
l in e ss
a lr e ady b een narrated follow e d ea c h o th e r in rapid s u c
c ession In the sum m er of 1 86 1 tr o ops w e re c ontin
u al ly p u shed i n to Canada by the British govern me nt
When ask e d for an explanati o n Lord Jo h n R ussell s aid
“
that h e regarded it as necessary in the pr e sent dis
”
as he
tur b e d conditi o n of things in th e Un it e d States
“
did not know but that the Americans m ight do so m e
” 1
I n September o f that ye ar twe n ty fi v e tho u
th i n g
sa n d fresh troops were o rdered t o b e se n t to Canada for
d istribution al o ng the so u th e rn fro n tier o f that province
At the North these c ontin u ed acts o f unfriendliness
s e e m ed to indicat e a strong desire for recogniti o n o f the
Confederacy a nd e arly intervention in American affairs
b y the British govern me nt T o the friends o f the Union
this was a so ur ce of great fe ar and uneas in e ss ; to the
disl oyal it was th e c a u s e of muc h hope ; to th e Confe d
D U RI N G
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1
A dam s
to
Se ward ,
J une
1 4 , 1 86 1 .
6
1
( )
62
TR E N T
TH E
AFFAI R
.
i
I
it was a n inspiration to gr ea t e r e fforts a nd r e
newed e nth u sias m for the ir slav e republ i c
T he pop u lar anxiety o f th e loyal people c on ce rning
this m atter was also shared in no s m all degr ee by th e
pr e sident and the vario u s memb e rs o f his cabi n et After
d u e considerati o n o f the m atter it was decided t o do
so m ething t o provide against fore ign inter ference A o
Seward t6
co r d in gl y a circular was addressed by Mr
each of th e g o vernors o f the loyal states b o rdering on
th e o cea n or the gr ea t lakes The c ir cu lar was as follows :
e r a te s
.
.
.
.
.
“
D E P A RT M E N T
“
“
T 0 H is E
SI R
xcel l e n
—The
g
l
,
OF
WA S H I N G T O N
tlze
,
Gov e r n or ,
S T AT E
Oct 1 4
,
.
,
1 86 1 .
e tc .
present insurrection had n o t ev e n rev ea l e d
its e lf in ar m s wh e n disl oyal citiz e ns hastened to foreign
c o u n tries t o inv o ke thei r intervent ion fo r the overthrow
of the g o vern m ent and the destru c ti o n o f the Feder a l
U n ion These agents are kn o wn t o have m ade thei r
app e als to s om e of the m o re i m porta n t states without
s u ccess I t is n o t l ikely however that they will r e
m ain c ont e nt wi th s u ch refu s als I ndeed it is u nder
stood that they are i n d u stri ou sly endeavoring t o a cco m
li
th
e
ir
disloyal
purp
o
ses
by
degrees
and
by
i
n d ir e c
h
s
p
tion Taking advantage of the embarrass m ents of
agri cu lt u r e m anufactures a n d co m mer c e in f o re ign
c ou ntri e s r e sulti n g fr om the i n s u rrecti o n they have in
a u gu r a te d at h om e they seek to inv o lve o u r c omm on
c o untry in contr o vers ies with states with wh i c h every
publi c inter e st and every i n ter e st o f m a n kind requir e
that it shall r ema in in relatio n s o f p e ac e a m ity and
friendship I a m a b le t o state for y ou r s atisfac t i o n that
th e prosp ec t for any s uc h distu rb a n ce is now l e ss s e rio u s
“
.
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CI R C U L A R
G O VE R N OR S
T O TH E
63
.
than it h a s b e en a t a ny previ ou s period during the c o u rse
I t is nevertheless necessary now
Of the ins u rrecti o n
a s it has h ith e rto b ee n to tak e e very pre ca ution tha t is
poss ibl e to avoid th e evils of foreign war to be sup er in
du ce d upon thos e o f c ivil c o mm otion w h ic h w e ar e e n
de av o r in g to c u r e
“
One of the m ost obvi ou s of s uch preca u tions is th a t
o u r ports and harb o rs o n the se a s and lakes sho u ld b e
p u t in a conditi o n o f co mplete defense f o r a ny nation
may b e said t o volunt arily i n cur danger in temp e stuo u s
s ea sons when it fails t o show that it has sheltered its e lf
on e v e ry s id e fr om whi c h th e stor m m ight possibly
com e
“
The mea s u r e s which the e x ecu tiv e can a dopt in th e
e m ergen cy are s uc h only as c ongr e ss h as san c tioned
and fo r which it has provided
“
Th e preside n t is putting forth th e m ost dilig e nt
efforts t o exe c u te thos e measures and we have th e great
satisfacti o n o f seei n g that those effo rts a re sec o nd e d by
the fav o r aid and supp o rt o f a loyal patrioti c and
self s a cr ifi cin g pe o ple wh o are rapidly bringing the
m ilitary a nd naval fo rce of the Uni t ed Stat e s into the
highest state o f effi ciency B u t c ongress was chiefly
absorbed d u ring its extra sessi o n w ith th o se m eas u res
a nd did n o t provide as amply as could h e wished for
the forti fi cation o f our se a and lake c o asts I n previ ou s
w a rs the loyal stat e s h ave appl i ed the m selves by in
d e pendent and separate activity to the supp o rt a nd aid
of th e Feder a l govern m ent in its ard u o u s r e sponsibilities
Th e s ame dispositi o n h as b ee n m anifested in a degr ee
em inently h onorabl e by a ll the loy a l st a te s d u ring the
r
e
s
e
nt
ins
u
rr
ec
tio
n
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TH E
64
,
A F F AI R
TR E N T
.
vi e w of th is fact and relying u p o n the in cr eas e
a nd contin u an c e o f the same d i sposition o n the part of
the l oyal states the preside n t has directed me to invite
yo u r considerati o n to the subj ec t of the i m prove m ent
and perfecti o n o f the d e f e nses of th e stat e over which
yo u preside and t o ask yo u to sub mit the sub j e c t to the
c o n siderati on of the legisl atur e when it shall h ave a s
’
sembled Such pr o ceedi n gs by the st a te wo u ld requ ir e
only a temp o rary u se o f its means
“
The expe n ditures ought to be ma de th e sub jec t of
c o nference with the Fede r al g o ver n ment Be i n g th u s
m ade with th e c o ncurrence of the g o ver n ment f o r gen
eral defe n se there is every reas o n t o bel ieve t hat c o ngress
w ou ld sancti o n w hat the states should d o a nd wo u ld
pr o vide fo r its reimb u rse ment
“
Sh o u l d these suggesti o ns be accepted the pr e sident
will direct t he proper agents o f the Federal govern
m ent t o co n fer with y o u and to superinte n d dire c t and
co nd u ct the pr o se c uti o n o f the syste m of def e ns e of
yo u r stat e I have the h o nor to be s ir
“
Y o u r ob e dient servant
”
“
W H S E WAR D
This c ir cu lar at onc e ca u sed great c o m m ent b o th in
Canada a n d E ngland The Canadian p r ess declared
that f o rt i fi ca t i o ns al o ng the nor thern front ier of the
U n ited S t a t es w ere a m e n ace t o their d o m in i on s a n d
w o uld be immediately e qualed by defenses wh i ch they
pr o p o sed to erect just o pposi t e The press and auth or
ities of E n gland prete n ded t o rega r d it as a m enace and
”
“
“
pron ou nced i t il l timed and a fo o lish c o n fession of
”
f e ar
The L on d o n P o st w a s the ministerial o rgan at
The following e xtr ac ts fr om a n editori a l in
tha t ti m e
“
In
,
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COM M E N T S OF
P OS T
L ON D ON
TH E
.
65
jou rnal probab ly b est repres e nt th e cu rrent E nglis h
“
view of th e circular I t was entitled I s Mr Seward se ek
”
“
ing a qua rrel ! Co mm ents were ma de as foll o ws : Mr
S e w ard th e se c retary o f stat e is a d i stingu ished dis
c i l e of t he A me ri c an school
and
d
u
ri
n
g
th
e
pres
e
nt
p
u nh a ppy c ontest he h a s had ab u ndant opportu nity of
wr iting those long winded and pretentio u s st a te papers
whi ch app e ar to c onsol e th e A me rican p e ople for th e
absen ce of liberty a nd the o rdin a ry ad m inistration Of
the l aw Three docu m ents have re c ently e ma nat e d
fro m th e pen of this gentle m an in all o f wh ic h E nglish
”
interests are deeply c on ce rned
T h e do cum ents wer e
“
th en en ume r a ted and a m ong them was the circ u lar
addressed to the governors of the n o rthern sta te s r e co m
m ending the i mm ediate c o nstr u ction of c oast and lak e
d e fens e s e xtend ing over the fronti e rs s e v e ral tho u s a nd
”
m il e s in l e ngth
“
I t w as said of th e c irc u lar that it m ay fairly b e s u p
posed to b e a revival o f th e Monroe doctr ine which
originally was a pr o test agai n st the E ur o pean Holy A l
l ia n ce of so me f o rty ye ars b ack has notwithstanding
th e bluster of the United States government on vari o us
o c c a s ions n e ver r e ce ived the co u n tenan ce or sanction
of any fore ign c o u ntry I n fa c t th e do c trine w as
fo u nded u pon an erroneo u s ass um pti o n b ecau s e it
ignored the a u th o rity o f Gre at Britain which in right
o f its A me ri c an provinces has as m u ch t o d o with th e
ba l a n ce of power up o n the North American c o ntin e nt
a s the U nited S tates the m selves
As it is understood
th at the F e deral gov e rn m ent h as been invited to tak e
i
a
rt
h
j
oint
e
xp
e
dition
w
h
i
ch
ngl
a
nd
F
r
a
n
c
n
E
d
n
t
e
e
a
,
p
th at
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5
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66
TREN T A FFA IR
TH E
.
Spain ar e abo u t t o dispatch t o Mexico it scarcely can
b e be l ieved that Mr Se w ard has a n s w e r ed t his invi t a
tion by a circ u lar the o bject o f w hich is t o place th e
wh o le c o ast o f the republic in a state o f de fense agai nst
some threatened i nvasi on
“
Does Mr Sew ard imagi n e that the Canadians ar e
ab out t o all y themsel v es w ith the S o u th o r that any
foreign p o w er is disp o sed t o take advantage o f th e
prese n t c on d iti on o f America n a ffai r s t o th r eaten o r in
sult the Uni t ed S t ates g o ve rn me n t ! We d o ubt very
m uch whether the c onv e nt i on s w hich make the great
l akes neutral a n d pr o h i b i t the employme n t o f a rm ed
vessels in their waters w o uld justify ei ther E ngl a n d o r
the United S t ates i n c on s tr ucti n g f o rtresses al on g their
coasts which i n rea l i ty c o u l d on l y b e c on s tr u cted as
stand in g me n aces be cause they c o ul d n o t a n sw e r the
end desi r ed that o f p ro tec t ing a fro n tie r w h i ch no t at
a hu n dred but at a th o us a n d p o i n ts must al w a y s be
access i ble t o a n e n em y I t su its M r Se w a r d s p r esent
p u rp o se t o a ro use the Ame r ica n m in d w ith o n e o f those
peri o dical a n d o ffe n sive e xhib i t i on s t o w a r d E n gla n d
which the statesmen o f the republic have on fo rmer o c
casio n s fo u n d useful As no for eign p o w e r in all
pr ob ability has the sligh t est des ir e t o h ol d pe r ma n e n tly
a foot o f Me x ican s o il or t o i nvade the U nit es S t ates
either fr om the l akes or the Atla nt ic M r Se w ard s
ci r cul a r may be rega r ded if success ful as an o ther
illus trat io n o f the ma x im P op u l u s v n lt d e c ip i d e c ip i a
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tu r
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E
1
1 ” 2
nglish jo urnals found nothing t o c r iticise in th e c on
T he
"
T he
1
p e o pl e li ke to b e d e ce ive d l e t th e m b e d e ce ive d
L ond o n M o r n i n g P o s t N ove m b e r 6 1 86 1
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CHAPT E R VI I
THE
F I R S T E FF O R T
RE
S OF
O NF E DE R A T E S
A B R O AD
THE
C O G NI T I O N
.
C
F OR
.
the v e ry m o me nt when s ece ss ion b e g an to be
c onte m pl a te d by the southern lead e rs it was evident
th a t they c on fi d e ntly e xpected for e ign aid b oth mo ral
and ma te ri al in their effo rts to est ablish the ir in de p e n d
e n ce A c o m paratively large and mu tu ally pro fi table
c o mme rce h ad b een carried on for ma ny y ea rs be tw e en
the So u th a nd th e nations of western E urop e An ex
agge r a te d idea of th e i m portan c e of this trade had im
pressed itself u pon th e m inds o f th e se c ession leaders
T hey e vid e ntly bel ieved that E ngl a nd would aid the m
in a w ar for independen ce rather than s u stain the l o ss
and in c onveni e n ce whic h wo u ld b e c a u sed by a d e str uc
tion of the c otton tr a d e
W h il e se ce ssion was u nd e r c onsideration M r J u dah
P B e nj a m in U n ited S tates sen a t o r fro m L o u isiana and
afterward Confed e rate secretary o f state addressed a
letter to th e Britis h cons u l at New York in which very
strong bids w e re m ade for E nglish a id and sy m pathy
M r Benjam in gav e it as h is opinion th a t u nder c erta in
co ndi tio ns , the s o u the rn stat e s m ight be ind uce d to
FR O M
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TH E
7
0
TR E N T
A F F A I R
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ecede and resume their f o rmer allegiance t o the British
cr o w n as a depe n de n t p rov i n ce 1
S o u th Ca rol i n a was the fi r st state to sum m on a se ce s
si o n c o nve n ti on a n d in the discussi o n which t oo k place
while that b o dy was in sessi o n on e of the delegates
“
s aid :
We have it o n high auth o ri ty that the r e p r e
se n ta tiv e o f o n e o f the imperial p o w ers o f E ur o pe i n
view o f this pro spective sepa r ati o n fr o m the U ni o n has
m ade pr o p o s i ti o ns in advance f o r the establishmen t o f
s u ch relati on s betw een i t and t he g o vernment ab o ut t o
be established i n this state as will i n sure t o that p o wer
s u ch a supply o f cotto n f o r the future as an increasi n g
”
de m a n d f o r that a rti cle will require 2
A ft er the se cessi o n o f Ge o rgia M r I v erson a U n ite d
States senat o r f rom that state said in his farewell
“
speech t o the senate :
Y ou ma y have S hips o f w ar a n d
we m ay have n on e Y o u may bl o ckade o u r p o rts a n d
l o ck u p o u r comme r ce We ca n l i v e if n eed be with
But w hen y o u shut o ut o u r c o tt o n fr o m
o u t c o m m erce
the l oom s of E uro pe we shall see w he ther o ther n ations
will n ot have s o methi n g to s ay a n d s o methi n g t o d o o n
that subject C o tt o n is king a n d it wi l l fi n d means to
3
raise y o ur bl o ckade a n d disperse y o ur ships
Senator Joh n Slidell o f L ouisiana a fter the secessi o n
m ade a speech in the se n ate b e fo re his w ith
o f his state
“
H o w l o ng thi n k y ou will
dr aw al in w hich he said :
the great p ow ers o f E ur o pe pe r mit y o u t o impede their
free in t erc o urse w ith their best cu sto m ers f o r their
v a rious fabrics and t o stop th e s u pplies of the gre a t
s
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i o f T h u rl o w We e d V o l
pp 3 1 3 3 1 4
1
D r a p e r s C ivil Wa i A m e ri c a V o l 1 1 p 5 01
1 Co n r e s s i o n a l G l o b e
an 28
1 86 1
J
g
1
Se e
L fe
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CON F E D E R A T E
A GE N T S S EN T
A ER 0A D 7I
.
i
staple wh i ch is the m ost imp o rtant basis of the ir m an
” 1
ufa ctu r i n g i n dustry by a mere paper b lo ckade !
O n e o f the fi rst things d o ne by the Co n federate con
gress af t er its orga n izat io n at M o ntg o me ry in Febru ary
1 86 1
was t o ad o pt res o luti o ns that steps be immed i ately
taken t o send age n ts abr o ad f o r the purp o se of present
ing the ca u se o f the new C o n federacy to the g o v
e r n m e n ts o f E u r o pe
Very s oo n there fo re after J e ffe r
s o n D avis was i n stalled in o ffi ce he app o inted as fo reign
agents Messrs Wi l li am L Yancey o f Al abama ; Dud
ley Ma n n o f Vi rgi n ia ; P A R o st o f Lou isiana a n d
T Butler King o f Ge o rgia E arly i n Ma r ch these gen
tl e m e n pr o ceeded t o their destinati o n by way o f New
Orle a n s and Hava n a They were emp o w ered to secure
the r ec o g n i t i o n o f C onfede r ate i n depe n dence by E u r o
pe an n ati o ns a n d t o c on clude treat i es o f amity a n d c om
merce w i th them Ya n cey a n d Man n were t o o perate
chiefly in E n gla n d ; R o st and Ki n g in Fran ce alth o ugh
o ther c o u n tries w ere t o be visited
No n e o f these men appear to have possessed a ny
ab i lity as dipl o matists
M r Yancey w a s the leading
sp i rit am on g them He was a brillia n t and p o lished
speaker ready and de x trous in c o ntr o versy s arcastic
beyo n d e x pressi o n a n d extremely unscrupul o us He
wr o te a letter for p u bl i cati on i n June 1 8 5 9 in w hich he
dec l a r ed that the w i l l o f the sl ave h o ldi n g states them
selves a n d no t the Federal g o ver n me n t sh o uld deter
mi n e whether the Africa n slave tr ade sh o uld be carried
He als o added t hat the matter ou ght t o be
o n or no t
submi t ted t o that k in d o f a t ribu n al o nly and by its de
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Co n gr e s s i o n a l G l o b e , F e b 4 ,
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1 86 1
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TH E
2
7
TR E N T
AFFAIR
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’
6
c isio n
a lon e s h o u ld the s ou th e rn people abid e H e w as
on e of the fi rst me n in th e So u th t o co u nsel se c e ss ion
At a spee ch m ade early in Jan u ary 1 860 he s a id :
“
B u t in th e presidential c ontest a blac k R ep u bli c an m ay
be el e cted I f this dire event sho u ld h appen in m y
Opinion the only hOp e for s afety for th e So u th is a
withdrawal fr om th e U nion b e for e h e sh all b e in augu
rated—befo r e th e sword and th e treas u ry of th e F e d
e r a l g o vern m ent shall be pla c ed in the keeping of th at
”
party
Mr Mann was only a d u ll st a tistician whos e
ab ility was very li m ited M r King was a typical
so u thern pl anter the o w n er of a large n umber of slav e s
M r R o st was a Fr e nch adventurer who h ad drifted to
Lo uisiana in early l ife married a w e althy wo ma n
stu died l aw and w a s e le c ted to a pl a c e on th e b e n c h of
the s u prem e c o u rt of his stat e All of these m en ha d
been noted for craft and d u plicity in th e ma nag em ent
of a ff a irs in their o wn limited sph e res a t h o m e bu t
none of the m possessed any of th e r equ isit e s of a r e al
diplo ma t They failed t o obtain a ny o ffi ci a l re c ognitio n
e ither for th e m selves or for their govern m ent
E arly in M ay 1 86 1 M r D all a s the A m eri c a n m in
ister at L ondon s a id in a c o mmu ni ca tion to M r Se w a rd :
“
H e ( Lord R u ssell ) told me th at th e thre e r e p r e se n
ta tiv e s of the S o u t h ern Conf e d e ra cy w e r e h er e tha t he
ha d not s ee n them , bu t w as n ot un willing to do so un
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o ffi ciall
y
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Two d ays l a t e r h is lords h ip r ece iv e d Me ssrs Ya n cey
R ost and Mann in an u n offi cial way a nd listened to
their appeal fo r recognition They entered into a n ex
hau stiv e d is cu ssion of the c a u s e s w h i ch l e d the S o u th
.
.
1
Mr
.
Da
ll as to
M r Se w a rd , M ay
.
2 , 1 86 1 .
,
T H E CON F E D E R A T E A GE N T S R E CE I VE D
.
73
s ec ede an d presented the advantages fo r c o mm er ce
which a recogn i t i o n o f their independence would se cu r e
to E ngland They called special attention t o th e fact
that the Federal g o vern m ent levied a h igh tariff on all
i mports while the c onstituti o n of the C o nfederat e
States entirely prohib ited all prot ec tive duties They
said that abo u t thr e e f ou rths of th e an nu al i m p o rts fr om
E ngland were bought by the So u th They also e m p h a
sized th e fact that the ir constit u tion prohib ited th e
Afr ican sl ave trad e
L o rd R ussell r e pl ied that h e did not then dee m it e x
e die n t to con sider the question o f recognition that the
p
Confederacy mu st fi rst demonstrate its ability t o main
tain its position as an independent state and that it
mu st be sh o wn in what manner r e lations w e r e to be
ma intained with foreign nati o ns
On A u gu st 1 4 1 8 6 1 the s a me c o mm iss ioners a d
dr e ssed a lo n g c o mmu nication to Lo rd R ussell in
whic h extended re as o ns were giv e n f o r the im m ediate
r ec ognition o f the Confedera cy b y h er m aj esty s gov
T o this c o m municati o n his lordship returned
e rn m e nt
a reply th a t was u nsatisfactory to th e Confe d e rate
a gents
When M r S ew a rd learn e d t h ro u gh M r D all a s s
c o mmu nication of Lord R u ss e ll s propos e d u n o ffi cial
r ec eption o f the c omm issi o ners h e t o ok v e ry stro n g
gro u nds against it In a letter t o M r Ad am s who h ad
in th e m eanti m e s u cceeded Mr D a llas a s m inister to
“
The president regrets
E ngland Mr Se w ard said
th at Mr Dallas did n o t protest against th e proposed u n
offi c i al inter cou rse between the Britis h g o vern m ent a n d
th e m ission aries of the ins u rgents
I nterco u rs e of any
to
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TR E N T
TH E
74
AF FAI R
.
k ind with th e s o called co mm issioners is liabl e to be
c onstr u ed as a recogniti o n o f the auth o rity which ap
pointed them Such i n terc o urse would be no ne the less
h u r tful t o u s fo r bei n g called u noffi cial and it might be
even m ore inj urious be c ause we sh o uld have no mea n s
M o re
o f k no w i n g w hat p oi n t s m ight be res o lved by it
o ver un o ffi cial interco u rse is useless a n d meaningless
if it is n o t e xpected to ripe n int o o ffi cial i n terco u rse
and direct rec o gn iti o n I t is left d o ub tful here w hether
the pr o posed u no ffi cial i n terc o urse has as yet actually
begu n Y o ur a n tecedent i n s t ructions are dee m ed ex
i
l
c it en o ugh a n d i t is h o ped that y o u h a v e not m isu n d e r
p
stood them Y o u will i n a ny eve n t desist f rom all in
te r co u r se whatever u n offi cial as well as o ffi cial w ith the
British g o ver n me n t s o l on g as it shall c ont i n ue inter
c o urse o f either kind with the d om es t ic e n emies of this
co u n t ry When i nt erc ou rse shall have bee n arrested
f o r this ca u se y o u w ill co m m u n icate with this d e p art
” 1
m e n t and receive fu r ther inst ru cti o ns
I n resp o nse t o a c o mplimentary toast o ffered at a dinn e r
o f the F ishmonger s S o ciety in Lond o n ear l y i n Nove m
ber 1 86 1 Mr Yancey act in g as sp o kesman for the
“
Confederate age n ts said :
I n defense o f their liber
ties and s o vereig n independence the C on federate States
and p eo ple are un ited and res o l u te They are invaded
by a p ower n u mbering twenty millions yet fo r eight
mon ths has the C onfede r ate gover n me n t success fully
resisted aye repelled I n v as I On alo n g a milita ry fr on tier
o f a thousand m iles
Th o ugh cut o ff by bl o ckade fr om
all f o reign trade their internal resources ha v e b e e n ade
q uate to the equip m ent and maintenanc e in the fi e ld of
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M r Sew a rd
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to
Mr
.
A
d am s
,
M ay
6
7
TH E
TR E N T
AFFAI R
.
c o m pl e t e a rgum ent of ju sti fi ca tion a nd it do ub tl e ss
m ade m any friends for the S o u th a m ong th os e w h os e ih
form ation was n o t broad enough to e nab l e them to se e
its fallacies and ingenio u s falsehoods M r King p r ac
ticed what e v e r of duplicity h e tho u ght would b e of ad
vantag e t o hi m self and his cau s e Th u s he ac ted whil e
in E u r o pe as a c o m mission e r fro m the sta t e of Georgi a
y e t it has b ee n prov e d c o n cl u sively fro m cap tu red cor
respond e nc e of his that he was a sort of gen e ral a ssist
a nt to the whol e band of Confed e rate a ge nts abro a d
Concerning the labors o f these representatives J e ffe r
“
son D avis h a s s a id :
O u r efforts for the re c ognition of
th e C o nfeder a te S tat e s by the E ur o pean pow e rs in
1 86 1 s e rved to m ak e u s b e tt e r known abroad to awaken
a kindly fe e ling in o u r favor and ca u se a r e sp ec tf u l r e
gard for the effo rt we were making t o m a i n tain the in
dependence of the stat e s which Gr e at Britain ha d r ec og
” 1
n ize d a nd h e r people knew to b e o u r b irthright
I t was w e ll perhaps f o r the pea c e of E u rop e in 1 86 1
a nd certainly m ost fortu nate for the interests of th e
n o rthern stat e s th at th e sophistri e s of the so u thern e rs
did n o t ind uc e a ny E u rope an nation to r e cognize the in
dependence o i th e Confeder a te States a nd open a direct
c o m m u ni c ation with the m This wo u ld h ave been an
interferenc e in A m erican do m estic affairs whic h th e
Fed e ral govern m ent wo u ld n o t hav e tolerated even
th o ugh it had led to a war betw een th e United States
a nd the recognizing power Mr Seward m eant as muc h
when he said that if E n gl a nd det e r m ined to rec o gnize
she m ight as well prepare to en ter into an alliance with
I ndeed it is h ighly probabl e tha t on e
th e insurgents
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R
i se and
Fa
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ll o f th e Confe d e rate G ove rnm ent
,
Vol
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1,
p
.
6
4 9
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WH
T T H E S O U T H S O U GH T F OR E I GN A I D
.
of th e chief m otiv e s w h ic h ind u ced th e Conf e d e rat e
gov e rn m ent to s e ek recognition abroad with s u ch per
s i sta n ce and deter m inati o n was a hope th a t the Unit e d
States would beco m e inv o lved in a f o reign war as a
co nseq u en c e I t was do u btless thought that s uc h a t e
s u lt wo u ld enable the m to form a for e ign allianc e—a
me as u re w h ich wo u ld hav e grea tly i m prov e d the ir
prosp ec ts for ind e p e nden c e
.
.
A U T H O R I T I E S A N D R E F E R E N CE S
nnu a l Cy c l o p e di a 1 86 1
2
Co ngre ss i o n a l G l o be : P art I 2 d S e s s i o n 36 th Congre ss
h
T
e R i se a n d F a ll o f th e Co n fe d e rat e
avi s J e ffe r s o n :
D
3
G ove rn m ent
ipl
ti
o rr e sp o nd e nce w it h Gre at Brit a i n 1 86 1
m
a
c
o
C
D
4
i
H
s t o ry o f th e A m e ri can Civil War
ap e r J W :
D
r
5
6 ; F oo te s Wa r o f th e R e be lli o n
1 2 1 86 1
nd
o n Gl o be N o v
L
o
7
8 Lo ss ing B J : T h e Civil War in A m e ri ca
o liti c a l H i s to ry of th e R eb e lli on
P
h
e r s o n E d w a rd :
M
c
P
9
10
Se n ate E x D o c : 2 d Se ssi o n 3 7th Co n g re ss V o l 1
11
V i cto r O J : H i sto ry o f th e Sou th e rn R e be lli on
1.
A m e ri ca n A
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CHAPT E R VI I I
J AM E
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S MUR R AY M A SO N A N D J O HN SL I D E L L—T H E
A N D M E R I T S O F T H E I R M I SS I O N
NA T U R E
.
T H E fi rst
agents o f the S o uth had spent s e ven m onths
i n E uro pe w ith o ut acc o mpl i sh in g a nythi n g I t b eca m e
pain full y evide n t t o t he C onfederacy that th o se who
w ere then represe n ting its i n terests ab ro ad would nev e r
be able t o se cure fo r it the much desired recog n iti o n of
its indep e ndence Al th o ugh d i sapp o i n ted at t his fail
"
re
Mr D avis w a s n o t dishe arte n ed b u t determ i n ed to
t r y the effect o f a s e co n d a n d much m o re f o rmal m ission
in which the i n terests o f the C onfederate govern m ent
w o uld be represe n ted by m en o f m u ch mo re ability and
f o rce o f charac t er than th o se w h o had been se n t in the
fi rst i n stance
The n ew r ep r ese n tatives w ere t o be duly
“
c o mmissi on ed as a mb assad or s f o r the C on federate
States Their proposed w o rk abro ad w a s th o ught to be
o f vital i m p o rtance t o the i n terests o f the C o n federacy
Aft er due c on siderat io n o f the matter theref o re Messrs
James Murra y Mas on o f Vi r gi n ia and John Slidell of
L o uis i ana w ere sele cted fo r t his empl oy m ent a n d cre
d e n tial s duly f u rnished the m by w hich the for m er was
to represent the Confederat e S tat e s in E ngl and a nd th e
la tt e r in Fr a n ce
( 79 )
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30
TREN T A FFA IR
TH E
.
Mr J ame s M Ma son w a s a V irginian wh os e n ame
w a s histori c H is fa m ily had been disti n guished in th e
history of his state fro m the earliest c o l on i a l ti me s and
Mr Mas on hi m self was a m an o f gre at personal m ark
poss e ssing ability of the h ighest order H e had r e p r e
sent e d Virginia in the Unit e d Stat e s sena t e for ye ars
prior to the sece ssion of that state H e had be en chair
m an o f th e senat e c o mm itt ee on for e ign affairs and was
the a uth or of the fugitive slave l a w I ndeed an e x am
in atio n of h is s e natorial r e cord shows that he never lost
a n Opp o rtu nity to dilate u pon the f u gitiv e slav e q u es
tion Th e fail u re or refu s al o f c itizens of the free states
to a ppr eh end and retu rn to their m asters ru naw ay sl aves
that w e r e c onstantly e scaping fro m Virginia w a s to Mr
Mason a gri e vance of u nexampled pr o p o rti o ns On
t he fi rst day that c on gress c o nve n ed again after the
J o hn Brow n raid Senato r Mas o n introduced a res o l u
ti o n of inq u iry i n to the facts a tt e n ding th e i n vasi o n and
“
seiz u re of Harper s Ferry Virginia : whe th e r s u ch
invas ion and seiz u re was m ade under c olor of any o r
a n iz a tio n intended to subvert the g o vern m e n t o f any of
g
th e stat e s of th e Union ; what was the c haract e r and e x
tent O f s uc h organizati o n ; and wh e th e r an y citizens of
the Un it e d S tates not present were impl icated th e rein or
acc e ssory th e r e to by c o n t ributions of m oney arm s
munitions or o therwise wh a t was the character and ex
tent o i the m ilitary equip m e n t in the hands o r u nder the
c ontr o l o f said ar m ed ba n d a n d w here a n d how and
wh e n th e same was o btained a n d transport e d to th e
” 1
pl a c e so invaded
This resolution was evidently in
t e nd e d to fi x the re sponsibility for th e Jo h n Brown r a i d
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1
Co ngressio nal
Gl o be
,
D ec
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1 8 59 .
,
S KE T CH
0F M R
M A S ON
.
81
.
whe r e it d id not b e long v iz u pon the R e p u bli can p a rty
in the northern states
M r Mason was one of the fi rst to a dvo ca te the se ce s
sion of V irginia A powerf u l m inority in that st a t e
oppos e d th e m ove m ent and it w a s not witho u t c on
se ce ssionists tri um phed
side r ab l e opposition th a t th e
Th e c onvention c alled to c ons i der the qu estion of se ce d
ing p a ss e d an ordinan ce withdrawing th e stat e fro m the
Union provid e d th e m eas u re be approv e d by th e people
of V irginia at a sp e ci a l election called to de c id e the
m atte r S ome ten days before the election M r M a son
p u blishe d a letter whi c h was w idely cir cu lat e d giving
h is vi e ws with regard t o the act o f secession w h ich he
“
decl ar e d
withdrew the stat e of Virgini a fro m the
U nion with all the co n sequ e n ces res u lting fro m th e sep
”
“
ar a tion
and n u lli fi e d all the constit u tion a nd l aws
”
of th e United States wi thin its l i m its
He tho u ght
Virginia c ou ld n o t affo rd t o reje ct the secession ordi
“
nance at the c o mi n g ele c t i on and said :
I f it be asked
what those s h all d o wh o can n ot in c o nscie n ce vote to
sep a rate V irginia from the United States the answer is
si m pl e and plain Honor a nd d u ty alike requ ire that
they should no t vot e on th e question and if they retain
” 1
s u ch opini o ns they m ust leav e the state
This was
m eant t o enco u rage inti m idati o n Of the loy a l p e opl e
thro u gh ou t the state and th e histo ry o f the tim e shows
th at such advice was n o t given i n vain
M r John Slidell o f Louisia n a had also be e n known
in p ublic l ife previous t o the civil war A native of
N e w Y ork h e ha d in e arly l if e b ec o me a c itiz e n of
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1
Le tte r to th e
6
Winc h este r V irgini an
,
M ay 1 6 , 1 86 1
.
82
TH E
A F FAI R
TR E N T
.
wher e he had m arried an ac co m plished
F rench Cre o le l ady
He e n tered public l ife in 1 84 2
bei n g elected t o the house o f representatives
Mr Sl idell r eprese nt ed L o u i s ia n a i n the U n ited Stat e s
senate whe n h i s state seceded from the U n io n His
withdraw al speech w a s bi t ter in the extreme Th e fo l
“
l o wing i s an extract fr o m it :
We have n o idea that
you will even attemp t to i nvade our soil with your
arm ies ; but we acknowledge y ou r s u peri o rity o n the
sea at prese n t in some degree a ccid én tal but in the
m a i n n atural a n d pe r ma n ent u n til w e Shall h av e a c
quired better p or ts f o r o ur mar in e Y o u may if y o u
wil l it persist in c o ns i deri n g us b o und t o y o u during
y o ur go od ple asure ; yo u m a y deny the s acred a n d i n de
feasible r i ght we wi l l no t s a y o f secess io n but o f rev o
l u tio n—aye o f rebe l li o n if yo u ch oo se so t o call o ur
acti on—the right o f e v er y pe o ple t o establish f o r itsel f
tha t fo rm o f g o vernment which it may even in its folly
if su ch yo u dee m i t c on sider best calculated t o secure
its s afe ty a n d p ro m o te its w el fare Y ou m ay ign o re
the principles o f ou r i mm ortal Declarati on of I n de p e n d
e n ce ; yo u m ay at t empt to redu ce u s to s u bjectio n o r
y ou m ay un der col o r o f e nforci n g y o ur law s o r c o llect
ing y o ur revenue bl o ckade o ur ports This w ill b e
war and w e shall meet it with different but equally
e ffi cient weap o ns We w i ll n o t permit the co n su m p
ti o n or intr o duct io n o f a ny of y o ur ma n u factu res every sea
Will swarm w ith o u r v ol u n teer mili ti a o f the ocean w i t h
the st r iped bu n ti n g fl o ati n g o ver their heads f o r we d o
n o t mean t o give up that flag wi th o ut a bl oo dy struggle ;
it is o u rs as m u ch as yours ; and altho u gh for a ti m e
Louisiana ,
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84
TH E
,
TR E N T
AFFAI R
.
a ny diplo ma ti c mea su res of the United St a te s in E ur op e ;
to s e r ve th e fi n a n c ial and m ilitary needs of th e ins u rgent
gov e rn m ent by pro cu ring foreign l o ans se cu ring mu ni
tions of war granting co m missions and in short to aid
the Confe dera cy by e v e ry m eans in their power
Th e U nited States was m ost fortunate at this ti me in
h aving a ll of h er fore ign affairs in the hands of m en who
poss ess e d m ore than o rdin a ry ab ility as diplo m ats M r
Sew a rd had early anticipated the work of all C o nfe d
e r a te agents abroad and sent to each U nited S tates m in
ister accredited t o a ny c o u ntry which he th ought would
b e a ppli e d to by insurgent missi o na r ies a c aref u lly pre
pared lett e r o i instru ctions c o ntaining a n o u tl in e of th e
a rgume nts to b e u s e d in thwarti n g th e efforts o f the
so u th e rn r e presentativ e s Th e instru c tions giv e n to M r
Ad am s w e r e p e rhaps the m ost ca refu l a nd e xt e nd e d of
a ny
M r Sewa rd th o u gh t th e a ge nts of the Confe d e r a te s
wo u ld not a pp e al to th e ma gnani m ity or ju sti ce of
G r ea t Britain b u t rath e r to h e r cu pidity and c apri c e ;
th a t th e y wo u ld a sk recognition as a mea s u r e of r e t a li a
tion against the M orrill tariff
I n r e spons e he tho u gh t it wo u ld be w e ll to a rgu e tha t
e v e ry st a t e h as a right to r egard its own co nv e nien c e
only in fr a m ing its re ve n u e l aws ; th a t a r e cognition of
the Conf e d e r acy wo u ld b e equ ival e nt to a deliberate r e
solv e o n th e part of he r m ajesty s gov e rn m ent that th e
A m eri c an U nion whi c h h ad so long c onstitute d a single
prosp e ro u s n a tion sho u ld b e p e rm an e ntly diss o lved a n d
for e v e r cease to e xist ; that th e e xcus e for so doing
wo u ld be only a cha nge in th e A m erican r e v e nue l aws
a cha ng e th a t in its v e ry natu re c o u ld be only t em
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I N S T R U C T I ON S T O
MR
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ADA
MS
.
85
a
nd
e
p
hem
er
a
l
becau
s
e
of
p
u
blic
s
e
nti
me
nt
in
y
p
the United States which in a brief tim e wo u ld pr ob ably
de ma nd a Ch ange ; th a t a s a retaliatory me as u r e r e co gn i
tion wo u ld be ou t of all proportion to th e t em p o rary
disadvant a ge cre a te d by the reven u e l aw ; that a m ag
n a n im o u s nation whi c h desired to retaliate c o u ld fi n d
other a nd mo r e friendly remedi e s for foreign l e gislation
that w a s inju rio u s with ou t delib e r a tely seeking to d e str oy
the offe nding nati o n Mr Seward tho u ght that E ngl a nd
should not b e in haste to assum e th a t the Confed e r a te
States wo u ld o ffer mor e liberal f ac iliti e s for tr a de th a n
the United States wo u ld be disposed to c onced e ; th a t it
m ight be w e ll to wait and see wheth e r the b e st ter m s of
the S o uth would be any m o re desirabl e than thos e which
the N o rth c o uld o ffer A t tention was also to b e c alled
t o th e fact that absol u te fr ee trade had always e xist e d
a m ong the several states of the U nion whic h w a s in
e ffe c t fre e trade thro u gho u t the largest hab itabl e p a rt of
N orth A m erica ; that d u ring the e ntire n a ti o nal p e riod of
A m erican history except brief inte r vals that did n o t a ffe ct
the result co nstantly i n creasing liberality in c o mm ercial
rel ations with fo reign nations had be e n the poli cy of th e
U nited S tat e s ; that these advanc e s h a d b ee n m ade
ne ce ssarily be c ause with an increasing lib e rality the
Fed e ral g o vern m ent had at the sa m e ti m e owing to
controlling ca u ses conti n ually a u gme nted its rev e nues
and the w h ole co u ntry had increas e d its prod uc ti on s ;
and fi nally that it w a s q uite evident that n o different
c ou rse would b e f o ll o wed i n the futu re I t was also t o
be noted that the Confederate States m ight n o t be able
to c ontin ue for a ny l e ngth of ti me th e propos e d co m
o r ar
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86
TH E
TR E N T
A F F AI R
.
m e r c ia l
liberality which they proffered as a n equ i v ale nt
fo r recognition since s u ch liberality i m pli e d that p e a ce
m ust conti n uously exist and that trade relatio n s would
not b e disturbed
I f war rather than pea ce should
mark th e existence o f th e new g o vern m ent ther e wo u ld
be very str on g temptati on s to levy an imp o rt d u ty since
that would b e one o f their chie f means o f raisi n g m uch
needed reven u e I t was further affi rmed that only a
limited e xaminati on o f c omm ercial statistics was s uffi
cient to show that while the chief Ame rican exp o rts to
E uropean c o untries were s t aples of the Confederate
States yet a very large pr o p o rt ion o f the fabrics and
pr o ducts from abro ad w hich wer e c ons um ed in th o se
stat e s wer e obtai n ed and must continue t o b e obtained
n o t fro m E u rope b u t fro m the n o rthern stat e s o f
America and that the chie f co n s u mpti o n o f E ur o pean
goods i m ported int o the U n ited States took pl a ce in the
same n o rthern states ; that th e gre at feat u res of that
c omm erce co u ld not be mo di fi ed b y the acti o n o f e ith er
the C o nfeder a te c ongress or the British parlia me nt si n ce
its c om p o site character was d u e to the great variety o f
s o ils and cli m ates of a c o ntinent as well as the vario u s
institutions c u stoms a nd disp o sitions of the numerous
c omm unities living u p o n it Mr Seward was also o f
o pi n i o n that the M o rrill tariff would n ot di m inish the
am o unt of E n gl ish g oo ds c o ns um ed in the Un ited States
since the Ame r ican pe o pl e were active e nergetic in
d u str io u s i nv e n tive and n o t penurious and they were
engaged in devel o pi n g a practically new contin e nt o f
unl i mi t ed n atural res ou rces This in his o pinion c a u sed
b oth individ u al and p u bli c w ea lth to in c r eas e d a ily a nd
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I N S T R U C T I ON S T O
MR A DA MS
.
87
.
with such increase grew th e habit of liberal if not pro
fu se expenditu re—results which no reven u e legislation
c ou ld cha n ge o the r than t o vary the character and not
the a m ount and val u e o f foreig n imp o rts
Mr Adams was als o advised t o say that Great Britain
was c omm itted t o a p o licy o f industry a n d peace rather
tha n of ambition a nd w a r ; that s u ch a p o licy had u n
d ou btedly bro ught the best res u lts t o her as a nation ;
and that c o ntinued success in this career req u ired peace
throu ghout the c i vilized w o rld and especially o n this
“
cont i nent
R ecog n itio n by her o f the so called C o n
”
“
c ontinued Mr S eward wo u ld b e in
federate State s
Permanent dis
te r v e n tio n a n d war i n this co untry
member me nt o f the A m erican U n ion in c onsequence of
that in terventi o n w ould be perpet u al war—civil war
The n e w Con federacy which G r eat Britain wo u ld have
aided int o e xistence w o uld like any other new state s ee k
t o expand i tself northward westward and s o uthward
What part of the continent or o f the adj a c ent isl an ds
would be expected to re m ain in peace ! President
Linc o ln would n o t f o r a mo m e n t b elieve th at up o n con
siderati o n o f mere fi nancial gai n that g o vern m ent c o uld
b e i nduced to l e nd its aid t o a rev o lution designed to
overthr o w the institut i o n s o f this co untry and inv o lvi n g
ultimately th e destru cti o n of the lib e rties o f th e A m eri
”
ca n pe o ple
A no ther p o i n t to b e not e d w a s that rec o gnition o f th e
i n dependence of a n ew state was the highest possibl e
e x ercise o f sove r eign pow er b e cause it might resu lt in
establishi n g the new na t i o n a mon g the p o wers o f
e arth—a re s u lt often fra u ght with grav e c ons equ en ce s
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88
TH E
TR E N T
AFFAI R
.
to othe r n a ti ons a nd to the p e a ce o f th e world ; tha t s uch
a u se of sovereign power sho u ld b e made with gr e ater
pru d e n c e and c aution in A m erican than in E uropean
a ffairs sin c e its e ffe c ts c o u ld not fail to b e mo r e serio u s
T ha t prin c iple of international law was also inv o ked
w h i c h regards nations as mo ral p e r so n s b o un d so to act
toward each o ther that n o t o nly th e le a st inj u ry but the
I t was held that this great
m ost good will b e done
principle of inte rnational law wo u ld be red u ced to the
merest abstr a cti o n to o re fi ned for an enlighte n ed n ation
to pra c ti ce if r ec ognition wer e granted t o th e Confed
c ra c y
L astly M r Ada m s was instru cted t o r em ind the
British gov e rn me nt that th e e m p i re o ver which it ru led
w a s m ad e u p of a n aggregation o f divers c o mmun ities
c ov e ri n g a l a rg e portion o f th e e a rth a n d including one
fi fth of its total p o p u l ation ; that man y o f its possessions
w e r e held by ti e s n o strong e r than those which h e ld t o
geth e r the F e deral U n ion ; that a tim e wo u ld co m e
when the stre ngt h of those b o nds wo u ld b e p u t to a
severe test by insurrecti o n o r o therwise ; and to c o nclude
by a sking whethe r it w o uld be wise o n that occasi o n to
set so dang e ro u s a pre c edent or to p u rsu e s u ch a c ou rse
as m ight invok e the fu tu re r e t a liati o n o f a power ful state
Such were the argu m ents as they were outline d for
th e u se o f M r Ada m s in answering the expected appe al
of the Conf e d e rat e age n ts f o r the rec o gniti o n o f their
g o vern me nt They afford a th o rough analy sis o f the
wh o l e m atter E very p o ssible argu me n t fo r recogniti o n
is fairly st a ted fully discussed and a logical concl u si o n
Th ey are am ply sufli cie n t t o convin ce any
r eache d
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MR
I N S T R U C TI ON S T O
A DA
.
MS
89
.
c andid m ind that n o t a single valid r e ason exist e d f o r
recognizing the C o nfederacy a n d that th e m ission of
M ason and Slid e ll d e s e rv e d only f a il u r e
,
.
A U T H OR I T I E S A N D R E F E R E N CE S
.
ppl e to n s Cy c l o p e di a o f A m e ri ca n Bi ogr a p hy
Bl a i n e J am e s G : T w e nty Y e ars o f Co n g re ss
2
n g re s s i o n a l G l o b e : P a rt 1
1
t
s s i o n 3 6 th Co ngre ss
o
s
S
C
e
3
a n d P a rt 1 2 d S e s s i o n 3 6 th C o ng r e ss
—
pp
a n a s Wh e a to n s I nt e rn a ti o a l L aw n o te
6
6
D
5
3
4
ipl
o m a ti c c o rre sp o d e n ce w it h G r e a t Brit a in 1 86 1
D
5
T h e Civil Wa in A m e ri c a
6 L o ss i n g B
2 d S e s s i o n 3 7th C o ng re ss V o l 1
n
a te E x D o c :
S
e
7
8 Winch e ste r V irg ini an M ay 1 6 1 86 1
1
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A
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9
TH E
2
TR E N T
A F F AI R
.
a nd it was c onveniently near to the neutral ports of th e
West I ndies To this p o rt the n the com m issioners
acc or di n gly ca m e I t was ann o u n ced b y th e Confed
e r a te press that they would take passag e on the priva
teer Nashville a very swi ft vessel which was then lyin g
in the ha rb o r On the n ight o f October 1 0 1 86 1 th e
Nashville passed o u t o f t he harb o r in order to draw o ff
an y Federal crui ser which might be h o v e ring a ro u nd
o u tside with the inte n ti o n o f givi n g chase to th e vessel
that sho u ld e scape w ith the c om mi ssioners on board
I t was arra n ged fo r the env oys to take passage on th e
armed steamer The o dora The e n tire party w a s c om
posed o f Mr M aso n and his secreta ry Mr M cF ar l a n d ;
Mr Slidell his wife and fou r ch ildren ; Mr Slidell s se c
r e tar
Mr
Ge
o
rge
u
stis
wh
o
was
als
o
a
c
companied
by
E
y
his wife a daughter o f Mr Cor c oran th e e m in e nt
b anker of Washingt o n city
The night of October 1 2 w a s dark and st o rm y R ain
was falli n g in torrents as the The o d o ra left Charleston
harb o r a li ttle past m i dnight I n the inte n se d a rkness
w hich pre v ailed she escaped the watchful cr u isers o f th e
bl o ckading squadron a n d arrived at Nass au New Provi
dence o n the 1 3 th This was a British p o rt where
blockade ru n n ers and C o nfederate vessels o f whatever
kind always received a war m welco m e
The United States g o vernment se n t ar m ed vessels in
p u rs u it as s oo n as it w a s learned tha t Mas o n a n d Slidell
h ad escaped but the ship which c o nveyed the env oys
was not o vertaken The secret o f their m o v e m ents had
been well kept a n d several days had elapsed before
news of their depart u re was publ ished even in the
I t is probabl e th e refore tha t th e
Cha rl e ston pap e rs
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27 1 E
A T H A VANA
E N V O I S A R R I VE
’
93
.
F e deral
a u thorities did not learn o f the escape in ti me
for their ste am ers t o hav e a ny c han c e whatev e r to ov e r
tak e th e Th eo dora
At Nassa u the envoys h ad fu lly e xpected t o tak e p a ssage
on an E n glish stea m er b u t were deterred fr om so d o ing
when they learned that the vessel w o uld sto p at New
Y ork o n her r ou te to L iverpo o l Their jour n ey was
therefore c ontin u ed on board th e Theodora to Carden a s
in C u ba whence they afterward pr o ceeded overland to
Havana and t oo k l o dgi n gs at the Hotel C u b ana while
wai t ing fo r the E n glish steamer Th e Theodora co n
tin u e d her voyage to Havana and steamed i n to that port
o n the 1 th wi t h Confederate col o rs flyi n g
Sh
e
was
7
r ece ived with great honors at the Cuban capital A
p u bli c r e ception was held at the Taco n The a ter in h on o r
of he r o fficers and crew Captain Lockw oo d o f th e
“
Theod o ra was presented with a handso me Co n fed erate
”
flag by th e ladies of Havana who sy m pathized with
th e s o uth ern c ause After a short stay th e Confe d e ra t e
stea m er ret u rned to Charleston
As s o on as th e e n v oys arrived th ey w er e waite d u pon
b y he r Britanni c m ajesty s consul at Havana M r Craw
ford in fu ll dress Thi s g e ntleman introd u ced th e m to
C aptain General Se rrano as m inisters o f the Confederate
1
S tates on th e ir way to E ngl and and Fr a nce but the
S panish offi cer would not receive the m offi c ially b u t
only u p o n the footing of disti n gu ished gentle m en and
strangers Th e E nglish consul was very atten tive to th e
e nvoys d u ring their entire stay at Havana N o atte m pt
w a s m ade to c on cea l their station or id e ntity and with
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l e tte r to L o rd Ly o ns d ate d
d e ni e d h aving done th i s
i
I
n a
.
D ec
.
2,
1 86 1 ,
M r Crawford
.
TH E
94
TR E N T
A FF AI R
.
a full knowledge of this the c ons u l s son w h o w a s
agent fo r the Brit i sh lin e o f st e a m ers to u ching at
Hav a na allow e d th em to engag e passage to So uth a m p
ton
On Nove mber 7 the env oys and their party e m bark e d
on b o ard the British stea m er Trent at Hava n a with th e
f u ll k no wledge and consent o f h er captai n who after
ward did what h e co u ld t o c onc e al their identity by r e
fu sing to allow his passe n ger list and papers of the v e s
sel t o be see n by a board in g o ffi cer fr om the Sa n Jacint o
The Trent was a British packet w h ich made regu l a r
trips b e tween V e ra Cru z and the D a n ish isla n d o f St
Th om as I t is was one o f a li n e o f stea m ers w hich car
ri e d the E nglish m ails under c o n tract wi t h the govern
me nt At St Th om as di r ec t c on necti on w a s made with
stea m ers ru nning t o S o uthampt on The Trent had on
bo ard pr ob ably a hu n dred passe n gers a c a rg o o f con
Th e
s id e r ab l e value a n d a large qua n t ity o f sp e cie
dep art ur e of th e e nv oys f rom Havana o n bo a rd this v e s
s e l se em ed to assure th e sa fety of the re m ainder of the ir
j o u rn ey since it was to be made u nder a ne u tral fl a g
The appar e ntly s uc cessful j o u rney of their com m is
sio n er s w a s a ca u s e o f co n gratulati o n a mo ng th e Confe d
I n dis cu ssing this m att e r the R i chm ond E x am
c ra te s
in e r prob ably voiced th e se n ti m ent of the Confedera cy
“
when it said :
By this tim e ou r abl e repres e ntativ e s
abroad M e ssrs M ason and Slidell a re pretty well on
their way ov e r the briny deep toward the shores of
W e c o mm it no indiscretion in stating th a t
E u r o pe
they hav e e m b arked u p o n a vessel which will be ab u n
d a n tly able to protect the m against most of the Yank ee
c ru isers they m ay happen to me et and the c han ce s ar e
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C OM M E N T S
C ON F E D E R A T E
95
.
cons equ ently a h u n dr e d to on e that they will r eac h th e ir
destinati o n in safety The malice of o u r Yankee ene
mies will thus be f o iled and th e attempt to captu re the m
fail of s ucce ss Gr e at will be the m o r tifi catio n of the
Yanke e s w hen th ey shall have le arn ed this result O u r
m i n ist e rs did no t ch oo se to le ave at any other port than
on e of o u r own o r u n der a ny but th e C o nfederate fl ag
“
We a n ticipate fr o m Mr Mas o n s presence i n E n gland
a v e ry happy effect up on o u r interests in that qu arter
M r Maso n is in h is p o ints o f character a very good
rep r esentative o f the best quali t ies o f the E n gl ish pe o
ple He is fra n k bold and straightfo rward disdai n ing
all c o nceal m ents o r evasi o ns His dipl o macy will con
sist in telli n g the tru th in th e l angu age o f a gentle m an
and a statesman As the represent a tiv e o f a name li n ked
wi t h the earl ier ages o f the American republic a n ex
a n d the
s e n at o r of the Uni t ed States fo r ma ny ye ars
ho n o red serva n t o f t h e C o n federate g o vernment he will
wield a n infl u ence abroad s uch as perhaps n o o ther m a n
could hope to e njoy He is the very best man we
could send abroad to sh o w fore i gn nati on s that the
Southerner is a different type alt o gether from the Yan
kee—that he s c orns like the latte r to l ie t o e v ade o r dis
semble t o fawn or play the bully and the braggart ; th at
the d e spicable traits of a v aric e m e anness c ant a n d v u l
garity which e n ter i n t o the u niversal idea o f a Yankee
were left behind us when w e seceded fr o m the L i ncoln
gover n ment We are glad t o be able t o c on trast s u ch
a gentle m an with Charles Francis Adams the Puritan
representative o f freed o m at the C o urt o f St Jame s
a nd he kn o ws little o f British character wh o is d isposed
to s e t a slight val ue u pon th e adv a nt ag e s d e riv e d fro m
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6
9
TH E
TR E N T A F F A I R
.
th e person a l c h a r ac t e r o f a repr e sentative in this ma tt e r
We believe that at no dista n t d ay Mr Mason will h ave
the pleas u re o f signi n g a treaty o f a m ity on beh a lf of
the Confederate States with o ne of the oldest a nd
greatest dynasties o f E u rope and th u s ce m ent thos e r e
l a tio n s o f co mme r c e u pon which o u r f u t u re so l a rgely
”
d e pends
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A U T H O R I T I E S A N D R E F E R E N CE S
.
B a ttl e s an d L e a d e r s o f th e Civil War
2
B e r a rd M o n t agu e : N eu tra lity o f G re a t Brita i n D u ring
th e A m e ri ca n C ivil Wa r
L
o
h
s
s
i
B
:
T
e
ivil
W
a
r
i
A
ri
C
n
m
e
ca
g
J
3
4 S h a r f J T h o m a s : H i s to ry o f t h e Con fe d e r a te S ta te s
N avy
5 R e p o rt s o f Ca pt a i n Wil k e s
6 R i c h m o nd E xa m i n e r O c t 2 9 1 86 1
H i s t o ry o f th e S o u th e rn R e be lli o n
7 V i ct o r
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1
R
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i c h m o nd E xam ine r
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O ct
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2 9,
X
CHAPT E R
THE
SE I Z
UR E OF
M A SO N
AN D
.
S L I D E LL B Y C AP T WI L KE S
.
A u gu st 1 86 1 the United States war steame r Sa n
Jacinto a fi r s t class s crew sl oo p m ou nting fi fteen gu ns
left St Paul de L o an do o n the western coast o f Afri c a
where she had been engaged during twenty m onths in an
active c ru ise f o r slavers She was at that ti m e te m
c
om
manded
by
L
i
e
utenant
D
M
Fairfax
of
o r a r il
p
y
the United States n avy w h o had been instru ct e d to pr o
ce e d to Fer n a n d o P o a n d await at that place the arrival
of Captai n Cha r les Wilkes an able naval offi cer in the
service o f the Un it ed States Captain Wilkes s o on ar
rived a n d t oo k perma n e n t c om mand of th e ship L ie u
te n ant Fairfax resu m ing his former position o f e xe cu tiv e
o ffi cer
The na me of Charles Wilkes was on e which was not
u nknown in A m erican naval circles and in the scienti fi c
w o rld He had c o mmanded an exp lo ri n g expediti o n to
the S o uth P o l ar O c e an and had disc o vered there the
dreary land whi c h n o w b e ars his n ame He was a m an
of great scie n ti fi c acq u ire m ents That he had b een a
d e voted stude n t a n d an o rigi n al investigator in his
c hosen fi eld is attested by his v o lu m ino u s s c ienti fi c
T he l e is u re ho u rs of h is long voy a ge s am ong
wr itings
( 97)
7
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8
9
AFFAIR
TR E N T
TH E
.
pol ar i ceb e rgs and elsewh e re were chi e fly sp e nt in tha t
way He was regarded by his acquaintan ce s a s c c
centri c an d i n depe n dent i n disp o sition
Afte r taking com m and of the S an Ja c into C a ptain
Wilkes spent about a m onth c ru ising c los e to the shor e
of Africa f o r the purpose o f ascertaining wh e ther the
C o nfederate privateers had taken any prizes to that
coast Having arrived at Cape Ve rd ab o ut the last o f
September it was l ea rn e d fr om newspapers r ece i ved
there that several Con federate privateers h ad r u n th e
bl o ckade and taken nume ro us prizes in th e waters of th e
West I ndia isla n ds
Captain Wilkes deter m in e d to
c ruise ab out th o se islands f o r a ti m e and capt u re so me
o f the C o nfederate privateers
bef o re retu rning to N e w
Yo rk On Oct ober 1 0 1 8 6 1 the San Jaci n t o arrived
at the p o rt o f St Th o mas in the West I n dies Th e
P owhata n a n d the I ro qu o is to n ite d States war v e s
sels w ere already there On the da y a fter the arrival
o f the S an Jaci n t o the British brig Spartan arrived
and
her c o mma n der i n formed Captai n Wilkes that o n Oct o
ber 5 his vessel had been b o a r ded by a stea m er evi
d e n tl y a war vessel in disgu ise a n d that a ft er ans w ering
all questi on s he c o u l d get no sat i sfact o ry 1 n fo r m at10n
c o ncerni n g the stra n ge r Bei n g s h own a ph o t o graph
of the C on federate p r i v a t ee r S um t e r he immediately
rec o g n ized it as the o ne b y w hich h i s o w n vessel h ad
been b o arded A l l o f the U n ited States w a r vessels im
m ed i a t ely left the harbor w i t h the h o p e o f o vertaki n g
the Sumter Ab o ut te n days af t e rward the San Jaci n t o
t o uched at C i enfueg o s o n the s o uth coast o f Cub a
There it was le arned fro m th e newspap e rs that the C o n
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m
TR E N T
TH E
o
A FFA IR
.
a nd wh e re in th e B aha m a C h ann e l it wo u ld be ea siest
to intercept the British v e ssel
Any d ou bt of his right to board the Trent a nd rem ov e
the envoys from her see m s nev e r to have e n tered th e
m ind of Captain Wilkes
B efore arriving at Key
West h e to o k into his confi dence Lie u te n ant Fairfax
the exec u tive offi cer o f th e S an Ja c into an d tol d hi m of
the plan to interc e pt the British packet a n d if the Co n
fed e rate c om m issioners wer e on board her to tak e th e m
pris o ners Lie u t e n a nt F airfax e n tered a vigoro u s pro
test against th e proposed action and urged strongly
upon C aptain Wilkes the necessi ty o f proceeding with
the u t m ost ca u tion in ord e r to av o id int e rnatio n al d if
fi cul tie s a nd possibly a war wi t h E ngla n d as a res u lt of
the a ff a ir After re aching Key West Li eu t e n a nt F air
fax s u ggest e d th a t Ju dge M a rvin an e m inent a u thority
upon ma riti me l aw sh o uld be c onsulted but Captain
Wilkes never ask e d advice o f an y on e after h e h ad on ce
r e solved to d o a thing
A cc ordingly on the m orning o f Nov em b e r 5 th e S a n
J ac into ste ame d o u t of th e harbor of Key West and
dir ec t e d h e r c o u rs e tow a rd S agu a l a Grand e on th e
northe rn c o a st of Cu ba Having arrived ther e an at
t em pt w a s m ad e to g e t inform ati on by telegrap h fro m
th e United States c ons u l at Hava n a c on ce rning the ex
a c t ti me o f the departu re of th e Tr e nt Failing in th is
the S an Ja c into r a n o u t ab out two h un dred and fi fty
m iles fro m Hav a n a a nd took a position in th e Old
B aha m a Chann e l wher e it c o n tra c ts to a width of ab o u t
fi ft e en m il e s
B e ing stationed abo u t the m iddl e of th e
cha nn e l Captain W il ke s d e ter m in e d to await th e p a s
s a g e of the Tr e nt wh i ch he th o u gh t wo u ld not b e ab l e
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OF
A P P R OA CH
TH E
TR E N T
101
.
to p a ss hi m on either side witho u t being observ e d
With battery loaded a n d everyth in g in readiness th e
San Jaci n t o cru ised he r e during th e n ight o f N o ve m ber
h
and
unt
i
l
about
noon
on
the
when
a
vessel
was
8
t
7
seen to b e approaching fr om th e westward When she
had appr oa ched su ffi cien t ly n ear a r o u n d shot was fi red
ac r oss her bows fr o m the piv o t gu n o f the S an Ja c int o
and the Ameri can flag was h o isted at the sa me mom e n t
The approaching vess e l displayed E ngl ish col o rs b u t
d id n o t check her speed or sh o w any disp o sition wh a t
e ver t o heave to A fter a lapse o f s om e ten m in u tes
the E nglish vessel still movi n g under a full he ad of
ste a m a shell was fi red acr o ss her b ow s e xplodi n g sev
eral h u ndred feet in front o f her This had the desired
effect The Trent b ei n g then on ly a few h u ndred y a rds
distant stopped C aptain Wilkes hailed th at h e in
tended to send a boat t o b o ard her
The following i n stru cti o ns had pre v io u sly b een iss ue d
t o L ie u te n a n t F airfax who h a d charge of th e p a rty that
w e nt on board the Tre n t :
“
U S S T E A M E R SA N JA CI N T O
“
A T SE A Nov 8 1 86 1
“
—
Y o u will h ave the second a n d third c u tters of
R
I
S
this ship f u lly m anned and armed a n d b e in all r e sp e cts
prepared to bo a rd th e ste a me r Trent now h ov e to u nd e r
our gu ns
“
On bo a rding her yo u will de m and the p a pers of th e
steamer her clearan ce fr om Havana with the list of
passeng e rs an d crew
“
Sh o uld Mr Mason Mr Slidell Mr E ustis and
Mr M cF ar l a n d be o n board yo u w ill m ake the m pris
oners and send the m on bo ard this s h ip i mme di a tely
an d t ake
oss
e
ssion
of
he
r
a
s
a
priz
e
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TH E
1 02
A F FAIR
TR E N T
.
do not dee m it will b e n ecessary t o u se force ; that
the pris on e r s w i ll h av e the g oo d se n se t o av o id any
necessity fo r us i n g it ; but if they sh o uld they must be
m ade t o unde r sta n d tha t i t is their o w n fault They
must be br o ught on b o a r d All tru n ks cases pack
ages a n d b ags be lon gi n g t o them y o u w ill take p o sses
si o n o f and se n d o n b o a r d this ship Any dispatche s
f o und o n the pe r s o ns o f the p r is on ers or i n possess io n
o f th o se on b o ard the steame r w i ll be taken p o ssessi o n
of also exami n ed a n d re t a in ed if necess ary
“
I have underst o od tha t the families o f these ge n tle
m en may be w i t h them I f s o I beg you will o ffer
them in m y name a passage in this ship to the United
States and that all the atte n ti o n a n d c o m fo rts we can
co m mand are tendered them and will be placed in their
service
“
I n th e event of the i r accepta n ce sh o uld there b e
anythi n g which the captai n o f the steamer can spare t o
incre ase the c o m fort s i n the w ay o f n ecessar i es o r sto res
o f which a war vessel is de fi c i ent
o u will please t o
y
pro c u re the m The amoun t will he paid by th e pay
m aster
“
Li eu tenant Ja m es A Greer w i ll take charge o f the
third cutter which acc om panies yo u a nd assist yo u in
these d uties
“
I tr u st that all th o se u nder yo u r c omm a n d in ex
e cu tin
this
importa
n
t
a
n
d
delicate
duty
will
c
o
ndu
ct
g
the m selves wi th all the delicacy a n d ki n dness w h i c h b e
c o m es the character o f o u r naval serv i ce
“
I am v e ry r e sp e ctfully y o ur obedient servant
“
C HAR L E S WI LKE S Capt a in
“
LI E UT E NAN T D M F A I R FA X
"
“
U S N , E xe c u tiv e Offi ce r Sa n J ac inta
“
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TH E
: 04
I
TREN T A FFA IR
.
the m eanti m e the p as sengers n umbe ring al m ost
one hundred many o f them being southerners had
crow ded u p o n t he deck and a h o wl o f rage and i n digna
ti o n burst fro m them w hen the o bject o f the visit to th e
Trent was ann o unced The Bri t ish captai n th e c om
m issi o ners and their secretaries were quiet and dignifi ed
“
but the other passengers yelled Thr o w the d fell o w
”
o verboard
Lieu t e n a n t Fairfax then asked Captain
M oir t o preserve o rder a n d als o re m i n ded the passen
gers that the deck o f the Trent was be i n g cl o sely
watched thr o ugh g l asses from the Sa n Jacinto that a
heavy b atte r y was at that m o me n t trained u p o n the m
a n d that t o carry o ut the ir threat might resu l t in dread
This w i th the example set by th e
fu l c on seque n ces
captai n rest o red partial o rder
D u ring the upro ar
caused by the fi rst a n n o u n cement o f Lieute n ant Fai r fax s
object in vis it i n g the Tre n t the gu ard which had been
le ft bel o w feari n g vi o le n ce t o him c am e h u rrying t o th e
u pper deck At sight o f the m ari n es Captain Moir r e
m o n s tr a te d and Lieute n a n t Fairfax ordered the m to t e
turn to their b o at with an assuranc e to the Britis h ca p
tain that they had co m e up c ontrary t o instr u ctions
The p u rp o se of the visit was then disc u ssed m ore gen
Captain
Moir
s
aying
very
little
Amo
n
g
th
o
se
e r a ll
y
o n board w h o were n o isiest and m o st abusive was
C omm a n der R ichard Willia m s an o ffi cer o n the retired
l ist o f the royal n avy in charge o f her majesty s m ails
He den ou nced the wh o le proce e di n g in the b itte rest and
m ost o ffensi v e la n gu age p o ssible repeatedly stating that
he offi cially represented the British govern me nt that h e
m eant to rep o rt th e m atter a t once that E ngland wo u ld
b re ak th e bl o ckade of the so u thern ports in twenty day s
n
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C O MMA ND E R WI
LLI A
MS F
R O TE S T S
.
10
5
a nd that the no rtherners might as well give u p now
“
H i s fo rmal p ro test o n the deck o f the Tre n t was as
“
I n th i s ship I am t he represe n ta ti ve o f her
foll o ws :
maj esty s g overnme n t a n d I call up o n the offi cers o f th e
ship and passe n gers ge n era l ly t o mark m y w ords when in
the name o f the B r it i sh g o ver n me n t a n d i n disti n ct lan
guage I de no unce t his as a n illegal a c t an act i n viola
ti o n o f i n ter n ati on al l aw ; an act indeed o f wanton
p i racy which had w e the me a n s o f de fe n se yo u w o uld
”
no t dare t o a tte m pt
N o t the s l i ghtest n o tice was
taken of C om ma n der Wil l iams o r his i n sul t s eith e r by
Lieute n a n t Fairf ax o r a ny o f his men as they could
have offi cial relations on ly with Captain M o ir Mrs
Slidell i n quired wh o w a s i n c o mmand o f the San Jacinto
and upon being i n for m ed that it w a s Captain Wilk e s
she expressed surprise at his pl a y i n g int o C on federat e
hands by doing a thi n g which w o uld certai n l y arous e
E n gla n d th u s acc o mpl i shi n g what the s o uthern people
m o st des ir ed Mr Mas on s u ggested t o her that th e
m atter b e n o t discussed at that time B o th Mrs Sli
dell a n d Mrs E ustis declined to accept Captain Wilkes s
o ffer o f his cab in a n d declared their int e ntion not to
le av e the Tre n t
After tryi n g in vai n t o i n duce the com m issioners and
their secretaries t o g o wi t h hi m peace ably Lie u tenant
Fairfax called t o o n e o f the o ffi ce r s i n his boat bel o w a n d
dire c ted him t o return t o Captain Wilkes with the in
fo rmatio n that the gen t le m e n wh o m they des ired to ar
rest were all o u b o ard but that force w ou ld be n e ce s
s ary to execute the order t o rem ove the m fro m the
packet Lieutenant James A Greer was at on c e sen t
with another boat in which were a n umber of ar me d
.
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1 06
TH E
A F F AI R
TR E N T
.
m arines A c om fortable boat was also s e nt for the
c omm issioners and their secretaries ; a second f o r their
luggage and still a third f o r pr o vis ions which had been
pur c hased fro m th e st e ward o f the Trent for the b e ne fi t
of the prisoners
Mean w hi l e Messrs Mason and Slidell had repair e d
to their respec t ive cab i n s a n d arra nged their luggage
but still i n sisted that fo rce w o uld be n ecessary to co m
pel them t o g o Lieutena n t Greer s armed marines
were then brought up and fo rmed just o u tside the m ain
deck cabi n Calli n g t o his a i d several o fli ce r s w h o h ad
been prev i o u sly i n structed co n cer n i n g their duties L ieu
“
te n ant Fairfax said t o them Ge n tl e m en l ay yo u r
”
hands upo n Mr Mas o n w hich they acc o rdingly did
seizi n g him by the sh o ulders a n d the coat collar Mr
Mason then said that he yielded to fo rce under protest
a nd would go after whi c h he w a s escorted to th e b oat
in waiting
L ieute n ant Fairfax then returned f o r M r S lid e ll wh o
ins i sted th at co n siderable force w o u ld be ne c essary to
rem ov e h im Duri n g all o f t his ti m e e xcite m ent was
rapidly i n creasi n g am on g the passengers They crowded
arou nd the entrance t o the cabin maki n g a gr ea t deal of
n o ise and all kinds o f disagr eeable a n d conte m ptuo u s
“
r em arks such as :
Did you ever hear of s u ch a n o u t
”
“
rage !
These Ya n kees will have to pay w e ll fo r
”
“
this
Th is is the best thing in the world for th e
”
“
Sou th ; E ngla n d w ill o pen the bl o ckade
We will
”
“
have a go od chance at them n ow
Did y o u ever he ar
“
of such a piratical act !
T h e y w o u ld n o t have dared to
h ave d o ne it if an E nglish m a n o f war had b ee n in
”
sight
On e p e rson s u pposed to b e a p a ssenge r b e
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1 08
TR E N T A F F A I R
TH E
.
ders w e re to take possess i o n of the Trent a s a priz e
after havin g captured the commissi o ners When th e
tra n s fer had been m ade Lie u te n ant Fairfax returned to
the S an Jacint o a n d rep o rted that he had n o t made a
prize o f the Trent in a c c o rda n ce with his o rigin a l o r
ders assigni n g at the same time s a isfacto ry reas o ns for
n o t ha v i n g d o ne
so The fi rst was that as the San
Jac in to was expecti n g t o m o ve n orthw ard at once a n d
c o o perate with Admiral D u P on t i n his naval attack o n
Port R oyal the ir force a n d e fli ci e n cy w o uld be greatly
w eakened if a large p r ize crew o f o fli ce r s and m en
sh o uld be put on b o ard the Tre n t i n o rder t o carry h e r
int o p o rt The second reason was that great in co n
and loss w o uld be occas io n ed t o the large
v e n ie n c e
nu mber o f inn o ce n t passengers aboard the Trent After
considerati on of these suggesti o ns Cap t ain Wilke s ap
prov e d the m a n d c o nsented that the Trent be all o wed
to g o Lie u te n ant Fairfax then retu rned to the Trent
and infor m ed Captai n M o ir that h e would be detai n ed
n o lo n ger a n d that he m ight continue his voyage The
British vessel the n conti nu ed o n her c o u rse having bee n
detain e d abo u t tw o hours by the S an Jac into
Lieutenant F airfax says that he resolved in th e v e ry b e
ginning to perf o r m his duty as cou r teously as p o ssible
so as n o t to irritate the British captain his passengers
or the envoys lest they m ight decide to thro w the Tre n t
u pon his ha n ds which w o uld necessitate his taki n g her
as a prize While th e Trent was statio n ary with stea m
sh ut o ff she drift ed out o f ch a n nel and int o sight o f
shoal water Captain Moir n o ticed this and s aid to
“
L ieute n ant F air fax I f you d o n o t h u rry a nd get o u t o f
”
my vess e l I will not b e r e sponsible for h e r s afe ty
T he
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LI E U T
.
F AI R F A X
AN D
CA P T
.
M OI
R
10
9
.
l ie u t e nant at on c e hailed the San Jacinto a nd re que ste d
that she be kept m o re nearly in the m iddle of the chan
ne l After she had taken a new p o siti o n L ie u tenant
“
F a irfax sa i d t o Captain M o ir :
Now you can m o ve
”
u p neare r t o the S a n Jacint o
This he ac c ordingly
d id L ieute n ant Fa i rfax c i tes this to show h ow care ful
he was t o keep the British capta in in an agree able frame
of m ind s o that the cha n ces o f his thr o wi n g th e Trent
u pon the hands o f the A m erica n s w ou ld be less
L ie u tenant Fairfax gives an acc o u n t o f a conversa
tion which he had with Captai n M o ir at St Tho m as
“
a fter the cl o se o f th e war The latter reverted t o an
interview h e had with th e British admiralty o n his retu rn
to E ngla n d w h ith e r h e had been fr o m St Th om as The
adm i ralty were very much displeased with hi m for not
hav i ng thrown the Tre n t o n o u r hands to which h e r e
plied ( so he said to me ) that it had never o ccu rred to
hi m ; that in fact the o fli ce r who b o arded the Trent
was so civil a n d had s o closely oc c upied h i m in c on
vers a tion abo u t foreign matters that h e had fa i l e d to
s ee wh at a fterward was very pla i n He re c o u nted th e
e xcite m ent o n ch ange over the affair a nd e xpre ss e d th e
c onviction th at all E ngl and would hav e de ma nded
sp ee dy redress h ad I taken the Trent He had se e n
th e reports in pri n t in o u r newspapers and had r e ad m y
” 1
ord e r to take poss e ssion and wondered th at I had n o t
Aft e r parti n g c o mpany with the Trent the S an Jacinto
pr o c ee d e d to the Fl o rida coast and then ce n o rthward
but was to o late t o take part in the a tt a ck o n Port
R oyal
O n Nove mb e r 1 5 F o rtress M o nro e w a s r e ached
Captain W ilk e s c a m e a shore and r e ported th e s e iz u r e
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1
B attles and Le ad ers of th e Civil War
,
V ol
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11,
p
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1 42 .
TH E
I I O
AFFAIR
TR E N T
.
His r e por t of the m ove me nts of the ship and the fa c ts
in r e g ard to th e c aptu re o f th e co mm issioners was for
ward e d to Washi n gt o n by Lie u tena n t Taylor w h o w a s
a pass e nger fro m the coast o f A fr ica to the national
capital I n an extended talk w ith Captain Wilkes
Gen e ral W o ol who was th e n in co mm and o f Fortress
Monro e expressed the O pini o n that the right thing h a d
b ee n done i n c aptu ring the com m issioners and th a t if
a wrong had bee n c o m mitted n o greater penalty than
“ c a shieri n g ”
c o u ld be inflicted On Nov em b e r 1 6
after re ce iving Captain Wilk e s s report the following
t e legra m was sent to th e comm andant o f the N e w York
“
navy y ard by the se c r e tary o f the navy
Yo u will
s e nd th e S an J a cinto i mme diat e ly to Boston a nd dire c t
Capt a in Wilkes to deliver the prison e rs a t F ort Wa r
r e n Le t their baggage be strictly gu arded and de l iv
”
e red to th e c olonel at F ort W a rren for exa m ination
On th e sa m e day the foll o wing telegra m which h a d
b een united in by the secr e tary o f state and the s ecr e
t a ry of the n avy was sent to R obert M u rray Unit e d
“
St a t e s m arshal at New York :
Yo u will pro c e e d in
the S a n Jacinto to Fort Warr e n Boston with M e ssrs
M ason a nd Slid e ll a nd s u it e No p e rsons fro m shor e
a re to be p e r m itt e d on board the v e ss e l pri o r to he r d e
”
p art u r e fro m N ew York
S e v e r e w ea th e r a nd a l ack of coal co m p e lled C apt a in
Wilke s to stop a t Newp o rt R hode I sland on Nov em
ber 2 1
Th e prison e rs expr e ssed a wish to b e a llowed
“
to r em ain in cu stody at Newport o n ac co u nt of th e
”
c o mparativ e m ildness o f th e cl i ma te
wh i ch they
th o ught w ou ld bene fi t th e deli c ate h e alth o f on e o f
“
the ir n umbe r T h ey offe r e d to pledg e them s e lv e s n o t
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TR ENT
TH E
r12
AF FAI R
.
m ent o f the United States This was don e b y Capt a in
Wilkes wh e n his o wn report was sent The prisoners
knew very well that it w o uld have n o effect whatever
o n the g o vernme n t of the United States
I t was a state
ment inte n ded fo r C o nfederate sympathizers in E uro pe
and elsew here The commissioners d o ubtless th o ught
that their pr o test o f injured innocenc e wo u ld se c u re
mu ch sy m pathy f o r the m abr o ad
Col o nel Dimmick in c om mand of Fort Warren t o ok
charge o f the pris o ners and their baggage which co n
sisted o f about half a d o ze n tru n ks a n d as many val i ses
several cases c o ntaini n g an ass o rtment o f fi n e wines a n d
liqu o rs and a g oo d supply o f cigars A careful e x am
in atio n was made but no dispatches were fo und am on g
their effects No n e had bee n asked for and n o p ar ticu
l ar effo rt had been made to se cu re the m when the Trent
was boarded Whatever o f dispatches that were in
possessi o n o f the c o mmissioners were do u btless secre tly
given to s om e o f the other passengers o f the Tre n t
prob ably the ladie s—and by them c o nv eyed t o E n gland
1
from St Th o mas in the British stea m er L a Plata
On Nove m ber 1 6 the d a y a fter his departure from
F o rtress Mo nr o e Cap t ain Wilkes prepared his fi nal r e
port o f the captu re A nu m ber o f passages in this r e
port are o f gr eat i n terest giving as they do his reaso n s
f o r making the capture and his arguments b y which he
“
justi fi es the act He says :
I determined t o i n ter
c e pt th em and c a ref u lly exa m ined all th e au thorities o n
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th at a M r H a n ck e l o f Ch a rl e sto n t o o k c h a rg e o f
t h e m a n d d e l ive re d t h e m to th e Co n fe d e r a te a ge nts Y a cey
R o s t a n d M a nn in L o n d o n
S e e U S a n d Co nfe d e r ate N aval
R e co rd s S e r 1 V ol I p 1 5 5
1
It
se em s
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n
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R E A S ON S
F OR
TH E
SE I Z
UR E
1 1
.
3
int e rn a tional l aw to whi ch I had a c c e ss viz : Kent
Wheato n and V atte l besides various decisions o f Sir
Willia m Scott a nd o ther j udges of the ad m iralty c ourt of
Gre a t Britain which bore u pon th e rights of ne u tr a ls
and their resp o nsibilities
“
The q u estion a rose in m y m ind wh e th e r I h ad th e
right to capture th e perso n s o f these c omm issi o ner s
whether they were amenable to c apture There was
no do u bt I had the right to captur e vessels with written
d ispatches ; they are expressly referred to in all au th o r i
ties s ubjecting the vessel t o se iz u re and co n de m nati o n
if th e captain o f the vessel had the kn owledge o f their
bei n g o n b o ard b u t these gentlemen were not dispatches
in the literal sense a n d d id n o t see m to co m e u nder
that designation and nowhere c ould I fi n d a c as e in
”
point
“
That th e y w e re co m missioners I had a m pl e pro o f
fro m their own av o wal and bent o n m ischievous a n d
tr a itorou s e rrands against o ur c ou ntry to overthro w its
institutions and enter int o treat i es and alliances with
”
f o reign states expressly f o rbidden by the co n sti tu tio n
“
I the n c onsidered them as the emb o diment of dis
patches and as th e y had ope n ly de clared the m s e lves as
charged with all a u th ority fr o m the C on federate g o vern
m ent to form treaties and alliances te n d i n g t o the estab
l ish m e n t of their indepe n dence I became s atis fi ed that
th e ir m iss ion was adverse and crimi n al to the Uni on and
it there f o re beca m e my duty t o arrest their progr ess a n d
captu re the m if they had no passp o rts fro m the Fed
eral gov e rn me nt as pro vided fo r un der the law o f
nations v iz :
T h at foreign m inist e rs o f a b e ll ige rent
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r:
TRENT A R E A I R
TH E
4
.
on board of n eu tr a l ships are r e q u ired t o poss e ss p a p e rs
from the oth e r belligerent to perm it them to pass free
“
They went into the steamer with the knowledge
and by th e c o n sent o f the captain w h o end e avored
afterward to c onceal the m by refusing to e xhibit his p a s
s e nger list and th e papers o f th e v e ssel Ther e c an b e
no doubt he knew th ey wer e carrying highly important
dispatches and were endow e d with instr u c t i o ns ini m ical
to th e U nited States This rendered h is vessel ( a ne u
tr a l ) a very go o d priz e and I deter m ined to tak e pos
session o f her a nd as I mentio n ed in my report s e nd
her t o K e y West for a djudication w hen I a m well sat
i sfi e d she wo u ld have bee n co n de m ned for c arrying
these persons and for resisting to be sear c hed The
c argo was als o l iabl e a s all the shippers were know ing
to the e m barkation of these li v e dispatches and their
traitoro u s m otives and actio n s t o the Uni o n o f the United
”
State s
“
I forbore to seize her h o wever i n co n sequen c e o f
m y being s o reduced i n offi cers and cre w and the de
rangement it w o uld cause in n oce n t pers on s there being
a l arge n u mber o f passe n ge r s w h o w o uld have been put
to great l o ss a n d i n c on ve n ie n ce as well as disappoint
m ent fr o m the interruption it w o uld have caused the m
i n n o t being able t o j o i n the steamer fro m St Th o mas
t o E urope I there fo re c on cluded t o sac r i fi ce the in
te r e sts o f my o ffi cers a n d c r e w i n the prize a n d su ffered
the steamer t o p ro ceed a fter t he necessa ry dete n ti on to
e ffect the tra n sfer o f these c o mmissi on ers c on sidering I
had obtained the imp o r t ant end I had i n v ie w and wh i ch
affected the interests o f our co u ntry and interr u pted the
”
ac tion of th at of the Confe d e rat e s
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XI
CHAPT E R
THE
E
FF E CT
IN
.
A M E R I CA
.
fa c t of M essrs Mason and Slidell s appointm e nt
the nature o f the ir miss ion t o E u ro pe a n d their desir e
to escape through the bl o ckade a n d pr o ceed to their r e
s e ctiv e dest in a t i on s
was
well
u
n
derst
oo
d
thr
o
ugh
o
ut
p
the n o rthern states be fo re the c om missi on ers le ft Charles
t o n All o f these m atters had b een published i n the
New Y or k and other no rthern ne w spapers be fo re th e
cl o se o f Oct o b er 1 86 1
T o this w a s added in due time
an acc o unt o f the ru nnin g o f the bl o ckade at Charles
t on by the Theod o ra w ith the env oys o n board Kn o w
ing the character o f these men a n d the dispositi o n o f
the g o ver n me n ts o f F r ance a n d especially o f E n gla n d
to ward the U n i t ed States the loyal pe o ple o f the N o rth
felt somew hat s o li c itous con c erning the o utco m e o f this
traitoro us m issi o n
Wh e n Captai n Wilkes ca m e ashore at F o rtress Mon
roe o u November 1 5 a n d an no u n ced that he had cap
tu r e d the env o ys and had the m priso n ers o n b o ard his
vessel and when the teleg r aph flashed this news
thro u gho u t the northern stat e s the pe o ple were pre
pared t o rece ive it with the gre atest dem on s trati o ns o f
del ight No ev e nt of the war u p t o that ti m e ca u sed so
1 1 )
( 7
THE
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I 18
TH E
TR E N T
AF F AI R
.
m uch gen u ine rej o ici n g in all o f the states except thos e
c o mp o s in g the C on fede r acy The pe o p l e o f the N o rth
had bee n s o c o mple t ely e n gr o ssed by the pecu l iar spirit
o f w ar time that they were n o t p r epared t o c o ns ider
c o r r ec tly the rea l iss u e which w a s certai n t o be i nv o lved
i n this act o f a popular sea captain The masses did
n o t st o p at fi rst t o c o nsider its p o licy n either did they
q uesti o n its legali ty I t was t o the m o n ly the captur e
o f two dange ro us rebels
T o the masses it w as a mat
ter which c o ncerned o n ly themselves and t he publ ic
enemy in the S o uth I n the beginn in g i t never occ u rred
t o a ny o n e th at the e nv oys had bee n taken fr om the pro
te c tio n of the flag o f a great maritime nati o n bey on d the
sea—a power that was disposed to be u n f r ie n dly to th e
United States and that this se m i h o stile nation m ight
deny the right t o m ake su ch a seizure and offer only th e
al t ernative of war in cas e o f a refu sal to lib e rat e th e
pris o ners
War ti m es are productive o f her o es a nd hero worship
The name o f Captai n Charles Wilkes was at o nce added
t o the l ist o f hero es which the war had thus far de v el
oped Praises o f the galla n t captai n a n d his w on derf u l
expl o it were s o u n ded thr o ugh o ut the le n gth a n d breadth
o f the loyal states
Newspapers and public o fli c ia ls
c ould n o t say t o o much in supp o rt o f his act The
b o o k wr igh ts at on ce i n c o rp o ra t ed i n t o the ir war hist o ries
n o t only the s to ry o f the her o a n d his val o r in seizing
the amb ass ad o rs but als o a n acc o u n t o f his i n timate a o
q u a in tance with i nt e rn ati on al l aw fro m w hich h e had
deduced a n un a n s w e r able argum e n t t o justify his a c ti o n
On N ov ember 2 6 tw o days af t er the arrival o f Cap
tain Wilkes in B o ston harb or a b anquet was given to
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TH E
1 20
TR E N T
A F FAI R
.
me m ber of that b o dy Spe cial honors were also t e n
dered to hi m at Washington abo u t the m iddle of the
mo nth
E v e ryb ody was electri fi ed by the good n e ws
E very
m ember o f the cabi n et was elated by the capture ex
1
c ept Mr Blair
When the message w hich an n o u nce d
the capture was brought i n t o the o ffi ce o f S im o n Cam
e ron se c retary of war G o ve rno r A n drew o f Massa
ch u se tts and a nu m ber o f other distingu ished men were
pr e s e nt Cheer a fter cheer was given with a will by
th e delighted a ss e mblage led by the se c r e tary and
h e artily se c ond e d by G o vernor Andrew
I n th e begi n ning M r S e w ard secretary of state ap
proved o f the proceeding of Capta i n Wilkes and r e
“
fi
a s m ore elated o r
At
rst
no
m
an
o ic e d ov e r it
w
j
ju b ilant ov e r th e capture o f the emissaries than M r
S e ward who f o r a time m ade no at t e m pt to c once al
” 3
his grati fi cati o n a n d approval o f the act o f Wilkes
Hon Gide o n Welles secretary of the nav y was
mu ch pleas e d a n d sent the f o llowing c ongr a t u l a tory
l e tt e r to Captain Wilkes :
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NAVY D E PA R T M E N T Nov
,
Cap ta i n C/za r l es
m
m
7
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2
,
B
Wilk
es ,
.
Com m a n d i ng U
3
.
0,
1 86 1
S
S
.
.
.
San
os ton
D E AR SI R —I c on grat u late yo u o n yo u r s afe arrival
and especially do I c on gratul a te yo u o n th e grea t public
service yo u have rendered i n the captu r e o f the rebel
c o mmissi o ners Messrs Mas o n and Sl i dell wh o have
bee n consp i c uou s in the c on spiracy t o diss o lve the
,
,
1
,
.
We l l e s s L i n co l n a d S e w a rd p
We l le s s L inco ln a n d S e wa rd p 1 85
’
8 cc
n
,
1 8 7.
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’
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KS
OF F I CI A L T H A N
121
.
U nion and it is w e ll k now n th a t wh e n s e iz e d by yo u
the y w ere on a mission hostil e to th e gov e rn m ent and
the co un try
“
Your conduct in s e izing these p u bli c e ne m ies w a s
marked by i n te l l i ge n ce ability decisi o n and fi rmness
a n d h a s the emphatic app ro val o f this depart men t I t
is n o t n ecessary that I sh o uld in this communicati o n
which i s i n te n ded to be on e o f congratu l ation t o yo u r
self o fli ce r s a n d crew—express an o p in i o n o n the co u rs e
p u rsued in o mi tt i n g t o capture the vessel which had
these publi c enem i es on b o ard further th a n to say that
the forb e ara n c e exercised in this insta n ce mu st not b e
permitted to co n stitute a pre c ede n t her e a fter for in fr a c
tions o f n e u tral obligat ion s
“
I am r e spect fu lly yo u r obedient serv a nt
”
“
G I D E O N WE L L E S
I n h is ann u al n aval report iss u ed a fe w days a fter th e
c ongratulat o ry let t er was writte n Secr e tary Welles
“
said :
Captai n W i lkes in comma n d o f the S an J a
cin to while searchi n g i n the West I n dies fo r the S u m
ter received i n fo rmati o n that Ja m es M Mason and
John Sl i dell d i sl o yal citizens and leadi n g c on spirators
were with the ir su ite to emb ark fr om Ha v a n a in the
E ngl ish stea m er Tre n t o n their way to E urope to pro
m o te the cause o f the insurge n ts
Cruisi n g in t he
B ahama Cha nn el he i n tercepted the Trent o n the 8 th o f
November and t oo k fr o m her these dange rou s me n
wh o m he brought t o the Uni t ed States His vessel
having been o rdered t o re fi t f o r service at Cha r lest on the
p r is on ers w ere retai n ed on b o a r d a n d c on ve y e d t o F o rt
Warren where they we r e c o mmi tted t o the cust o dy o f
Colon e l D i mm ick i n c o mma n d o f t he fo rtress
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TH E
1 22
TR E N T
A F FAI R
.
The pro m pt a nd d e cisive actio n o f C apt a i n W il ke s
on this o c casion m erited and received the e m ph a ti c
approv a l of this department a n d i f a t oo genero u s for
b earance was exhib ited by h i m in not captu ri n g th e ves
s e l which had these rebel emissaries o n board it may
in view of th e sp e cial circ u mstances and of its patrioti c
m otiv e s b e excused but it m ust by n o m eans b e per
m itte d to constitute a prec e de n t her e a fter for th e treat
m ent of any c ase o f similar in fracti o n o f ne u tral obliga
tions by fo re ign v e ss e ls eng a ged in c o mme r ce or th e
”
ca rrying trade
On Monday D e c ember 2 c o n gress a sse mb l e d a nd
before the close o f the fi rst day s sessi o n Mr Lov ej oy
o f I llinois by unani m o u s consent offer e d a j oi n t r e so
lu tio n which read as f o llows :
R es ol v e d That the tha n ks o f c ongr e ss a r e d u e a nd
a re her eby t e ndered to Captain Wilkes o f th e United
S tates navy for h is br av e adr o i t a n d patriotic c ond u ct
in th e a rrest a nd d e tention of the trait o rs Ja me s M
”
M a son and J o hn Slid e ll
M r E dge rton of O h io m ov e d the following re sol u
tion a s a s u bstitu te viz :
“ Th a t th e president o f the United S tat e s be re que st e d
to pr e s e nt Capt a in Charles Wilk e s a gold medal with
su i table e mble m s and devi c es in testi mony of the high
sense entertained by c o ngress o f his g o od con d u ct in
pr o mptly a rresting th e rebel a m bassadors Ja m es M
”
Mason a nd J o hn Slidell
This substitu te was n o t agreed t o how e v e r but the
jo i n t resol u tion offere d by Mr L ovej oy w a s pro m ptly
passed
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TR EN T A FFA IR
TH E
1 24
.
When th e news o f the captu re was fi rst re c e iv e d th e
press th ro ugh o ut the N o rt h heart i ly ind o rsed the act and
indulged in the m o st extravagant e xp r essions o f j oy
“
O n e metrop o litan newspape r s aid : There is no draw
b ack t o o ur j ub ilation The u n iversal Ya n kee nati o n
is gett in g decidedly aw ake As f o r Captain Wilkes and
his c o m m a n d let the ha n ds om e thing be do n e C o n
se crate a n o ther 4 th o f July t o him l o ad h im d o wn with
services o f p l ate and s w o rds o f the cu n ninge st and co st
liest art Let u s e n courage the happy i n spirati o n that
”
achi e v e d su c h a vict o ry
An other pr om i n ent news
“
T w o o f the m ag n ates o f the S o u thern
paper s aid :
Confederacy two pe rhaps w h o have been as p o tent
for m ischie f as any that c o uld have been selected ( o u t
o f So u th Caroli n a ) fro m the l on g l ist o f p o litical in
grates have c o me to gr ie f i n their pe r s i stent attempts
t o destroy the n oble g o ver n me n t t o which they owe all
”
th e honorable d i sti n ct ion they have hi thert o e nj oyed
Amateur p o ets all o ver the c o u n try f o und Captain
Wilk e s s expl o it a fi tti n g theme to be celebrated in the
b e st vers e which they were able to pr o duce Th e c ol
u m u s o f th e New Yo rk E ve n i n g P o st the Brooklyn
T i m es the I n dianap o lis J o ur n al and other leadi n g
newspapers w e re graced b y o r gin al contrib u tions of this
kind
I n the great stor m of appla u s e that passed o v e r the
country i m mediately after the c apture had been a n
n o dissenti n g v o ices c o uld be heard The
n o u n ce d
m ore co n servative o pini on s m ust needs wait fo r an op
While
m
ost
of
the
cab
inet
the
o b e heard
o r tu n it
t
y
p
house o f representatives the people and the press
wer e besto wing prais e s wi thou t stint u pon Captain
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M R L I N C OL N S VIE WS
’
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1 25
.
W ilkes and h i s her o ic deed there w a s o n e grav e
th o ughtful m an w h o was able t o l o ok be y ond the mere
fact o f the capture o f tw o da n ger o us trait o rs and co n
s ir a to r s o f the S o u t h
a
nd
see
the
real
issues
h
i
ch
he
w
p
felt certain w o uld be i n volved in the a ffair I n tha t
m a n at that ti m e was vested a gre ater executive p o w er
than has bee n wielded b y a n y E n glish speaki n g pers on
duri n g the last tw o hu n dred years I n his opinion it
was n o t a matter for rej o ici n g
I n the eve nin g o f the da y w he n the news o f the cap
tu re was fi rst received in Wash i ngt o n Dr Bens on
Lo ssing the emi ne n t hist or ian a n d H o n E lisha Whit
tl e sy comptr ol ler o f the treasu ry called at the Whit e
House a n d were acc o rded a b r ief i nt e rview with Pres i
“
I fear the tra i t o rs
dent Lincoln T o the m he said :
will pro ve to be white elephants We must stick to
A m erican principles c o ncer nin g the rights o f neutrals
We fought G r e at B r i t a in for i n sisting by the ory a n d
practice o n the right t o d o precisely what Captai n
W i l kes has done I f Gre at Britai n sh all no w pr o test
against the act a n d de m a n d their release we must g i ve
th e m u p apologize fo r the act as a vi o l ati on o f o ur d o c
trin e s and thus fo rever b ind her over t o keep the peace
in relation to ne u trals and so acknow ledge that she has
”
b e en wrong for s i x ty years
We are als o told by a member o f Mr Linc o ln 3 cab i
n e t that while the rej o ici n g w a s well n igh u n iversal the
president was troubled w ith doubt a n d a nx iety c on ce rn
ing the fi nal res u lt o f the seizure He c o u l d no t see the
m atter in th e s ame way as did his secretar y o f state
H aving take n c o u ns e l with Se nator Sum n e r c on ce rn
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126
TR ENT A FFA IR
TH E
.
ing the ma tte r Mr L in c oln s do ubts and appr ehe n sion s
were m uch i n creased
I t is a fact w o rthy o f notice that no m ention what e ver
is m ade o f the captu re in Mr Lincoln s a n nu al m essage
to c o ngress December 3 1 8 6 1
He probably thought
it ine xpedient u nder the circu m stances eith e r to dis cu ss
the m atter or even t o all u de to it H e m ay h ave b e en
conside r i n g i n his o w n m ind w hat the fi nal o u tco m e of
the matter would be when he penned th e foll o wing sig
“
Sinc e
n ifi c a n t passage w hich appears in his message :
how ever it is appare n t that here as in every other stat e
foreign dangers n e cessarily attend d o mestic diffi cu lties
I re c omm e nd that adequat e and ample mea s u r e s b e
adopted for m aintaini n g th e publ i c defenses o n e very
s ide while u nder th i s gene r al rec o m m endation pro
visi o n f o r defending our coast li n e readily o c cu rs to the
mind and also in the sa m e c o nnecti o n ask th e att e ntion
of c ongr e ss to ou r gr e a t l akes and rivers I t is beli e ved
that s o me forti fi cati o ns and depots o f arms and m u ni
tions with harbor n avigati o n i m provem e nts a t w e ll
selected points upon these w o uld be o f gre at i m port a n c e
to th e natio n s defens e and preservation and ask atten
tion to the views of the secretary of war express e d in
”
his report u pon the s ame general subject
Mr Bl air Li n c o ln s postmaster gen e ral s eem s fro m
th e fi rst to have held m ore radical views c on ce rni n g th e
matter than d id the president o r any on e e lse He did
not publ icly d i s cu ss the c ase but to the other m e mb e rs
o f the cab i n et he de n ou n ced Captai n Wilkes s act as an
o utrage on the Brit i sh flag which he said th e E nglis h
m inistry would seize u p on to make w ar u pon the United
S tates Not bei n g a n admirer of Captain W il ke s , M r
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1 28
TH E
TR E N T
A F F A I R
.
held in rigid c u stody u ntil they can b e tried and p u n
ish e d fo r the ir crimes aga in st the g o ver n ment o f th e
U n i t ed S ta t es The i r sham characte r o f amb assad o rs
affords no pr o tectio n I t is a l aw fu l r i gh t o f belligere n ts
t o seize an ambass ador as s oo n as any o ther pers o n if
”
he can b e caught at se a
The Nati o nal I n telligencer
“
s aid :
The proceed i ng o f C aptai n Wilkes is fu l ly
justi fi ed by the rules o f i n ter n atio n al l aw as th o se rules
hav e been exp o unded by the most illustri ou s British
ju rists a n d c o mpiled by the m o st appr o ved writers o n
”
the l aw o f na t i o ns
This p o siti o n w a s m ai n tained by
citi n g numerous B r itish auth orit ies Such a p o siti o n
had been taken by the Br it ish g o vernme n t i n the d e cl a
ration o f war agai n st R uss ia i n 1 8 54 when the fo l l o w
“
i n g l anguage was u sed :
I t is imp o ss i ble f o r her
m ajesty t o fo rego her right o f seizing articles c o ntr a
b and o f war and o f preve n ti n g n e utrals fro m be aring
”
en emies dispatches
H on Lewis Cass expressed the
opinion that the se izure w as j u sti fi able from the stand
point o f i n ternati on al law
Hon E d w ard E ve r ett expressed a like o pinion in an
a ddr e ss b efo re the M i ddlesex Me cha n ics Ass o ciati on at
L owell He s aid th at the c o mmissio n ers impris on ed in
F ort Warre n w o u l d n o d o ubt be kep t there unti l the
”
It
restoration o f peace which w e all so m uch desire
“
was s aid by a n other equally g o od a u thori ty that the
a ct o f C aptai n Wilkes was i n strict acc o rda n ce w i th the
pr i nciples o f internati on al law recog n ized in E n gla n d
” 1
and in strict conf o rmity with E nglish practice
N um er ou s other opi n i o ns w e re volunteered am o ng the m
on e fro m th e E nglis h c ons u l at New Orleans wh o
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Gre o Sum n e r
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in B o ston T ran script
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N
ov
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1 8 , 1 86 1
.
D I S S E N T I N G OP I N I ON S
: 29
.
th o u gh t the ac t e ntirely in acc ord with th e prin c ipl e s of
internati o n a l l aw as bas e d u pon E nglish pre ce dents and
fro m them fu rnished m aterial f o r an ed i t o rial in one o f
th e c ity n ewspap e rs George Ticknor C u rtis th e well
known c onstitu tional l awyer of Boston s a id the Trent
sho u ld h a v e be e n bro u gh t into port for a dju di ca tion in
a priz e c o u rt
On Nov em b e r 2 1 a t a diplo ma ti c dinner in W ash ing
ton the r e was a f u ll a nd fre e dis c ussion of th e a c t of
Capt a in W ilk e s The Opinion pr ev a il e d with a l m ost
p e rfec t u n a ni m ity th at the se iz u r e was wholly un au th or
i ze d by the prin c iples of international law and so m e o f
th e m inist e rs took ev e n m or e adv a n ce d gro u nds than
th e s e a nd a ss e rted th at th e act if not dis avowed by th e
U nit e d S t a t e s gov e rn me nt wo u ld be a ju sti fi abl e cau s e
of w ar
A sp ec i a l c orr e spond e nt of on e of the prin c ip a l w e st
e rn newsp a p e rs a few days l ater too k a view of th e ca s e
diffe rent fro m the m ost co mm on on e s a t th a t time
“
A m ong oth e r thi n gs h e said :
B u t th er e is a nother
view of th e case a nd a highly i m p o rtant on e which
o u ght to b e w e ll c onsid e red By j u stifying th e act of
Captain Wilk e s the United S tates ju stifi e s a lso that
very condu c t on th e p art o f E ngl and tow a rd this co u n
try our resistanc e to which caused the war o f 1 8 1 2
na m ely th e right of s ea rch ; a n d we ab andon the van
tag e on this gre a t qu estion on which we h ave hereto fo re
stood Th e q ue stion th e n is s i m ply and abs o lutely
th is : I s it e xpedi e nt for the sak e of a mer e te m porary
a dv a nt a g e a nd a slight one at th at for u s to ab a ndon
th e position on the que stion of the righ t of S ea r c h wh i ch
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TRENT A FFA IR
TH E
1 30
.
we h av e he retofore held and assume E ngland s position
on that questi on ! I t is by n o means certain that th e
arrest o f these gent l emen may n ot b e a p o sitive a dv an
tage to the S o u t h as the devel o p m e n ts o f the n e x t two
weeks may Sh ow
Bes ides and over and ab o ve all
o ther considerati on s it is alw a y s better fo r na t i o ns to
m aintai n such a s t ron g and impregnab l e p o sit io n as o urs
was o n the right o f search than t o ab a n d o n it fo r s u ch
a slight adva n tage as this wi l l be I f we give up the
gr ou n d we o ccup y o n that quest i on as we shall have to
d o if we jus t ify the arrest o f Mas o n a n d Slidel l we will
hav e t o submit tamel y t o the in dign i ties o f havi n g all o f
our me r c hant vessels searched b y eve ry E nglish cr u iser
th a t crosses their path and o f hav in g o u r seamen im
” 1
press e d a gain int o the Bri t ish n aval service
I t w a s also a sserted in New Y o rk ab o ut this ti me
that th e q u ee n s neutrali ty pro clama t i o n wh i ch h a d for
b idden he r sub j e c ts t o ca r ry dispatches for e ither o f th e
b elligerents ha d been vi o lated by Captai n Moir of the
Tr e nt and it w a s proposed that an E nglish sub scr ip
tion should b e taken for the purpose o f prose cu ti n g
h i m 1 n ca se the queen s att o rney general or the own e rs
of th e vessel declin e d to bring a suit against hi m
Suc h was the effect o f the capture as far as the north
ern states were co n cer n ed At fi rst there was unive rsal
rejoic i ng This was f o llowed by m ore o r less o f doubt
a n d by discussi o n i n justi fi cati o n o f the act As the
weeks pr o gressed anxie ty devel o ped concerning the
p o siti o n which E n gla n d w ou ld assume i n rega r d to the
m atter At that time there was no ocean telegraph a nd
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C h i c ag o T i m e s ,
1 86 1
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s
p ec i a l Wash ingto n corre sp o nd e nce
,
N
ov
.
TREN T A FFA IR
TH E
1 32
.
m ost p art he ld s ac r e d even a m ong b ar b ar ian s b y s e iz ing
o u r m inisters whilst u nder the prot e ction and with in the
do m ini o n o f a neutral nation
“
These gentle m en were as m uch u nd e r th e j u r isd ic
tion of the British govern m ent u p o n that s h ip a nd b e
n ea th that flag as if they had been on its soil and a
c lai m on th e part of the United S tates to s e iz e the m in
th e str ee ts o f London wo u ld hav e b ee n as w e ll fo u nded
a s th a t to appr e hend th em wher e th ey wer e taken ; had
th ey b e en m alefactors or c itizens ev e n of the Unit e d
States they c ould n o t hav e be e n arrest e d on bo a rd of a
British ship or on British s o il unless under the express
provisions of tre aty and a c cording to th e form s the re in
”
provided for th e extr a dition o f cri m inals
T h is plaintiv e wail in behalf o f Messrs Ma son a nd
S lid e ll w a s int e nd e d for E u rop e an e ars This p o rtion
of M r D avis s c o mmu ni c ation whic h h as ju st bee n
qu ote d is m or e of a me ss a ge to the E nglis h gov e rnm e nt
a nd p e opl e than it is to the C o nf e d e rat e c ongr e ss I t
w a s h op e d tha t Britis h sy m p a thy wo u ld th u s be m or e
fu lly a ro u s e d
D is c ord a nt voi ce s w e r e hea rd too a b o u t th is ti me
fro m across the C a nadian line Th e Toronto Lea d e r
“
d e no u n ce d the a c t a s the m ost offe nsiv e o u tr age wh i ch
Brother Jon a th an ha s d a r e d to perp e trate u pon th e
”
British flag a nd c l a i m ed that i mm ediat e r e paration
sh o u ld h e de m anded by r equ iring a n a pology a nd the
liberation of the prison e rs
Another w e ll known Canadian n e wspap e r said a s soo n
“
1
a s the news of the captu r e had b ee n c onfi r me d :
T he
se iz u r e of S lid e ll a nd Ma son w a s wrong bu t it was al so
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ditorial , T o ro nto
Gl o be
of
N
o v . 1 8 , 1 86 1 .
CA N A D I A N
C OMMEN TS
1 33
.
on e of the m ost ab s u rd and stu pid a c ts w h ic h h istory
r ec ords
Thes e dipl oma tists wer e going to E u rop e
to stir u p fee ling a gainst the N o rth a n d s ecu r e the ac
k n o w le d gm e n t of th e So u thern Confed e ra cy
I n s e iz
ing th em th e A m eric a n offi cer did m ore to acc o m plis h
the ir e rrand than a nyt hi n g the y c ould p o ssibly hav e
don e them s e lv e s We h ave no e xp e ctation that th e
Britis h gov e r n me nt will deal with th e m atter otherwis e
than te m p e rately b u t the collisi o n will str e n gthen th e
hands of th e not u n in fl u e n tral parties in Britain who a re
striving to ind u c e th e gov e rn m ent to int e rfer e in th e
A me ri ca n q u arrel B e tter h av e had t e n S lidells a nd
Masons in E u rop e than perm it su c h a cau se o f q ua rr e l
t o arise W e do not kn o w what may b e th e ch a ra c ter o f
th e capt a in of the S an Jacint o fo r loy a l ty b ut if he in
tend e d to help the ins u rge n ts h e c o u ld n o t hav e gone
abo u t th e work better Th e A me ri c an vessels have
b e en vainly c h a sing the S um ter fro m p o rt to port ; they
hav e allowed th e Ber mu d a to e nter S avannah and t o
1
leave it ; th ey h ave p e r m itted the Huntsville to reach the
Bermu das and rece iv e th e cargo o f th e Fingal ; they
h ave res e rv e d all their c o u rage and activity to stop an
u narm ed ne u tr a l v e ssel on the seas a n d take fr o m her
two ven e rable non c o m b atants But for the Port R oyal
bo m b a rd me nt the whole A me ri c an n a val servi ce wo u ld
s ink ben e ath c ont em pt
“
T he extre me anxi e ty of th e Washington g o vern
m ent to pre vent the southern diplomatists re a ching
E u rope is a c urio u s proof of weakness in men who pr o
fess to be c ar e l e ss as to the ac tion o f f o reign powers
Th e U nit e d Stat e s have nothing to f ear fro m E u rope
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T he N
ash
vill e
is
prob ab ly
nt
m ea
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1
TR E N T
TH E
34
.
A F F A I R
.
they go o n w ith the war vigoro u sly and suc c eed in the
des ir ed o bject o f prese rvi n g the U nio n and it is alto
gether a very s m all bus i n ess t o hu n t a c o uple o f men
ov er the ocean t o preve n t them usi n g their t on gues t o
persuade th e sh r e w d rulers o f E n gla n d and F r a n ce to
d o vi o lence t o their o w n interests by e n teri n g upon a
great war I t was b ad e no ugh t o se n d f ou r vessels
a fter the m when the ir depar tu r e by the Huntsville was
anno un ced but to ru n the risk o f a w ar wi t h E n gla n d
for s uc h a n Object is an act o f mid s u mmer madness
I t will a dd i nfi ni tely to the s trength and dignity o f the
A m erica n g o ver n me n t if wi th o ut w ait i n g f o r rem o n
they at on ce se t free the captives
s tr a n c e s fro m Britain
and send the m o n their r o ad to E ur o pe I t w ill be
right which is in fi nitel y better tha n bei n g e xpedient but
it w ill also show that the N o rth has c on fi dence i n the
go o dness o f its cause and d o es n o t fear the tongu es of
”
trait o rs w ell p o ised th o u gh they m ay be
On N ove m ber 3 0 six days after the commiss i o ners
had be e n rece ived a t F or t Warren Mr Se w ard fo r
warded a dispatch t o M i nister Adams at Lond o n in
which after m e n ti on i n g o ther m atters the fo ll o w i n g
“
l ang u age was u sed :
Since that conve r sati o n was held
Captain Wilkes o f the steamer S a n Jacint o has b o arded
a British c o l on ial steamer a n d taken fro m her deck tw o
i n s u rge n ts who were pro ceedi n g t o E ur o pe o n a n errand
This is a new in
o f treason against t heir own c o u n try
c id e n t u n k no w n to
a n d u n fo reseen at least in its cir
c u m sta n c e s
b y L or d Palmerston I t is t o be met a n d
d i sp o sed o f by the tw o g o ver n ments if p o ssible in the
sp ir i t t o w hich I ha v e ad v er t ed L o rd Lyons has pru
de n tly refrained from o pe nin g t he subject t o m e as I
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XI I
CHAPT E R
THE
E
FF E CT
IN
E
.
N G L AND
.
afte r th e Tr e nt and S an J ac into s e p a
r a ted o n th e aftern o on of Nove m ber 8 the p u rser of the
fo rm er vessel thinki n g doubtless that it w ou ld b e quite
an h o n o r to hi m sel f t o b e fi rst in reporting the matter to
th e British p u blic a ddressed a stateme n t t o the editor o f
“
th e L ondon T imes giving the partic u lars of the gr ie v
”
o u s outrage c o mm i t ted to day against the E nglish fl a g
by th e A m erican captain W ilk e s
Th e n follows a n acc oun t o f th e es ca p e of the so u th
“
e rn co mm iss ioners fro m Charl e ston in the little stea m er
”
T heo dor a their a rrival at Havana and e mbarkati o n on
th e Tr e nt where th ey felt entirely safe u nder a ne u tral
flag T he p u rser then s ays that o n the sec o nd day of
th e voyag e a large stea m er was observed ahead in the
B ah am a cha n nel ; th at she was evidently waiting and
fi rst g a v e n o ti c e o f her nationality a nd intention by
fi ring a ro u nd shot acr o ss the bo w s o f the Trent a n d at
th e sa me m o m ent displaying American c o lors ; that upon
a n e arer appr o ach a la rge shell was fi red across the
“
b ows o f the E n gl ish vessel ; that it passed w i th in a
few yards of the ship bursti n g about a hundred yards
”
to l ee wa rd
I t is then stated th a t th e Trent st o pped ;
1
( 3 7)
I M M E D I A T E LY
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THE TRENT A FFA IR
1 38
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that a l arge b o at c on tai n i n g be twee n twenty an d th irty
heavily a r med me n pushed o ff fro m t he s i de o f the Sa n
Jaci n t o under the c o mma n d o f a l ieutena n t who b o arded
the Tre n t a n d demanded the papers and passenger l ist
o f the vessel
and a fterw ard the s u rrender o f th e co m
m issi o ners all o f which w a s i n d i g n a n tly refused ; that
the l ieutenant then w alked t o the s ide o f the ship and
waved h i s hand t o w ard the Sa n Jac in to a fter w h i ch
“
im m ediate l y three mor e heavi l y armed b o ats pushed
a n d the pa r ty o f marines
o ff and s u rr o u n ded the ship
who had c o me i n t he fi r st b o at came up and to o k pos
”
sess ion Of the quarter deck a n d that the e nv oys were
the n se ized a n d fo rcibl y put i nto the boat agai n st the
protest o f a l l the passe n gers and crew incl u d i n g Cap
tain Williams o f the R oyal Na vy
“
The accou n t c ontin ues as fo ll ow s :
D u ring the
whole of this time the S a n Jacint o w a s ab o ut tw o hun
dred yards d i stant fr o m us on the p o rt beam her br o ad
s i de gu ns which were all man n ed dire ctly be ar in g
up o n us A ny o pe n resistance t o su ch a f or ce was o f
co u rs e h o pe l ess a lth o ugh fr o m the l o ud a n d repe ated
pl a u dits which fol lo w ed Cap t ai n Willia m s s p ro testation
and wh ich were j o i n ed i n by eve ry on e w i th ou t e x ce p
ti on o f the passe n ge r s c on gregated o n the quarter deck
men of all n ati on s and fr o m the ma ni fested desi r e o f
some to resist t o the l ast I have n o d o ubt but that every
person w o uld have j o i n ed hea r t a n d s o ul i n the s tr uggle
had o ur c o mma n der but give n the o rder Such a n o rder
he could n o t u n der su ch ad v erse c i rc u ms t a n ces c on
a n d i t w a s therefo re c on s i de r ed su ffi
s c ie n tio u sly gi v e
cien t that a pa rty o f mari n es w ith bayon ets fi x ed sh o u l d
forcibly lay hands o n the gen t lemen na m ed This w a s
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THE TR ENT A F F A IR
1 40
.
On Nov em ber 9 wh il e yet a t sea Co mm ander W ill
ia m s prepared an o fli cial repo r t of the matter t o be sub
m itte d to the ad m i r alty as s oo n as he arrived in E n g
l and This acc o unt was s u bstantially the same a s that
gi v en by the purser except that some o f the facts ar e
mo re d istorted and th e n umber o f fi ctions in it so m e
what l a rger
Th e report o f Co mm ander Willia m s a nd the state
m ent o f th e pu r ser of the Trent reached E n gla n d a n d
were made public on N o vember 2 7 With a m inistry
and parlia m ent c o mposed l argely of ene m ies of the
United States with nearly all o f the rich an d infl ue ntial
cl ass u nfriendly with a pr e ss which e xh ibited only
hatr e d for the N o rth a nd c ontinu a lly advo c ate d th e
c a u se o f the Sou th with a l arge pop u lati o n o f m er
c hants trades m en and co tton w o rkers who wer e co m
plaining on acco u nt of the inju ries they sustained fr om
the blockad e and who were a n xio u s for th e govern
ment to interfer e in the American d ifli culty it m ay
readily be imagi n ed what effect the news Of Captain
Wilkes s act created in E n gland I f it had been r e ported
that the Americans had deliberately and w antonly cap
tur e d and b u rned the Tr e nt and her cargo the excite
me n t th rough o ut the c oun try w ou ld n o t have been
great e r N o singl e ann o u n cement in m odern times has
a ffected the E n glish g o vern m ent and people as did that
o f Commander Williams a n d the p u rser o f the Trent
With a few notable excepti o ns among the prom inent
men it was everywhere proclaimed by bo th press and
people that Captain Wilkes s act was a violation of in
te r n atio n al l aw an attack on th e s acred right of as ylu m
”
“
a w a nton o u tr a g e and an ins u lt whi ch sho u ld not for
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E
X CI
TE
ME N
ENGL A ND
T I N
14 1
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a m o m ent b e t o lerated The govern m ent was called
u p o n to vindicate the h o nor of th e British flag by in
s tan tl y exacting a full and c om plete reparati o n
o r in
the event o f failure t o Obtain it war m u st b e declare d
against the Federal States o f A m e r i c a at o nce and
s u ch a castiga ti o n ad m inistered to the insolent Y a n kees
as would th r ice over at o ne for the indignity they had
d ared t o o ffer t o E ngland There was very little dis
cu ss io n of t e xts o r pre c edents or o f the l e gality o f th e
m atter The o ffe n sive and int ol erant c o urse which th e
E nglish navy had p u rs u ed toward all ne u tral p o wers
duri n g and a fter the Nap o le o n i c w ars was appare n tly
fo rgotten because it was no t c o nven i ent t o remember it
”
“
j ust the n Public meetings den ounc ed the o u trage
pro m inent m en c o ndemned it and th e E nglish news
pap e rs with very fe w excepti o ns u s e d th eir u tm ost e n
d e av or s t o sti r up t he i n dig n ation and th e w a r spirit of
the British pe o ple The m o st v io le n t ab u se a nd m alig
n a nt hatred o f everythi n g A m e r ican was e xhibited n o t
only in the ordi n ary n e w sp ap e r s b u t als o in the co n se r v
a tiv e reviews and quarterlies A stor m o f i n dignati o n
whi c h has rarely b e en equ aled swept th e British nation
fro m E dinbu rgh to Dover
I t is n o t diffi c u lt for a g o vern me nt to fi n d a pret e xt
for m aking w ar or parading its m ilitary p ow er in the
sight o f another nati o n w henever it desires t o do so
The British g o vernment was no t slow t o act in this case
L ord Pal m erst o n its leader was an enemy o f the Amer
ican rep u blic and was easily sway e d by th e pop u lar
feeling and by his o wn prej u dice
Preparations for war wer e begu n on a s c ale which
was s u ffi c i e nt to tax the u t m ost strength and r e so u rces
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THE TR ENT A FFA IR
1 42
of
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th e U nited Kingd o m There w a s no d e lay a ft e r th e
recepti on o f t he n e w s but o perati on s were pushed with
a feverish act i vi ty b o th day a n d ni ght O n N ovember
0 the l o rds c o mm i ssi on ers o f the admiralty were in
3
structed by L or d R ussell t o direct V i ce Admi r al Sir
Ale x ander Mil n e t o c o mmu n icate fu l l y wi th L or d Lyons
“
at Washingto n E a r l R u ssell ment io ns the recent a ct
”
o f wanto n viole n ce and outrage
and s ays it is n e ce s
“
s ary to l oo k t o th e sa fety o f her majesty s p o ssess i o ns
”
in N or th America a n d t hat ca r e sho u ld be taken not
“
where they m ay
to place any o f the ships in p o siti o ns
be s u rprised o r commanded by batte r ies on land of a
”
s u peri o r force
Arra n geme n ts w ere also m ad e at
on ce for a la rge increase i n the British n aval for ce in
North A m erican a n d West I n dia n wa t ers
On the same day a n o ffi cial o rder was issued forbi d
ding the shipment Of an y s altpeter u n til f u rther notic e
was give n L arge qu a nt i t ies o f it had already b e en
placed in lighters at the L o nd o n c u st o m ho u se ready to
b e l o aded o n b o ard outgoi n g ships but th e whol e w a s
rel a n ded and returned i n t o wareh o uses u n d e r the s u p e r
vision o f c usto m o ffi cers On D e c ember 4 Queen
V ictoria issued a royal proclamati o n fo rb idding th e e x
port o f gu np o wde r niter nitrate o f s o da brimsto n e
lead an d fi r e ar m s fr om all the p o rts o f the United
Ki n gd o m At the great W oo l w ich a r se n al there was
the bus tle o f extra o rdina ry acti v ity a n d w o rk which
was n o t suspe n ded e i ther fo r nigh t or Sunday E n fi e l d
rifles ca n n on a n d great qua nt i t ies o f ammuniti o n and
o ther w arlike ma terial were b e in g l o aded o n b o ard the
great sh i p Melb o ur n e f o r tra n sp o r t ati on t o Canada On
Su nday D e c emb e r I twen ty fi v e tho u sand mu ske ts
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TR E N T
TH E
1 44
,
A F F AI R
.
h onor of t a king part in all i m port an t wars These were
the fi rst to start t o the seat o f war They believed that
they were g o ing to Charlest o n t o help the C o n federates
“
I
T h e g ua rds pl ayed th e well know n American air
”
am off to Charl e ston wh ile em b arking o n th e ir v e sse ls
“
Th u rlow W eed who was th e n in E n g l and says : I
ros e early on Friday m orning and went down to St
Ja me s s b arr a cks to s e e a r e gi m ent of gu ards take up
th e ir lin e of march fo r Canada Ne arly fi fty years had
e laps e d s in c e I had seen British red co ats wh ose mu s
kets were t u rned against u s So m ething o f the o l d
feeling—a feeling which I supposed had d i ed o ut began
to rise and after a few m o me nts o f painf u l thought I
” 1
t u rned away
One of the pri nc ipal n e wsp a p e rs of L ondon in a n a c
c ount o f th e departu re of the transports Adriati c and
“
Parana with troops for Canada s aid :
As the Adriati c
m oved o ut o f do c k the larg e shields on he r paddle
boxes e m blazoned w ith the stars and str ipes re m i n ded
everyb o dy o f the re m arkable coi n ciden c e that an A m er
i c an built st e a m er and until wi t hin a fe w months the
property of A me rican o wn e rs sh o uld be o n e o f the
fi rst em pl oy e d in the transpo r t o f British troops t o th e
northern part of th e A m erican c ontinent to operate
prob ably a gainst the c o u ntry in which she w a s bu ilt
“
On the tw o v e ssels leaving the docks the volu n teer
band t o ok u p a positi o n on the extre m e end o f the jetty
a nd as th e Adriatic slowly moved past they played the
”
“
“
appropriat e airs I Wish I Was in Di x ie and The
”
“
British Gr e n a di e rs follow e d by Che e r Boys C hee r
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Life
of
Th
u rl o w We e d
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VO L
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I I
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68
3
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PR E PA R A
TI ONS
WA R
F OR
14
.
5
”
and Sh ou ld Auld Acq u aintance b e F o rgot a s the
“
Parana passed in each case cl o s i n g with God S av e
”
the Q u ee n a fter which several parti n g r o u n ds o f e n
th u sia s tic cheers were excha n ged betw een the multit u de
o f spectat o rs o n shore and the galla n t fellows on board
” 1
the vessels
A Paris c o rr e spondent o f one o f the princip a l n ews
“
papers Of N ew Y o rk said
The s u dden dispatch of
ar m s and m en t o Hal i fax the ou tfi t o f n u m erous h e avy
ships o f war the vi o le n t la n guage o f the British press
and c o ncurrence of the French press are e ve n ts o u t o f
proporti o n t o the nomi n al cause o f the m and indicate
”
a se c ret design an d a forego n e c on clusi o n after which
th e opinion is expr e ssed that the Brit i sh govern m ent
“
fro m th e b e ginning was disposed to a id the reb e llion
”
for the p u rpos e of diss o lving the Un ion
The ac tion of th e g overn m ental au th o riti e s a s d e tailed
thu s far is well su m marized by an E n glish writer wh o
“
s ays :
The most e n ergetic preparati o ns were m ade by
the E nglish g o ver n ment t o m eet the c o ntingency i n cas e
the demand they i n stantly made f o r the surrender o f the
p a ssengers was not instantly c o mplied w ith Tro ops
were dispatched t o Ca n ada with all possible expedi t i on
a nd that brave and l oyal colo n y called o u t i t s m ilitia
and vol u nteers s o as to b e ready t o act a t a moment s
n o tice
Our d o ckyards here resou n ded with the din o f
work m en getting vessels fi tted for se a a nd ther e was
but one fe e ling which animated all classes and parties
in th e cou n try and th a t was a d e te r m in a tion to vindi
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Lo
nd on T i m es
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D ec
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1 9, 1 86 1 .
1 46
TH E
TR ENT A FFA IR
.
cate o ur insulted honor and uphold the inviolability of
” 1
the natio n al flag
“
Another E n g l ish w riter says o f the si t uati o n :
Th e
outrage savo r ed s o m uch o f contemptu ou s de fi ance that
the natio n al feeling was wo u nded t o the quick
Be ar
this bear all was the pre v aili n g cry a n d n o t an hour
was l o st i n making preparations f o r the war which it
see m ed to b e the object o f the Amer icans t o pr o v o ke
Am on g other m e as u res which sh o wed how t h o r o ughly
we w ere i n ear n est t ro o ps to the n umber o f eight th o u
2
sa n d were dispatched t o Ca n ada
The news o f the b o ardi n g o f the Tre n t by a Federal
war ste amer and the for cible rem o val o f the s o uthern
c o mmissi o ners was received at Liverp oo l by a private
telegram so o n af t er n oo n on the same da y that the mat
ter fi rst beca m e k no w n i n E n gla n d The i n tell i ge n ce
S pread i n a w o nderfully rapid man ne r a n d ca u sed the
greatest e x citeme nt am on g all classes The utm o st in
dignati o n was expressed on Change and in a very brief
space o f time the fo ll o wi n g plac a rd was conspic u o u sly
p o sted :
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OUT R A G E ON T H E B R I T I SH F L AG
T H E S OU T H E R N C O MM I SS I O N E R S F O R CI B L Y R E MOVE D
F R OM A B R I T I S H M A I L S T E A ME R
“
A public m eeti n g will be held in the cotton sal e s
”
roo m at 3 o cl o ck
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The pr e ceding ann o un c e me nt was s ufli cre n t to c ause
the assembling o f a large cr o wd in the cotton sales
1
1
A
M artin
it r
ie
i sto ry 1 86 1 p 2 5 4
rin ce Co nso rt V ol v p
R eg s e o f H
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s L f o f th e P
n n u al
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3 47
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1 48
TH E
TREN T A FFA IR
.
c hair on th is o cc as ion he did so with ou t r e l uc tan ce or
r e gret ; he f e lt deeply that he only expressed the feeling
not me rely o f the meeting but o f the c o m m unity in
general when he s aid it was the duty o f the pe o ple to
press on the go v er n ment the i m perati v e nece ss ity o f
vind icating the h o n o r and dign ity o f the B r itish nam e
”
1
a nd flag
Lo
u
d
and
c
on
tin
u
ed
chee
r
i
n
g
!
!
O th er speakers who desired t o prese n t a slightly m o r e
c ons e rv a tive view o f the m atter we r e greeted w ith th e
great e st m a n ifestatio n s o f displeasure the l ast o n e
b eing co m pelled t o desist fr o m the atte m pt t o add r ess
the me eti n g Th e resoluti o n after b eing slightly m o di
fi e d was a d o pt e d
Whil e a ll E ngland w a s in a state of excite m ent ov e r
th e s e iz u r e a great m eeti n g was held at Dubli n I rel a n d
”
“
T h e Yo u ng O D o n o u gh u e a m e m b e r o f on e o f the
m ost a n c ient fa m ili e s o f his nativ e c o u ntry a brilliant
a nd pow e rf u l young or a t o r addressed the pe o ple S t and
ing b e for e a crowd o f probably fi v e th ou sand people
he b o ldly declared that if E n gl and e n gaged in a war
with the United States I rela n d w o uld be fo und o n the
s ide o f America—a statement w hich the vast ass em blage
ch e e red w ith tre m end ou s e n th u s ias m
Th e tone o f the British press was with few e x ce p
tions q uite vindictive Captain Wilk e s rece ived much
a buse S om e very abs u rd thre ats w e r e m ade a nd mu ch
bluste r was i n d u lged in
The L ondon Times in dis cu ssi n g th e m atter w a s u n
willing to a d m it that Si mil ar B r itish precedents were
e ntitled to b e considered i n j u sti fi ca tion of the a ct of
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o
ve m b e r 2 8
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1 86 1 .
T H E L ON D ON
TI
M E S B E C OM E S A
B U S I VE
14
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9
Captain Wilkes The com m e n t was as fo ll o ws : But
it m u st be remembered that t hese decisi on s were g iven
u nder circumsta n ces very d iffere n t fr o m th o se which
n o w o ccur Steamers i n th o se d ays d id no t e x ist and
m ail vessels carryi n g letters wherei n all o f the nati o ns
o f the world h ave immedia t e i n terests w ere un k now n
We were fi ghting fo r e x iste n ce and we did in th o s e
days what we sh o uld neithe r d o no r allow o thers to d o
” 1
n o r expe ct o u rselves to be all o wed t o do i n these days
This j ou rnal was the accredited expo n ent o f British
o pini o n at that time so far as the g o ve rn ment and rul ing
cl asses were co n cern ed The fo ll owi n g tirade o f coarse
abus e of Captain Wilkes a n d Americans ge n erally
grac e d th e c o lumns o f the T imes o n o n e o ccas i on while
th e m atter o f differe n ce between the tw o nati o ns was
yet u nse t tl e d :
H e is un fortu nately but too fai t hful a
type o f the pe o ple i n wh o se foul m i ssi o n he is engaged
H e is an ideal Yankee Swagger and ferocity built o n
a f oun dation o f vulgarity a n d co wardice—these are his
chara ct eristics and these are the m ost pr om inent marks
by whi c h h is countryme n generally speaking are
known all over the world T o b u lly the we ak to triu m ph
over th e helpless to trample o n every law of co u ntry
and c u stom willfu lly t o vi o late all the m ost sacred in
te r e sts o f h u man nature t o defy as long as danger does
n o t appear and as s oon as real peril show s itself t o
s n eak as ide a n d ru n away—these are the virtues o f the
race whi c h presumes t o a nno u n ce itself as the leader of
c i v iliza t i o n and the pr o phet o f human pr o gress i n these
l atter days By Captain Wilk e s let the Y ank ee bree d
”
be j udged
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Lond o n T i m e s, N
o v . 2 8 , 1 86 1 .
1
5
THE TRENT A FFA IR
0
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The S atu rday R evi e w the special organ of th e aristo
“
c r a tic classes s aid :
The American go vern me n t is in
th e p o s ition o f the ru de b oo r c o nsci o us o f i n fi nite pow
ers o f annoya n ce d estitute al i ke o f scruples a n d o f
sha m e rec o g n izing on ly the a rb itrati o n of the s tr o ng
arm which rep u diates the appe al t o c o des and p r e su m
i n g n o t w itho u t r e as o n that m o re scrupul ou s states
will av oi d o r defer s u ch an a rb itration as long as they
can
The L ondon P u nch p ublish e d a carto o n abo u t the
fi rst o f December i n wh i ch Ame r i c a 1 3 represented by
a little bl u stering sl ave driv er be aring the American
flag E ngland appears as a l arge British sail o r who
“
fa c es the l i ttle Ame r ican a n d says :
Y ou d o what s
”
right my s o n o r I ll b lo w you o u t of the water
The
b ig Brito n als o say s to a very ungainly American offi c er
“
N o w m in d y ou sir n o s hu ffli n g an
wh o appears :
a m ple ap o l o gy o r I w ill put the m atter into the hands
”
O f my l aw ye r s Messrs Wh itvvo r th a n d Ar m str on g
These individua l s were m a n u fac turers o f ca nn on whic h
th e g o vernment w a s buyi n g at that ti m e for ship me nt to
Ca n ada
The Lond o n Herald was especially b itter in its a t
tacks o n Pres ident L incoln and Mr Seward and in i t s
c ondemnati o n O f Captai n Wilkes s act I n on e o f its
“
issues this ne w spaper said edi to rially :
Mr Sew ard s
wa n t o f comm on se n se reticence and p r inciple have
l o ng been n o t o r io us t o Americans a n d rece n t circu m
stance s h ave di r ected t o hi m an a mo u n t O f E n glish a t
te n ti o n w hich has made him equally w ell un derstood
and despised in th is c o u n try U n happily until yester
day we h ad not been able fu lly t o apprec iat e the ex
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5
TH E
2
ia m s
’
TRENT A FFA IR
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s prot e st wo u ld be speedily enforc e d b y the still
sterner protest of a British fleet conveying eve n t o Mr
S eward s d u ll c onscience a nd Mr L i n c o ln s bewildered
brain a proper sense o f the c o nsequences which fo ll o w
”
th e perpetration on board a British vessel o f such a
terrible o utrage as the Americans had l ately been gui lty
of co mm itting The l ast paragraph read as f o ll o ws :
“
What we h ave t o do is su ffi cie n tly clear I t is th e
duty o f o ur govern m ent t o dema n d the im m ediate r e
t u rn Of the ge n tlemen st o len fr om under o u r flag in
honorable gu ise t o ge ther with an amp l e ap o l o gy f o r a
lawless act o f piratical aggressi on a n d t o prepare for
the rejecti o n o f s u ch a demand by dispatching f o rthwith
to the A m erican c o ast such a n aval force as may insure
the total d e str u ction o f the Federal n avy a n d the in
st a nt blockade o f all o f the chief n orthern ports if d ue
”
s a tisfa c tion b e n o t given with out delay
D u ring the entir e peri o d o f excitement w h ich w a s
cau sed in E ngl a nd by the se izure o f the c om missioners
th e co ncentr a t e d w rath of the British press and p u bli c
was po u red u pon the devoted head o f Mr S eward His
bold stand against a ny rec o gniti o n bei n g e xtended to
th e Confederat e s by E ngland a n d h is rec o mmendati o n
that the c oasts a nd lak e frontiers of the U n ited States
be put into a c onditi o n to resist fore ig n aggressi o n
c a u sed all E nglish m en w h o sympathized w ith the S o uth
t o hat e him I t w as said in E n gl and and c o ntin u ally
repeated and e m phasized by the Brit i sh press that Mr
S eward and the Federal gover nm ent at Washington
proposed to a nnex Canad a t o the United States ; that
a pretext was wanted f o r a qu arrel and a war with Great
Brit a in ; a nd that th e bo a rding of th e Tr e nt a nd s e izu re
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F A L S E H O OD S B E L I E VE D I N
E N GL A N D
.
1
53
of th e c o mm issi o ners was a deliberate i n s u lt in p u r
su a n ce o f the secre t ary o f state s design t o pr o v o ke a
ru pture betw een the two co u nt r ies Un iversal and wide
spread c irc u lati o n was a l s o given t o a sill y st ory t o the
effect that while the Pri n ce o f Wales was in the U ni ted
States Governor M o rgan had given a di nn er pa r ty t o
the r oyal gu est at wh i ch Mr Se w ard a n d the Duke o f
Newcastle were b o th p r ese n t when the fo rmer said t o
“
the duke
I expect s oo n t o h o ld a v e ry h i gh o fli c e
here i n my o w n c o u n t ry ; it will then bec o me my duty t o
”
i n sult E n gl a n d a n d I me a n t o d o s o
There ca n be
n o d o ub t b u t that the Duke o f Newcastle t o ld s u ch a
silly st o ry a n d it is highly p r ob able that a bel ief in its
tru thfu l ness str on gly in fluenced t he g o ver n me nt o f E n g
la n d i n the active and has ty prepa r at io ns fo r war 1
Mr Th u rl o w We ed wh o h ad bee n previ ou sly sent
to E ngl and to influ e nce public o pi n i o n the r e in fav o r o f
the North wrote t o Mr S e ward about the m atter Mr
Se w ard was gre a tly surprised and replied that the story
was s o extre m ely absurd that t o give it sufli cie n t no tice
to deny it w ou ld b e al m ost a sacri fi ce o f pers o nal dignity
on h is o w n part
The L o nd o n Ti m es h aving expr e ssed at o n e ti m e a
”
“
ye a rni n g in E ngland a ft er American vie w s up o n th e
e xisting complication betwee n the tw o cou n t r ies Mr
Weed ventu red to s u pp l y the desired info rmati o n in a
letter w hich he immed i ately c ontributed to that j o urn al
I n this letter he e n tered a ge n e r al de n ial o f the asser
tion that the Federal governme n t desired a ru pture wit h
E ngla n d and d id what h e c o u ld to u ndeceive the British
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Se e Geo
We e d p
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P eab o
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6
3 5
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dy s l e tte r
’
to T h u
rl ow We e d
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M e m o ir
of
1
TH E
54
TRENT A FFA IR
.
p ubl i c c on ce rning the Sew ard Newcastle story
Mr
Ada m s was re ferred t o f o r a true reflex o f American
sympath ies The O pi n i o n was e xpressed that E ngland
h ad no real grieva n ce o f a ny sub sta n tial n a tur e agai n st
th e United States as the bounda ry d i sputes and o ther
questi o ns o f imp o rtance had bee n satis fact o ri l y settled
The m agni fi ce n t re cep t i o n o f the Pri n ce o f Wales in
the United States and the high esti m ati o n in which
A m ericans h e ld the Queen also the fact that both na
tions were o f k i ndred o r igi n and sp o ke the sa m e lan
guage were all d w elt u pon Gen S cott s recent letter
on the s itua ti o n c ontr ib u ted t o the Paris press w a s m en
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Mr Weed said that he kn ew nothi n g o f th e propos e d
co u rse o f the British govern m ent but he expressed the
O pinion that a pere m pt o ry demand fo r the releas e o f th e
e nvoys w ou ld b e m et by as perempto ry a refu sal sinc e
in te mp e r an d pride A m erica n s were a s unre asoning as
the b ad exa m ple of their m o ther c ou ntry could mak e
them He did no t believe th at Mason and Slidell were
worth a w a r a n d hoped the m atter wo u ld b e c o nsid e r e d
c almly and with due deliberation
The same iss u e o f th e Ti m es which contained Mr
Weed s l e tter acco m p a nied it with a leader replying to
h is views a nd asserting the E ngl ish positi o n I t was
“
held that the present prim e m inister o f the N o rthern
”
“
States o f A m erica had l o ng possessed a del iberate
”
and lo n g cherished i n t e nti o n t o d o E ngland a wrong
The proo fs were a m ple being the Ne w castle i n ciden t
the expressed wish o f Mr Seward t o annex Canada his
circular t o the g o vern o rs o f the no rther n states a n d
l a stly th e seiz u re of the c o m m issioners on board an
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TH E
TR ENT AFFA IR
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c om ma n d a heari n g in E n gland a n d France He im
med i ately addressed a let t e r t o the Par i s p r ess g i vi n g
his vie w s o f the s i tu ati on w h i ch he c o mprehe n ded w ith
the greatest cl e a m e s s He e xpressed the O pi n i on that
the seizure c o uld no t have bee n au th ori zed fr o m Wash
in gto n a n d that the mat t er w a s capable o f being a mica
b ly adjusted
The f o ll o w i n g paragr aphs taken from the ge n eral s
let ter very n ea rl y ind i cate gr o u n ds which Mr Seward
assumed a fterwa r d i n the set tl ement o f th e cas e
“
I f under the ci r cumsta n ces E n gl a n d sh o uld deem
it her d u ty in the i nt e r est o f ci vi l i za t i o n to insist up o n
the rest o rati on o f the m e n taken fro m u n der the p r o te c
ti o n o f her flag it w ill be w i th o ut d o ubt that the law
o f n a t i on s i n regard t o the righ t s o f neu tr als
w hich she
has taken a le ading part in establishing requires r e
”
visi o n
“
I f E n gland is disposed to do her part in stripping
war o f half its horrors by accepting the p o licy l on g and
e r s is te n l
ur
ged
up
o
n
her
by
g
o
vernme
n
t
and
o ur
p
y
commended by e v ery p r inciple o f justice a n d h u manity
she w ill fi n d n o gro u nd in the visit of the Trent f o r
”
c on troversy w ith o u r g o vern m ent
“
I a m sure that the president and pe o ple o f th e
U n ited States w o uld be but t oo happy to let these men
g o free u nn atural a n d u n pard o nable as their Offe n ses
ha v e bee n if by it they c ou ld e m ancipate the c o mmerc e
”
o f the w orld
A fe w days l ater the general became alarmed at the
th reatening state o f affairs and hast i ly e mb arked fo r the
U n ited States saying that if there w a s t o be a w ar w ith
E ngland perhaps he could be of s om e service to his
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S P E E CH
OF
WI L L I A M S
COM M A N D E R
1
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57
co u ntry I n th e sudden departu re o f Ge ne ral S c o tt the
Lon don press found additi on al evide n ce o f feelings in
A me rica h o stile t o E ngla n d as they said he had go n e
ho m e in o bed ie n ce t o a hasty s u mm on s fr o m Washi n g
ton This was n o t true He returned beca u se h e r e
garded it as h i s duty t o d o so
While the excite m e n t was s o gr e at i n E ngl and Com
ma nder Willia m s sudde n l y became an ind iv idual O f
”
“
nati o nal pr o mi n ence H i s pr o test agai n st the seizure
Much
o f the commiss i o ners was every w he r e appl auded
was m ade o f h i m by the press and by vari o us o rgan iza
ti o ns On December 1 2 a public di nn er was given t o
hi m by the R oyal Western Yacht Club o f E n gla n d
That he had evide n tly l o st h i s head is appa r ent fr om th e
“
peru sal of th e braggad o ci o speech made upon that
o c c asion H e gave su c h a n account o f the seiz u r e o f
the e nvoys a s would s u it the occasion a n d m ake a hero
o f hi m s e lf
The fo llowing verb ati m extract is ill u stra
tive :
“
Now ge n tlemen I have o nly on e m ore s u bject that
I kn o w o f o n w h ich t o speak—the ci r cumstances attend
ing the galla n t F ederal mari n es ru shi n g with the p o ints
o f their b ay o nets at M iss Sl i dell
Hear
he
ar
I
t
!
!
w a s at this point that she screa m ed f o r her father
s n atched h imself away from her—I d o n o t mean
snatched hi m self ru dely but he s n atched himself aw ay
fro m h er t o b r eak the wind o w o f his cab i n thr ou gh
which he thru st his b o dy o u t But the h o le was so
small that I hardly thought it w o uld admit the c i rcu m
ference o f h is waist I t was then the l ady screamed I
a m charged by M r Fair fa x that my ma n ner was s o
violent that he was co mpelled t o re qu est Capt a in M o ir
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8
5
TRENT A FFA IR
TH E
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to re m ov e m e
onsense
But
h
e
n
th
e
m
arines
w
N
!
!
rushed on at the p o int o f their b ay on ets—and I belie v e
it is not necessa ry that I sh o uld m ak e a s o lemn assevera
tion that it is true—!N o no !—w hen they ru shed on at
the point o f the b ayonet I had just time t o put m y
body bet w een their b ay o nets a n d Miss Slidell—!o b i !
and I said t o the m and if Henry O f E xeter wer e here
I wo u ld ask him f o r his abs o l u ti o n fo r it—!la u ght e r !
I s a id to the m
Back y ou d cowa r dl y poltroons
This ridic u l o us speech was bel ieved appl auded and
given a wide ci r culati o n
The c hanc e s of an E nglish war with the United States
ca u s e d gre at excite m ent in Ca n ada a n d ther e was a
g e n e ral call to ar m s at o n ce The militia w er e called
o ut a nd v o l un teers were everywhere dr i lled with th e
gr ea test exactness and consta n cy E xtr a time was taken
fro m b u siness fo r mil itary d u ties and one Ca n adian
jo urnal esti ma ted that an army o f tw o hu n d r ed tho u sand
me n co u ld easily b e p u t into the fi eld Bodies o f r egu
lar troops were in m otion fro m o n e part o f the provi nc es
to a nother Old for ti fi c ati o ns w ere carefu lly inspe c ted
a nd n e w ones begun al o ng th e whole Ca n adian fronti e r
Toronto and other exp o sed cities were carefully lo ok e d
a fter a nd altho u gh it was in the m idst o f a sever e Can a
di an winte r preparations w e re m ade everywh e r e for im
me di a te war 1
Th e re was in E ngland fro m the begin n ing a very
feeble underc u rre n t o f sentiment O pp o sed t o the well
n i gh un iversal vie w o f th e case j ust as in A m erica th e
feeling of c ongratu lation was n o t quite c o mm o n to e v ery
one John Bright than who m the United S tate s n e v e r
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See N
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ew
Y or k H e ra ld
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ount
s ac c
,
D ec
.
2 0, I
86 1
.
THE TRENT A FFA IR
1 50
.
a c are f u l revi e w o f the wh o le m atter on the fi rst day
“
after the n e w s was rece ived the edi to r sa i d he c o uld
n ot u n ders t a n d the fairness o f excludi n g the Uni on ists
”
fr om such an o b v i o us res or t Of be l li gere n t p ow er
“
I t w o uld be ask in g t o o m u ch that they sh o uld stand
by a n d make n o e ffo rt t o prevent ships con v eyi n g t o
a n d fr o pers o ns and papers o n the e n emy s service I t
is at a ny rat e t o be desired that questi o ns o f this sort
sh o uld b e disc u ssed without heat and decided with out
” 1
has t e
“
Tw o d ays later the s a m e j o u rnal said :
Our readers
kn o w that o ur o pi n i on o f the affair o f the Trent has n o t
bee n in acc o rd ance w i th tha t o f the l aw O ffi cers o f the
cr o w n That opi nio n is u n changed We belie v e that
i n terpreti n g the code o f internat ion al law in the spirit
in w hich that ill d i ges t ed c o de is laid d o wn Cap tain
Wilkes was justi fi ed in taking p o ssessi o n o f Messrs
Mas o n and Slidell W e ha v e n o t h ow ever been s o
much c on cer n ed to establish that poi n t as t o depreca t e
sudden and passion a te ac tion which m ight le ad t o the
mo st ser io us c o m pl ications a nd we feel the greatest
c on fi de n ce that o ur g o v e rnment actu ated as it is by a
spi r it o f m o derati on w ill b e met i n a lik e spiri t o f
calmness mo derati on a n d go o d se n se by the g o ver n
ment o f the United States I t would i n deed be a d i s
grace t o the b o asted civil izati o n o f the n i n etee nt h ce n
tury if i n a disputed p o i n t o f internati on al l aw the r e
we r e n o o ther m o de o f o btaini n g a decis ion than by a
” 2
brutal resort t o arms
These O pinions however were of n o avail Th e y
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nd o n S ta r N o ve m b e r 30 1 86 1
1 E dito ri a l L o nd o n S ta r N ove m b e r 2 8
1
Lo
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,
1 86 1 .
S OM E
OP I N I ON S N O T C ON S I D E R E D
161
.
wer e given s o l itt l e c on siderati o n e ither by the peopl e
or the g o ver nm e n t o f G r e at B ri tain that t hey m i ght just
as well n ever have been u tte r ed E n gla n d p ro p o sed
t o set tl e the ma t ter up on her o w n te r ms and wi t h ou t
discussion delay o r c on siderati o n of any views b u t
thos e of herself
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,
,
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A U T H OR I T I E S
A N D R E F E R E N CE S
.
Briti s h A n u a l R e gi st r 1 86 1
L o s i g B J : T h e C ivil Wa r i A m e ri c a
M ag zi n e o f A m e ri ca n H i s t o ry M ay 1 886
M o o re s R e b e lli o n R e c o rd : D i a ry a n d V o l 1 1 1 D oc I 3 9
M a rti n T h e o d o r e : L i fe f th e P ri n c e Co n so rt
P a ri s Co m te d e : T h e C ivil War in A m e ri c a
w
a
h
n
n
P
ri
ip
l
L
d
o
n
s
p
p
r
s
t
e T im e s
c
o
e
e
H e r a ld S ta r
7
d S a tu rd ay R e vi e w N o v 2 8 3 0 1 86 1 a l s o fi r s t w e e k o f D e
n
s
n
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e
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n
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a
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o
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n
a
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9
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1 86 1
V i cto r
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8
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ce m b e r ,
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an
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s
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h
f
t
u
o
i
s
t
o
ry
o
e
t
h
rn
e
S
J
Wee d T h u rl ow ; L i fe o f V ol 1 1
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be lli o n
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64
TH E
TR E N T
A F F AI R
.
put a prize crew on board and ca rry her t o a p o rt o f the
United States fo r adj u dicati o n I n that case the l aw
o ffi cers tho u ght she might and in their o p i ni on she
ought to d i semb ark the passe n gers o n the mail steamer
at so m e conve n ie n t p or t But the y added she w o uld
h av e no right t o rem o ve Messrs Mas o n a n d Slidell a n d
carry the m o ff as pris on ers le av i n g the ship to pu r sue
h er v oyage
A few days bef o re the l aw o ffi cers gave
this o pi n i o n the San Jaci n t o an American w ar steamer
intercepted the Tre n t a n d did the v ery thi n g wh i ch the
” 1
l aw O ffi cers had advised she had no r i ght t o d o
As so o n as C o mmander Williams l a n ded in E ngla n d
he w as sent to Lon d on in h o t h aste o n a special trai n i n
o rder to report the circu msta n ces t o the g o vernment
without any del ay A fter arr i ving there he spe nt the
re m ainder o f that day a n d part o f the n ight at t he British
fo reign o fli ce m ak in g a n o fli c ia l rep or t t o Premier
Pal me rston and the l o rds c o mm issioners of the ad m i
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r al ty.
Th e fa c ts a s reporte d b y C om m a nder Will iams were
i mm ediat ely s ub m itted to the crown law o ffi cers wh o
after a bri e f c o nsiderati o n o f the matter rep o rted that
th e s e iz u re of the commissi o ners w a s e n tirely illegal and
2
f
l
o
not san c tion e d by the aw
n ations
The c as e was then c onsidered by th e cabinet and o n
Nov ember 2 9 only two days after the news of the
b oarding of th e Tr e nt and seiz u r e of th e envoys h ad
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l
o
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1
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p
n
r
lp
l
i
f
f
J
o
h
sse
ll
V
pp
L
e
O
W
a
o
e
s
e
ce
S
344 5
1
l e tte r fro m th e R t H o n
T h e a u t h o rity f r t h i s s ta te m e t i s
E arl o f Ki m be rly h e r m aj e s ty s s ec r e t a ry for fo re ig n a ffai r s i n
r e sp o n se to a n inq u iry a ddr e sse d to h i m by th e a u t h or
1
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PR E PA R I N G
A
D
E MAND
16
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5
r e ached E ngla n d L o rd Pal m ersto n prepared a not e to
the queen in wh i ch he f o rmulated a state m ent of a de
m and t o be m a de at on ce u p o n the Amer i can govern
“
ment He wrote to her majesty as fo ll o ws :
The
ge n eral o utline and te no r which appe ared to m eet th e
O p i n i on s o f the cabinet would be t hat the Wash ingt o n
government sh o uld b e told that w hat has been d on e is a
v i o lati o n o f i n ternati o nal l aw a n d o f the rights o f Great
B r i t a i n and that y our m aj esty s g o ver n ment tru st that
the act wi l l be disav o w ed a n d the pris on ers set free and
re st o red to British protec t ion and that Lord Ly o ns
sh o uld be instru cted that if this de m and is refused he
” 1
sh o uld retire fr o m the U ni ted States
A c o py of the pr o p o sed d i spatch t o L o rd Lyo n s was
a ls o forwarded t o her m ajesty w h o with Prince A l
bert carefu lly exa m i n ed it B o th were pr o fo u n dly i m
pressed by the fact that the co mmu nicati o n i n dicated a
crisis in the a ffairs o f the tw o c o un trie s a n d that a
speedy ruptu re and war wer e n o t i m pr o b able I ll n ess
a n d the seri o us char a cter o f th i s new p o liti c al qu estion
m ade i t imp o ssible f o r t he p r ince t o sleep d u ring the
f o ll ow i n g night Upon getting u p alth ou gh scarcely
able to h ol d a pen while writing he prepared a m em o
r a n d u m o f the changes wh ic h her m ajesty desired t o
ha v e m ade in the dispatch to A m erica The queen
preferred that langu age sh o uld be u sed which w a s less
harsh and O ffensiv e in character than that c on tained in
the fi rst draft o f the n o t e to the American go vern m ent
I n its unc o rr ec t e d f o r m the draft o f th e n o te n o t on ly
charged th e vi o lati o n o f i n ternati on al law b u t added an
”
“
a c cusati o n of wa n ton insult al t h o ugh the belief was
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M a rti n s L i fe
’
of
th e P
rince Conso rt
,
Vo l
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v p
,
.
42 0
.
1 66
TH E
AF F AI R
TR E N T
.
ass e r ted th a t it was n o t int e nti o nal Prin c e Alb e rt s
m em o rand um c orr ected with the quee n s o w n ha n d
was retu rned a n d the dispatch which was subsequen t ly
forwarded t o L o rd L yo ns sh o ws that her m ajesty s sug
gestions were full y o bserved This was the pri n ce s
last poli t ical writ in g His i llness grew w o rse a n d he
d i ed bef o re the c o mm uni cat io n w hich he and the queen
had aided i n preparing was ans w ered by the A m erican
govern m ent
The prince s m e m ora n du m as c o rrected by th e qu e e n
a nd retu rn e d by her t o the m i nistry was as f o ll o w s :
“
T h e q ueen returns these important dra fts w hich up o n
the whol e she appr o ves but she can no t help f e eling
that the m ain dra ft—that f o r c o mmu n icati o n t o the
A m eri c an g o vernment—i s s o mewhat meag r e She wou ld
have l iked t o have seen the expressi on o f a h o pe t hat
the American cap t ai n d i d n o t act un der ins tructio n s or
if he did that he mis apprehe n ded—that the U n ited
States g o ver nm e n t mu st be fu l l y aware that the British
go vernment c o uld no t all o w its flag t o be insulted and
the s e curity o f its mail c o mmu n ica t i o ns t o be placed in
j e o pardy and her majesty s g o ver n ment are unw illi n g
t o believ e that the Un it ed S t ates governme n t intended
wantonly to p u t an insult up o n this c o u n try and t o add
t o the ir m a ny distressi n g c o mplicati o ns by forcing a
questi o n o f dispute up on us ; and tha t we are there for e
glad t o believe that up on a full considerati o n o f the cir
c u m s ta n ce s o f the u n d o ubted breach o f i n ternati on al l aw
c o mmitted they w o uld sp o nta n eously o ffer such redress
as al on e wou l d sa t is fy t his c o untry v i z the res to ra t i o n
” 1
of th e u nfortunate passenge rs and a s u itable ap o logy
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M a rti n
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s
i
L fe
of
th e P
ri n ce
Co n s o rt, V o l
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v p
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42 2
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1 68
TH E
A FF AI R
TR E N T
.
g e rs in th e Tr e nt Wh ile so m e p arl ey was g o ing on
u pon this m atter Mr Slidell stepped fo rw ard a n d t o ld
the A m eri ca n ofli ce r that the f o ur pers o ns he had named
w e re th e n sta n di n g be fo re him The c o m m a n der o f
the Trent and Co m mander Williams pr o tested against
the act o f taking by fo rce o u t o f the Trent these fo ur
passengers then u nder the pr o tecti o n o f the British
flag B u t th e S an Jacinto w as at that ti m e o nly two
h u ndred yards fr om the Tr e nt her ship s c o mpany at
quarters her p o rts o pen a n d to m pi o ns o u t R esista n ce
was theref o re o ut o f the quest io n a n d the fo u r ge nt le
m en bef o re named were f o rcibly taken out o f the ship
A furth e r demand was m ade that the comm a n der o f the
Trent sh o uld pr o ceed o n b o ard the San Jacint o but he
said he w ou ld not go u nless fo rcibly co m pell e d like w is e
a nd this de m and was not ins isted u pon
“
I t thus appe a rs that cert a in individ u als ha v e bee n
f o rcibly taken fro m on board a British vess e l th e ship
o f a ne u tral power whil e suc h vessel was p u rs u ing a
l awfu l a n d i n n o ce n t v oyag e—an a c t of viole nce whi c h
was an affro n t to the British flag a nd a viol ation of in
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te r n atio n a l l aw
.
Her m aj esty s gov e rn me nt bear ing in m ind t he
friendly relations which h av e long subsist e d b etwee n
Gre at Brit a in a nd the Un it e d S tates ar e willing to b e
lieve that the United States naval Ofli ce r who comm itt e d
the aggress io n was not acti n g in compl iance with any
au th o rity fr om h is gover n me n t or that if he c o nceived
himsel f to be so auth o rized he greatly m is u nderst oo d
the i n stru cti o ns he had received F or the governm e nt
of the United States m ust be fully aw a r e that th e British
gov e rn m ent c o u ld not a llow s u ch a n a ffront to the na
“
’
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TE
XT
OF
TH E
B R I TI SH
DE
MA N
16
D
9
ho n or t o pass with o ut f u ll reparatio n and her
majesty s g o ver n m ent are u nw i l l ing t o believ e that it
c o uld be the de l i be r a t e i n tent ion o f the govern me n t of
the United States u nn ecessari l y to fo rce into d i scussion
between the tw o g o vernme n ts a questi o n o f so gr av e a
ch aracter and with regard to which the whol e Brit i sh
nati o n wo u ld be sure to entertain s u ch una ni m ity of feel
ing
“
Her m ajesty s govern me nt th e r e fore tr u st that
when this matter shall have been bro u ght u nd e r th e c on
siderati o n o f the gover n ment O f th e U n ite d S tates th at
g o vern m ent will o f its o wn a c cord O ffer to th e British
g o vernmen t such redress as alone c o u ld satis fy the British
nati on na m ely the liberat io n o f the four gentlem e n a n d
their delivery t o y o ur lo r dship in order that th ey may
again be pl aced under British prot e ction and a s u itabl e
ap o l o gy for the aggression which has be e n co mm itt e d
“
Sho u ld th e s e ter m s not b e offe r e d by M r Se w a rd
o u w ill pr o p o se them to hi m
y
“
Y o u are at liberty to read this disp a t c h to th e s ecr e
tary of state and if he shall d e sir e it yo u will giv e h i m
”
I a m et c
a copy of it
R US S E L L
tion al
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will be noticed th a t this c o m mu nicati o n is i n all r e
prec i si o n and cle arness The
sp e c ts a model o f b r ev i ty
matter to b e considered is direc t ly app ro ached a n d all
f acts o f whatever ki n d t hat a r e n o t abs o lute ly n ecessary
t o h i s l o rdship s view o f the case are o mi tted The
cit i zenship o f the captured pe r s on s is no t eve n h int ed a t
n o r is anything sa i d ab o u t the natu re o f the ir miss ion
”
”
“
“
N o use is made o f the term c o n federate o r rebel
There is no discussio n o f the principles of i n ternati o nal
It
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THE TREN T A FFA IR
7
0
.
l aw b e aring u pon th e case n o referen c e to t e xts or pr ec
e de n ts
no statement o f th e rights o f belligerents a mo ng
th em selves or their relations to n e utral na t ions Th e
fact th a t a gre at c ivil w ar w a s then raging in the U nited
Stat e s a nd that the hostile secti on s o f the country were
then in belligerent attitu des t oward e ach other is no
where me ntioned in th e paper I t is den u ded of al m ost
e very stateme nt that on e wo u ld e xpect t o fi n d in such a
dip l o ma tic co mm uni c ation
His lordship conten ts
h ims e lf with a st a t em e n t of the m ain f a cts in Co m
ma nd e r William s s ofli cial r e po r t af t er which h e pre
s e nts si m ply the nak e d idea o f four individ u als having
b een for c ibly t a ken fro m a British ship whi c h w a s pur
s u ing a l a wf u l a nd innocent v oyage f r om on e n e utral
port to a noth e r on th e high seas a n d not with in the
m uni c ip al j urisdiction o f the U nited States Th e si m pl e
ac t of doing this c onstitut e s a vi o lation of the l aw of
”
“
n a tions a nd is a n a ffront to th e B r itish fl a g
Th e
only mea s u r e of redr e ss which will atone fo r the ac t is
th e n di c tat e d by Lord R uss e ll a nd that is th e c o m plete
“
u ndoing o f C a ptain Wilkes s ac t by lib e r a ting the fo ur
”
gentl eme n deliv e ring th em to Lord Lyons s o that they
m ight b e pla ce d a gain u nder British prot ec tion a nd
apologizing for what had been done
On the s ame day that th e foreg o ing dispatch w a s pre
pared E arl R u ssell also addressed a second c omm uni
cation t o Lord Lyons I t was a p r ivate letter in which
the i n tentions o f the British g o vernment could be easily
read between the l ines I t m eant e ith e r reparati on or
an alternative of a very serio u s character The follow
“
ing is the body of the letter : I n m y pr e vio u s dispat ch
of t h is d a t e I h av e instr u c t e d yo u by c o mm and of h e r
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THE TR ENT A FFA IR
2
7
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prep a r e h i m for it and ask hi m to settle it with the pres i
dent an d cab in et what c o urse the y w i l l pursue The
next time y o u sh o uld b r i n g m y dispatch a n d read i t t o
him fully I f he asks what will b e the c on seque n ce o f
his refus in g c o mp l iance I thi n k yo u sh o uld sa y th at you
wish t o leave him a n d the pres i de n t q u ite fr ee t o take
their o w n c o urse and that y o u desire t o absta i n from
”
anythi n g like me n ace
Th i s last dipl o mat i c n o te clearly reveals the mo tiv es
a n d p o licy o f the B rit ish g o ve rn me n t i n the wh o le pr o
I t was publ icl y t o br o w beat a n d me nace the
c e e d in g
United States by a pa r ade o f the i r mil i tary p ower and a
thre a t o f w ar a n d at the s ame time privately to pave
the w ay for getti n g o u t o f the d iffi culty with ou t a resort
t o arms
The m essenger o f the British governme n t arrived in
Wash ington a n d delivered E arl R ussell s dispatches t o
L o rd Lyo n s o n December 1 8 On the a ftern oo n o f the
in
accorda
n
ce
ith
his
i
n
structi
on
s
his
l
o
rdship
w
1 th
9
waited o n Mr Se w ard at the department o f state and
acquainted him i n ge n eral terms with the na tu re o f E arl
R u ssell s dispatch dema n di n g reparati o n adding at the
s ame ti m e that he h o ped the g o ver n ment o f the United
Stat e s wo u ld of its ow n acc o rd o ffer the desired repara
ti o n and that it w a s to facilitate such an arrangement
that he had come witho u t any sort o f writt e n dema n d
Mr S eward rec e ived this c ommu ni c atio n seriously but
without ma nifesting dissatisfaction He the n m ade
s o me inquiries concerni n g the exact ch aracter o f the dis
patch a n d requ ested that he b e given u n t i l the next day
t o c on sider th e matter and t o c o mmu n icate with the
pr e sident On the day afte r he said that he would be
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B R I T I SH
TH E
DE
MA N
D P R E SE N TE D
1
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73
prepared t o give an opi n i o n c on cerni n g the m atters pre
se n ted t o h im at that i nt ervie w When L o rd Ly on s
made his n ext call upo n Mr Seward he br o ught with
hi m and f or mall y r ead t o the sec r etary the disp a tch
c o ntai n i n g E arl R usse l l s dema n d
Only seven da y s gr ace w e r e allow ed fro m the time
whe n the matter was fi rst p r ese n ted T w o o f these had
n o w g o ne a n d i f the dem and we r e complied w ith it m ust
b e done with pr o mpt n ess o the r wise the d oor s o f t he
British legat io n w o uld be c lo sed a n d d i pl o matic rela
ti o ns be tween the two c oun tr i es s u spended
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A U T H O R I T I E S A N D R E F E R E N CE S
1
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2
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3
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4
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5
6
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nnu a l R eg i ste r 1 86 1
L i fe o f th e P rin ce Co n so rt V o l v
T h e o d o re :
M c P h e s o n E d w a rd : P o liti c a l H i s t o ry o f t he R e b e lli o n
N i c o l ay a d H ay : L i fe o f L i
ol
S o u t h e r n L a w R e vi e w V l V I I I
Wa lp o l e S p e n ce r : L i fe o f L o rd J o h R u sse ll
T h e U ni o n a n d Con fe d e r a te N a i e s o ffi c i a l re co rd s o f Se ri e s
7
Vol
.
1,
Bri ti s h
M a rti n
.
A
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nc
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n.
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n
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I
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n
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1
THE TRENT A FFA IR
6
7
.
s o me m eans a n d the e n tire N orth was excited anew by
the pr o spect o f a d o ub l e w a r b ut sti l l there was a p o p
ular bel i ef that the p r is on e r s w o uld no t be sur r e n dered
s i n ce t here appea r ed t o b e no r eas on fo r a reve r sal o f
the al m o st univers al ve r dict give n at the ti m e o f the
capture
“
The m om ent o us q ue sti on everywhere w a s Will the
g o v e r nm e n t at Wash in gto n c on cede the British demand
”
and g iv e up the me n !
E very b o dy w on dered whether
the angry growl o f the British l i on would have a sensible
“
e ffect upo n M r Li n col n a n d the admi ni stratio n
The
press t oo k up the exciti n g theme a n d as us u al d iffered
widely as t o the course the go vern m e n t sh o uld adopt
M eanwhile the keen s i ghted and a dventu r o us began to
to talk o f and t o take steps t o ward t he prepara t i o n
o f c ruisers t o p r ey up on the shi p pi n g o f E n gla n d and
an army o f volu n teers to m eet the attack o f the British
army expected at Canada was o n th e tap zs Stocks
we n t d o w n at h o me a n d abroad as the w arlike feeling in
both cou n tries went u p and to the public w ar for a
” 1
while se e med imm in e n t
I t was ru mored that the pris o ners wo u ld be given up
by the admi n istrati on Am on g t h o se that denied it was
“
the New York He r ald which sa i d it was o nly a silly
”
“
ru mor a nd that there w a s n o t the sl i ghtest tru th in
”
the rep o rt
”
“
The silly rumor h o w ever speedily beca m e a mat
ter o f serio u sness and al th ou gh no t c on fi rmed it was
universally believed a n d was d i scussed by t he press and
the pe o ple o f the North Public Opini o n was every
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1
C
1 886
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K T u cke r m an
.
in
M aga zine o f A m e ri can
H
i st o ry J une
,
,
P U B L I C OP
INI ON
A M ERI CA
I N
1
.
77
wh er e strongly o pp o sed to the co u rse o f action which
r umo r said would be p u rsued by the g o ve rn ment Su c h
it was s aid w ou ld be degradi n g to the
a p r o c e e d in g
nation a n d was t o o h u mil iati n g to b e e n dured The
r i ght o f a nati o n t o deal as it wishes w ith its own c iti
zens who a re seeki n g to compass its destru ction was
con fi dently a fli r m e d and altho u gh the case see m ed a
desperat e o n e in view of the conseq u e nc es which were
almost c ertain to result fro m a refus al to accede to th e
British d em and there w a s a stro n g sentime n t in fav o r of
acc epting wh a t appeared t o b e the o n ly alternative that
r e main e d to the American people namely to e n gage in
another w ar with E ngland This opinion fo u nd fav o r
with many p ublic men in c l u ding pro m inent c o ngress
m en
Whil e this ru m or was b eing disc u ss e d by the press
a nd the p ubli c Senator Jo hn P Hale o f New Hamp
shir e m ad e a sp ee ch in the U n ited States senate c o ncer n
ing th e m atter A fter s aying that the measure i n v o lved
m or e of go o d o r evil t o the cou n try tha n a nythi n g that
“
h ad e v e r occurred before he c onti n ued as f o ll o ws : T o
m y m ind a m ore fatal a c t c o uld no t mark the hist o ry o f
th is country—an act that would surrender at once to th e
a rbitrary de m a n d of Great Brita in all that was w o n in
the revol u tion red u ce us to the pos it io n o f a second
r a t e power and make u s the vass al o f G r eat Britai n I
would go as far as a ny reas o nable man wo u ld g o fo r
pea c e b u t n o t fu rther I w o uld n o t be u nwilli n g to
sub m it this subject to the arb itrati o n o f any of the great
powers o f E u r o pe b ut I w o uld not s u b m it to the arb i
tr ar y th e absol u t e de m and o f Gr e at Britain to s u rr e n
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1
THE TRENT A FFA IR
8
7
.
der th e se me n and h u mble o u r flag e ven to e s c ape fro m
a war with Great B r itain N o man would make m or e
h o norable c o ncessi on s than I w ould t o preserve the peace
but sometimes peace is less h ono rable a n d more calami
tous than war The admi n istrat io n w hich is no w in
power ou ght t o kn o w what the feeling o f the co u ntry is
Mr Hale then re ferred to a c o nversation which he
h ad just had with Senator L ane o f I n d iana who had
said that the state o f I ndia n a had then sixty th ou sand
m en in the fi eld and that sh e w ou ld double that n um
b e r in S ixty days if a w ar with Great Britain w e r e
”
“
bro u ght ab ou t
con
I have seen ma ny gentle m en
“
Hale and I h ave seen non e not a m a n
tin u e d Mr
can be f o u n d w h o is in fav o r o f this surrender f o r it
would h um iliate u s in the eyes o f the w o rl d irritate o u r
If
o w n people and subject u s t o their indignant scor n
w e ar e t o have w ar w ith Great Britai n it w ill not b e
because we refuse t o surrender Messrs Mason and Sl i
dell ; th at is a mere pretense I f war shall c o me it w i ll
b e beca u se Great Britain has determi n ed to fo rce w a r
upon u s They w o uld humiliate us fi rst and fi ght us
afterw ards I f we are to b e humil i ated I prefer to take
it after a war and not b ef o re I t is true war w o uld b e
a s acri fi ce t o the people I thi n k I see its h o rrors its
disasters its car n age its bl oo d and its desola t i on but
sir let war c o me ; let y o ur cities be b a t tered d ow n
your arm i es b e scattered y o ur fi e l d s ba rr en to preserve
u ntar n ished the n at i onal h ono r ; a rege n erating spirit
a mong y o ur people w ill resto re y o ur armies and rebuild
1
"
I
y ou r cities and m ake fru itful y o ur fi elds
pr ay that this administration will n o t surrender o u r na
I tell the m that h u ndreds and th ou sands
tio n al h o n o r
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1
1 80
TR E N T
TH E
AF F AI R
.
enters u pon this war she will enter u pon o n e of m or e
” 1
tha n d o ubtf u l co nt i n gency
On Dece mber 1 6 i n a n tic i pati o n of the acti o n o f th e
gover nm e n t Mr V a ll a n d igh a m o f Ohi o i n tr o duced
i n to the H o use o f R ep r ese n tat i ves a l on g preamble r e
citi n g the facts c on cerni n g the captu re o f the c o mmis
s io n e r s by Captai n Wi l kes and the subsequent approval
o f his act by the secreta ry o f the n avy a n d by th e pop
u lar bra n ch o f c o ngress T o this was appended a reso
“
That
l u tio n afli r m in g it t o b e the se n se o f the h o use
it is the duty o f the pres i de n t t o n o w fi rmly m aintain
the stand th u s take n app ro vi n g and adopting the act
i n sp i te o f any menace o r de m and
o f Captain Wilkes
a n d that this ho u s e pledges
o f the British g o vernme n t
its f u ll support t o him in u ph o ldi n g now th e honor and
vi n dicati n g the c ou rage o f the g o vernme n t and pe o ple
”
of the United States agai n st a f o reign power
By a
vote o f one hundred a n d nine to sixteen th e resolution
was referred t o the c o mmittee o n f o re ign affairs Mr
V all an d igh am a n d his frie n ds voting with the m inority 2
A prominent publ ic m a n w h o at that ti m e was hold
ing th e p o siti o n o f mi n ister t o o n e o f th e E urop e an
“
c o u rts tho u ght that men and m oney sh ou ld be sent
int o I r e l a n d I n dia and all o f the B r i t ish do m inions all
over the world t o stir u p rev o lt O u r cause is j ust
a nd venge ance will s o oner o r later overtake that per
”
fi d io u s aristocracy
The pr e ss thr o ugh o ut the N o rth co mm ented very
fr e ely upon th e s itu ation while the British de m and was
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1
Co ngr e ss i o n al G l o b e , D ec
M 1 V a l l a n d ig h a m
.
2 6 , 1 86 1
.
rity m ay w e ll b e d oub te d
pu rp o se w as pr o b ab ly to e m b a rr as s th e gove rnm e nt
1
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’
s
i
s n ce
.
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H is
VI E
WS
OF
THE
N OR T H E R N
P
RE SS
1 81
.
be ing c onsid e red I n gen e ral the n e wspapers did not
sa n ction the pr o p o sed c o urse o f the g o ver n ment and
the ir bell ige r ent tone pla in ly in dicated that they too
favored a settleme n t o f the c on tr o vers y b y a res o rt t o
“
arms The C inci n nati C o mmercial said : I f war with
E ngla n d can with h ono r be av o ided w e must av o id it ;
b u t if a pere m ptory dema n d f o r the rele ase o f Mas o n
and Slidell has bee n m ade we do n o t see h o w it can b e
”
h onor abl y co m plied w ith
“
I f w e m ust fi ght we sh o uld pattern after E ngla n d
and hasten prepara t i on s o n every side o n a scale c o m
m ensurate with the da n ger and w ith the celerity b e co m
ing a c tion in so dread ful an emergenc y One o f the
fi rst thi n gs to be d o ne would b e the wi t hdraw i ng from
th e so u thern c oast of o u r fleets a n d armies fo r if ex
pos e d as at present they wo u ld be a nn ihilated i n a
m onth after the British c o mmenced h o stil ities We
sho u ld a lso withdraw the ou tposts at Fortress Monr o e
and provide that place with ample sto res o f p rovisi o ns
and a mmu nition that it m i ght laugh a s iege t o sc o rn
The de fe n s e o f o u r coast w o uld als o dem a n d the u tm o st
reso u rces o f the e n dangered c o mmunit i es and the s u per
”
visi o n and assista n ce o f the g o ve rn me n t
Abo u t the s ame time the D etr o it F r ee Press said that
“
The threatened attitude o f o u r a ffairs w i th E n gla n d
has o nce m or e called the atte n ti o n o f the public t o o u r
national defenses in the northern states S o far as the
lakes are concerned it w o ul d b e imp o ssible fo r E n gla n d
and Can a d a t o o ffer any resista n ce f o r o ur m erca n tile
m arine—much o f w hich can be used temp o rarily u n til
ships o f war can be c on structed—is m o re than a hundred
fold m ore th an theirs We have m o re than a h u ndr e d
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TH E
TR E N T
AF FAI R
.
ships where E ngl and a n d Canada have o n e and o ur
sai lo rs up o n t hese i nl a n d seas a r e i n the same pr o p or ti o n
Under these c i rcumsta n ces it w o u l d be i dle t o e xpe n d
a ny l arge sums o f m o ney if wa r w a s pr obable i n fo r t i
fyin g o u r harb o rs o r r o adste ads
I t is ha r dly poss i ble to
c on ceive o f su ch a state o f thi n gs to o cc u r when w e
sh o uld no t c o m ma n d the lakes abs o lu t ely But t o keep
this ascendency the states b o rderi n g o n the lakes should
have l a rge ars e nals or dep o ts o f am m uni t ion ready for
insta n t u s e I f we had rifled cann o n we could fi t out a
h un dred gu n boats which would com m a n d every har
bor in the l akes in th i rty days We h ave the s m all
stea m ers but we have n o t the gun s the sh o t the shell and
other a mm unition ne c essary to u se the vessels to the best
adva n tage
“
A n other very well kn own newspaper s aid :
We
c an o n ly h o pe th at those a t the head o f the g o vernment
m ay b e equ al to the e m ergency a n d that they will main
1
tain the hon o r o f the nati o n at w hatever s acri fi ce
On D ecember 1 2 the Ci n cinnati Gazette disc u ssed
the pr ob ab il ities o f a war wi th E ngland a nd the true
mo tive o f that country f o r engagi n g i n a contest w i th
“
th e U n it e d St a tes :
National consciences are e asily
be n t to su it their ow n i nt erests The p o ssessio n s a n d
the w ars o f E n gla n d i n every part o f the world sh o w
this virtue in her t o an emi n e n t degree She is now su f
fe r in g gre at distress fro m o u r wa r a n d has ap p r e h e n
sions of gr eater as the w inter ad v ances Theref o re she
supp o ses she has no thi n g addit io nal to suffer by a w ar
and that by opening a m a r ket f o r her g oo ds a n d r e l e as
i n g the cott o n supply she will have i mm ediate relief
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I
ndi anap o li s S enti n e l
,
D e c 7,
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I
86 I
.
THE TRENT A FFA IR
1 84
.
Maryl and with e n emies alo n g the Virginia and A t
la n tic c o asts E n gl a n d c o uld prec i pita t e a fearful se r ies
and pe rhaps wi t h the aid o f the sou thern
o f d i saste r s
armies tu rn the bl oo dy t i de o f war up o n the northern
states
“
I t m ay be i n view o f all t hese grave co nsiderati o ns
a nd the sad necess i t ies o f the case tha t i n o rder to av o id
a war which c o uld on ly e n d in our d isco m fi tur e the
admi n ist r ation m ay b e compelled t o c o ncede the de
ma n ds o f E ngla n d and perhaps rele ase Messrs Mas o n
and Slidell G o d forb id but in a c r isis like this we
must adapt ourselves to ste m circumstan c es and yield
every feeli n g o f pride to maintain o u r existen c e I f this
c on tinge n cy should ever arrive—a n d I a m o nly sp e cul a t
i n g upon a disagreeable possibility—then let us swear
n o t on ly to ourselves but to o u r children wh o c o me
after u s —t o repay this greedy a n d i n s o lent pow er w ith
th e retrib u ti o n o f a just a n d fearful vengea n ce I f
E n gland in o u r time o f distress makes hersel f o ur fo e
a n d o ffers to bec o me o u r assassin we w ill treat her as a
fo e whe n we ca n d o so u n tr a m m e l e d and u nm ena ce d by
”
another ene m y
Mr Sew ard e v ide n tly did n ot take s o gloomy a view
Ab o ut a m o nth la t er in a privat e let
o f the s itu ati on
ter in w hich was d i scussed the pr obab ility o f E ngl ish
“
i n terfere n ce he gave it as his o p i n i o n that wha t ever
na t i o n makes wa r aga in st us o r fo r c es itsel f i n t o a w a r
w i ll fi n d o ut that we can a n d sh all supp r ess rebe l li on
a n d defeat i nv ade r s bes i des The c o u r age a n d deter
m i n ati o n o f the America n pe o ple are ar o used fo r any
”
1
—
need ful eff o rt a ny nati on al sacr i fi ces
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1
L
i
L fe
of
T
hu rl o w We e d
,
V ol
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I I
,
p
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4
1 0.
A
P
ERI OD
OF
U N GE R T A I N T T
1
.
85
Ne ws o f the E n glish de m a n d and its consideration at
Washi n gt on w a s qu ick l y rece ived thr o ugh o ut the S ou th
where i t caused gre at rej o icing The sou thern n e w sp a
pers o f December 2 1 are fi lled with e xpressi o ns o f de
light a t the pr o spect o f a war betw ee n E n g l and and the
United States I n the S o u th it was b elie v ed that su ch
a war wou l d o verc o me the power o f the Federal navy
bri n g up o n the N or th a n d easily secure the i ndependence
C on federac y Virgi n ia o rat o rs pr o
o f the S o uthern
“
claimed at R ichm on d that the key o f the blockade had
” 1
bee n l o st i n the tr o ugh o f the A t lant i c
I t was s aid
by s o u thern leade r s that the o nly c on di t i o n of war was
that the N o rth sh o uld ma in ta in the p o siti on alre ady as
sumed G o ver nor Letcher o f Vi r g in ia seems to have
exh i b ited much e n thus iasm f or he sa i d in a p u blic a d
dress that his o w n night ly prayers w ere o ffered t o G o d
“
that u p o n this o ccasion Li n c o l n s b ackbo n e might no t
”
give way
Still an o m in o us sile n ce pre v ailed at Washi n gton
“
The leadi n g s t atesme n senat o rs and m embers o f c on
gress clergyme n a n d delegates f rom pe ace societies
newspaper r ep o rters specu l at o rs in the fu n ds and m any
o ther lesser men o penly o r s u rreptiti o usly w o rked
heaven and ea r th to ascertain the i n tent ion s o f the presi
dent but in vain Li n c o l n a n d Seward sm i led calmly
” 2
at the questi on e r s a n d evaded a repl y
To o n e i n quirer w h o seemed unusu ally a n xio u s Mr
“
Linc o ln replied by tel l i n g a st o ry
Y o ur questi on r e
”
“
min ds me s aid he o f a n i n cident which o ccurred
o u t w est
Tw o r o ughs were pl ayi n g cards for high
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ll ard p 1 96
1
T u ck e rm an M agazine
1
Po
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A me
ri can
H
i sto ry J u ne
,
,
1 8 86 .
THE TRENT A FFA I R
1 86
.
stakes when o n e o f them suspecti n g his adversary of
fou l play straightw ay drew his b o wie kn ife fro m his
belt and pinned the hand o f the o ther pl ayer up o n the
table exclaimi n g : I f y ou haven t go t the ace of
1
spades under your palm I l l ap o logize
T o pers o ns who expressed a fe ar that p ublic senti
m ent m ight bec o me so str on gly in favor o f war that
that c o urse w o uld have t o be determined u po n and that
such a pr o ceeding w o uld be fatal t o the c o untry Mr
L i n c o l n replied b y telling a characte r istic s t ory He
“
s aid :
My father had a neighb o r f r om who m he was
o n ly sepa r ated by a fe n ce O n each side o f that fe n ce
th e re w ere tw o savage d o gs wh o kept r u nning b ackward
and fo rward along the b arrier all d ay b arking and
s n appi n g a t e ach o ther O n e d ay they c a m e to a large
opening recently m a de in the fence Perhaps y o u think
they t oo k advantage o f this t o dev ou r e ac h o th e r ! Not
at all ; scarcely had they see n the gap when they bo t h
ran back each with their tails between their legs
These tw o d o gs are fair repres e ntativ e s of A m eri ca and
” 2
E ngland
T h e langu age of E arl R ussell s demand and L ord
Lyo n s s m a n ner o f presenting it were in the m selv e s s u f
Th is featu re o f it wo u ld b e worthy
fi cie n tly co u rte ou s
if there were nothing else to b e co n
o f c ommendati o n
The U n ited Stat e s gov
s i de r e d in c o nnecti o n with it
e r n m e n t was to be all o wed no opp o rtun ity fo r a fu ll
statement o f the facts o r t o present its o w n views of the
right to m ake the capture Behind the de m and was th e
instru cti o n to L o rd Lyons to le ave W a shington within a
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1
1
M aga zi n e
t
Co m e
de
ri c an H i s to ry J u n e 1 886
Pa ri s Civil Wa i n A m e ri ca pp
of
A me
,
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r
,
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0
47 1 ,
THE TR ENT A FFA IR
1 88
.
land and the Co n federacy—a m o ve which wo u ld prob a
bly result i n establ i shi n g the i n depe n dence o f the latter
and the pe r mane n t d i ssevera n ce o f the U nio n I t was
necessary t o bea r a l l o f these t hi n gs i n m in d while con
s id e r in g the B r it i sh dema n d
Mr Se w ard ev i de n tly d id no t e xpect E n gland t o take
s u ch a se r i o us sta n d i n regard to the m at t er I t had
been his b el i ef that the B r itish g o vernme n t would n o
t
want the prisoners 1 He said o n a la t er occasi on that
“
L o rd Lyo n s s c o mmu ni ca t i on w a s o ur fi rst knowledge
that the B r i t ish g ov er n me n t p ro p o sed t o make it a qu es
” 2
tion o f insul t a n d s o o f wa r
Nothi n g is k no w n o f the fi rst private conferences b e
tween Secretary Sewa r d a n d the p r eside n t concerni n g
this m atter I t is m o re tha n pr o bable h ow ever in th e
light o f subseque n t events that Mr Li n coln fo resaw the
inevitable at once a n d h o ped on ly fo r s o me m eth o d of
escape fr o m the d i ffi cul ty w i th o ut dish ono r t o the c o un
try o r l o ss o f any i n d i rect adv a nt age t o the U n ited States
which might resul t fr o m a c o mp l iance with the British
dema n d He saw t oo the n ecessity o f making the
c o mpl i ance i n such a w ay that it w o uld be as agree abl e
as p o ssible t o publ i c o p in i on thr o ugh ou t the c o untry
which was decidedly o pp o sed t o the surrender o f the
c o mmissi o ners A cab in et mee t i n g w as app o in t ed for
D ecembe r 2 4 at which it was expected t o c on sider the
dema n d fo r the surrender o f Messrs Mas o n a n d Sl i dell
The d ate o f this meeti n g was a fterward p o stponed o n
ac c ount o f u r ge n t d o mestic a ffairs u nt il December
I
is
t
o
b
e
presumed
that
Mr
L
in
c
oln
gav
e
th
e
2
t
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We lle s s L i n col n
1
S e wa rd to We e d
1
’
an d
,
Se w a
rd p
,
M a rch 7, 1 86 2
.
.
1 86 .
MR
L I N C OLI V S P R OP OS E D D I S P A T CH
’
.
1
.
89
m atter m uch earnest considerati o n d u ri n g the i n terval
He prepared a n expe r imental d r a ft o f a disp atch in a n
swer t o the o n e w hich had bee n s u bm it ted by L o rd
Lyons I n his p ro p o sed a n s w er Mr Li n c o ln a ck n o wl
e dged the rece i pt o f his l o rdship s d i spa t ch a n d sa i d
th at redress wou l d be due a n d ch eer ful ly made to E n g
l and if the facts as s t ated in the Bri t ish demand w ere
a ll that bore up o n the case But such he s aid was
n o t the case ; the Bri t ish s ide o f the m atter o nly had
been presented a n d the rec or d was i n c o mplete An u n
will in gn ess t o exp r ess an o p in i on was then asserted in
a sm u ch as the Federal g o ve r nment had n o assu r a n ce
that its vie w s w o uld be heard o r c on sidered by her
maj esty s go vernment I t was then stated that n o in
sult t o the British flag had bee n inte n ded ne i ther was it
desir e d t o f o rce a ny emb arrass i n g questi o n into discus
s ion B o th o f these facts w ere evide n t it was stated
beca u se the seizure had bee n made wi thout a ny in str u c
ti on s whatev e r from the U n ited States gove r n me n t The
diffi culty i n cident to a c o mplete u ndoi n g o f Captain
W ilkes s act u nless it w ere wr o ng o r very questionable
was then m enti o ned a n d an inqu iry made as t o whether
the British go vernme n t w o uld co n sider the American
side of the questi o n including the fact o f e x is t i n g in
surrecti on in the U n ited States ; the n eutral att i tude of
E n gland toward the belligere n ts ; the American citizen
ship and the trait o r ou s missio n o f the captured pers on s ;
th e British c aptain s kn owledge o f these thi n gs when the
com m issi o ners emb arked at Havana ; the pl ace wher e
the capture was made and the be aring o f international
l aw a n d preced e nt upon the case I t was then state d
that if the f oregoing fa c ts t o gether with any othe rs p e r
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TH E
0
9
TR ENT A FFA IR
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to e ith e r s id e o f the case could be s u b m itt e d the
F ederal g o ver n me n t w ou ld if E n gland were willing
cheerfully submit the wh o le a ffair to a peaceable arbi
The last paragraph
frati o n and w o uld ab ide the result
of the pro posed dispatch provided that n o redress sho u ld
exc e ed in ki n d and am o unt that w hich was already de
m a n d e d and that the award sh o uld c o n stitute the basis
of a ru le fo r the determi n ati o n o f si m ilar c a ses b e twe en
th e tw o n ati on s in futur e
When th e cabi n et m eeting to consid e r th e ma tter was
fi nally h eld Mr Linc o ln s pr o posed dispatc h was not
disc u ssed neith e r was any s imilar pr ocee ding u rged
M o re th an hal f o f the days o f gra c e had elapsed and
so m e thi n g must be d o ne quickly els e a f o reign w ar
wo u ld be added t o the do m estic o n e However d e sir a
ble arb itration may h ave been it was precl u ded by th e
nature o f the demand o f E ngland
The principal discussion seems to hav e b ee n d e voted
to a proposed dispatch o f Secretary Seward by the t e rm s
of which th e co m missi o ne r s were to b e s u rr e ndered
T he re m ay h ave been so m e m iscellan eo us talk a nd a
dis cu ss ion of c u rrent ru m ors S e nator S u m n e r c h air
m an o f th e sen a t e c o mm ittee o n fore ign relations was
invited in One day was not fo un d su ffi cient for the
c onsideration of this important matt e r and th e s e ssion
was th e re fore c ontinued o n the follo w ing d ay Mr
Seward s proposed dispatc h u pon which the surrender
was based could n o t b e fully disc u ssed at on e sessi o n as
the paper appears to have been prepared solely by th e
secreta ry o f state wi th ou t the assista n ce of e ither Mr
L inc o ln or any o f his cab i n et o fli ce r s Of the de ba t e
a nd the vario u s opinions we h av e so me r ec ord in the
tin e n t
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9
TRENT A FFA IR
TH E
2
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was c rowd e d o ut by pressi n g domesti c affairs u n til
Christ m as day I t was co n side r ed on my presentati o n
o f it o n the 2 th a n d 2 6 th o f D ecember
m
The
g
o
ve
5
m e n t when it t oo k the sub j ect u p h ad n o idea o f the
gr o unds upon wh i ch it w o uld explain its action n o r did
it believe that it would c o ncede the case Yet it was
heartily un ani m ous in the actu al res u lt a fter two days
e xa m inati o n in fav o r o f the release R e m ember that
in a co u ncil like o u rs th e re a r e so me str o ng wills to b e
” 1
r e con c iled
Se c reta ry Chase re c orded his o w n o pini o n as he gave
it in the disc u ssi o n He th o ught it was t oo m u ch for
the E n glish g o ver n me n t t o e x pect o f the U n ited States
o n that occasi o n
a n d that she ought t o o verl o ok the
little w ro n g He bel ie v ed that G r eat Bri t a i n did not
fully unde r stand all o f the circ u ms t ances as did the
Un ited States a n d if she did the surre n der o f the co m
m issioners would n o t be expected I f the co n ditions
were reversed the Federal g o vernment w ou ld accept
the expla n ati on s o f the E n glish g o vern m e n t and all o w
their rebels to be r etai n ed and he c o uld no t help b e l ie v
ing that Great Britain w o uld d o l ikewise wer e the case
fully understood He c o nti n ued t o discuss the subject
“
as f o llo w s :
But w e can n o t afford delays While
the m atter ha n gs in u n certai n ty the public mi n d w ill r e
m ain disqu ieted o u r c o mmerce will suffer seri o us har m
o u r acti on against the rebels m ust be gr eatly hi n dered
and the rest o rati o n o f o ur prospe r ity—l arge l y identi fi ed
wi th th a t o f all nati on s—must be delayed Better then
t o make no w the s acri fi ce o f feeling inv o lved i n the sur
render o f these rebels than even av o id it by th e delays
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1
Se ward to
W ed
e
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L fe
of
T hu
rl ow Wee d
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Vo l
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I I
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p
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409
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AN
A GR E
E
ME N
T
RE A CHED
1
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93
wh i ch e xplanati o ns mu st occasi o n I gi v e m y adhesion
therefore t o the c onc l u si o n at which the secretary o f
state has a rrived I t is ga l l a n d w o rmwo o d t o me
R a ther than c onsent to t he l iberati o n o f these m en I
wo u ld rather sacri fi c e everything I p o ssess But I a m
c onsoled by the r e fle c ti o n that while n o thi n g b u t sever
e st retributi o n is due to them the surre n der u nder ex
istin g circ um stan c es is b u t si m ply doi n g right—si m ply
proving faithfu l to o ur o w n ideas a n d tradi t ions u nd e r
strong te m ptati o ns to vi o l ate th em—simply giving t o
E ngland and the world the most signal pr o of th a t the
A me ri c an nati on will n o t u nder any cir c u mstances fo r
the sak e of i n flicting j ust punishment o n reb e ls co mm it
” 1
e ven a te chnical wr o ng agai n st n eutrals
The m ain reas o n f o r hes ita t ion was d oubtless the fe ar
of p u blic opini o n in the N o rth I t was certain that a
s u rrender of the c omm issi o ners wo u ld bring the dis
pleas u r e o f the people upon the gov e rnment which
w o uld be acc u sed o f ha v i n g ti m idly submitted to the
u nj u st de m ands o f E ngla n d Statesmen greatly dislike
t o a c t under what appears t o b e m enace o r dictation
fr om a f o reign p o wer The cabinet disc u ssi on e n ded
h o wever as has b een stated a l ready by tw o o f the m em
bers in a unanim o us agreeme n t up o n the letter o f reply
which the secretary o f state had prepa r ed This c o m
m u n ic a tio n prop o sed a s u rre n der up on dipl o matic reas o ns
which wer e apparently a tr i u mph o f the A m erican prin
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Wa rd en s L i fe of
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13
Ch ase ,
pp
393 3 94
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TH E
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TRENT A FFA IR
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A U T H O R I T I E S A N D R E F E R E N CE S
1
2
3
4
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Co n gr e s s i o n a l G l o b e : P t
1
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2d
3 7th C o n g
R e co
, Vol
Se ss
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a
n s,
o
n
a
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on
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nco n ,
a
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i ry f E ve t M o o re R e b e lli
rd
111
M ag zi e o f A m e ri c a H i sto y M a c h 1 886 a d J e 1 886
M c P h e so n s P liti c a l H i t ry f th e R e b e lli o n p 3 43
L i fe o f L i
l V l v
N i co l y a d H y :
P a ri s Co m te d e : T h e C ivil Wa i A m e ri c a
P o ll a rd E A : T h e L o t Cau se
P ri n c ip a l A m e ri c a n N e w sp ap e r D e ce m b e r 1 86 1
S o u th e rn L w R e vi e w V o l V I I I
We e d T hu rl o w : L i fe o f V o l 1 1
We ll es G ide o n : L inco l n a n d Sew a rd
D
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6
9
TR ENT A FFA IR
TH E
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This was do n e in the u s u al co u rt e o u s l an
gu age o f diplomacy and thro ugh the me diu m o f their
respective m i n iste r s at Washi n gt o n I n a dispatc h to
M Mercier M Th ou venel the Fre n ch m inister fo r
for e ign affairs c om mu nicated his opini o n a s follows :
e r n m e n t.
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“
P A R I S De cem ber 3 1 86 1
“
SI R —T h e arr e st of Me ssrs Mas o n and Slidell on
bo ard the E nglish m ail packet Trent by an Am e ri c an
c ruiser has pr o d u ced in Fra n ce if not th e s a m e emotion
a s in E n gla n d at le ast a pr o f o und ast on ish m e n t and sen
sati o n P u bl ic O pi n i on was im m edia t ely oc cu pi e d with
the legality a n d the c on sequ e n ces o f such an act and th e
impress ion which has b een thereby p ro d u c e d h a s not
b een for an instant doubtful The act s e e me d to th e
public t o b e so e ntirely at variance with the o rdina r y
rules of international l a w that it h as det e r m ined to
throw th e r e sponsibility exclus ively on the c o mm ander
of the San Jacinto W e are n o t yet in a p o sition to
kn ow if th is s u ppositi o n is well fo un ded and th e g o v
e r n m e n t of the emperor h ave be e n ther e for e c o m p e lled
to exa m ine the qu estion raised by the removal of th e
two passengers from the Trent The desire to aid in
preventing a c onflict p e rhaps i mm inent b etwe e n th e
powers t o wards who m they are a nimated by e qu ally
friendly senti m ents and the desire t o m aintain with a
vi e w to pl aci n g the rights o f their o w n flag beyond the
d ang e r o f any attack c ertain p r ic ip l e s essential to the
sec u rity of neutrals have c o nvinced th em after matu r e
r e fle c ti o n that th ey co u ld not re m ain p e rf e ctly silent o n
th e m atte r
“ f to o u r great r e gr e t
th e cabin e t at Wa sh ingto n
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M
T H O U VE N E L S OP
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INI ON
1
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97
sho u ld b e disp o sed to approve the co n duct o f the co m
mander o f the San Jaci n t o it w o uld be because they
c onsider Messrs Mas o n and Slidell as enemies o r b e
c a u se they only re c o gnize them as rebels I n the o n e
ca se a s in the other there wo u ld be an extre m ely pa i n
ful forge tf u lness of principles o n which w e h ave always
found the U nite d States agree w ith us
“
On what gro u nd ca n the A m erican cruiser in th e
fi rst case h a ve arrested Messrs Mason and Slidell ! The
Unit e d States have admitt ed with u s in th e treatie s
concl u ded between th e two co u ntries that th e freedo m
of th e flag extends to persons f o und o n board e ve n
wer e they enemies of o n e o f the tw o parties except at
least in the case of m ili t ary men actually in the service
of the ene my Me ssrs Mas o n a n d Slidell were by vir
t u r e of this prin c iple the inserti o n o f which in o u r tre at
ies of a m ity and co mm erce has nev e r e n c ountered any
d ifli cu l ty p e rfectly free un der the n eu tral flag of E n g
land I t will not do u btless be pretended that they
c o u ld b e c onsidered a s c ontraband o f war That w hich
constitu tes contrab and o f war has n o t yet it is tru e
b een precisely deter m ined I ts limits are n o t abs o lutely
the s am e with all the powers B u t as far as regards
persons the spe c ial stip u l ati o ns which are f ou nd in
treaties c o ncerning m ilitary men clearly de fi ne the
chara c ter o f those w ho m ay be seized by belligere n ts
Now there is no occasi o n t o de mon strate that Messrs
Mason and Slidell can n o t be assim ilated to pers o ns in
th is category Th e re w ou ld theref o re remain nothing
to e xplain th e ir ca pt u r e b u t this pretext—that they were
b e arers of offi cial disp a t ches o f the enemy N o w this
is th e pl ace to r eca ll a cir cum st a nc e wh i ch sho u ld gov
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TRE N T A F FA IR
TH E
1 98
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ern this entire affair and w h ich re n ders u njusti fi able th e
co n duct o f the America n cru iser The Tre n t was n o t
b oun d t o a p o i n t bel on g in g t o either o f the belligeren t s
She w a s carryi n g her carg o a n d p a sse ngers t o a n eutral
co un tr y a n d i t was mo re ov er in a n eutral p o rt w here
she had emb arked them I f it was admiss i ble t hat u h
der such circumstances the neut r a l flag did not co m
cover
t
he
pers
on
s
a
n
d
g
oo
ds
on
b
o
ard
its
i
m
l
e te l
y
p
m u ni ty w oul d b e a n empty w o rd At a ny mome n t the
commerce a n d n avigati on o f third p o wers would be lia
ble to suffer i n the i r i nn oce n t o r eve n indirect relations
wi t h o n e o r other o f t he be ll ige r e n ts These la tter
would n o t have the right t o r equ i re fr o m the ne u tral a
co mp l ete impa r tia l ity—to p ro h i b i t him fr o m all partici
a tio n i n acts o f h o s ti l ity ; the y w o uld imp o se upo n his
p
l i berty of c o mmerce a n d n a vi gati on r e str ic tio n s o f which
mo dern i n tern ati on al l aw has re fused to adm i t the legal
ity I n a w o rd w e sh o u l d re tu rn to th o se vexati o us
practices agai n s t w hich i n former times n o p o wer has
protested more energe t ically t han the United States
“
I f the cab in et at Washi n gto n c o uld o nly regard the
tw o perso n s arres t ed as reb els w h o m they have always
a right t o seize the question t o place it in a n oth e r l i ght
could n ot thereby b e s o lved a ny the more in a sense
fav o rable to the cond u ct o f the co mm and e r o f th e San
Jacint o
“
I n s u ch a case there would be a n o n recognition o f
the pri n ciple which co n s t itutes a sh i p t o be a p o rti o n of
the territory o f the country wh o se flag she bears a n d
there w ou ld be a vi o lati o n o f the immunity w hich fo r
bids a fo reign s o vereign to exercise there his j u r isd ic
tion I t is not ne c essary do u btless t o recal l the e n e r gy
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TH E
2 00
TREN T A FFA IR
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ion in this c ir cu mstan c e I invite yo u sir to take th e
fi rst opp o rtu nity o f speaki n g frankly to Mr Seward and
if he sho u ld a sk it t o leave with hi m a c o py of th is d is
”
pat c h
R ece iv e et c
T H OUVE NE L
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T h is dispatc h was s u b m itte d to th e pr e sid e nt bu t it
h ad b e en previously decided t o giv e up th e c o mm is
After stating this fact in his answer to th e
s io n er s
“
F rench dispatch Mr Seward s aid :
That disposition
of th e subject as I think renders u nnecessary any dis
cu ss io n of it in reply t o the co m ments o f M r Thouvenel
I a m per m itted h o wever t o say that Mr Tho u v e nel
has n o t b e en in err o r in supp o si n g fi rst th a t the go v
e r n m e n t of th e United States has n o t a cted in any spirit
of th e s e nsib ilities o f the
o f d i sregard of th e rights or
British nation a nd that he is e qu ally ju st in a ss um ing
that th e U n it e d States would consistently vindi ca t e by
th e ir pra c tice on this o cca sion the ch a r ac ter th ey hav e
so long m aint a ined as a n advo ca te of th e m ost l ib e ral
prin c ipl es c on ce rning the righ ts of n eu tr a l st a t e s in m ar
itim e war
“
Y o u will ass u r e Mr Tho u v e n e l th at th is gov e rn
m ent appr ec i a tes a s w e ll th e frankness of his e xplana
ti o ns a s th e spirit of fri e ndship and good will tow a rd s
”
th e U nit e d Stat e s in which th ey ar e expr e ssed
E xception may be taken to s om e of th e th ings said by
M Tho u ven e l in this l e tte r He expressed the opinion
“
that Messrs M ason and Slid e ll were perfectly fre e
”
u nder the n e u tral flag of E ngland and referred to the
treaties between th e Unit e d States a nd F ranc e which
provided that p e rsons tho u gh ene m ies to either or both
c o u ntri e s sho u ld not b e tak e n fro m a fr ee s h ip Th e
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M T H O U VE N E L S E
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R R OR S
20 1
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treaties re ferr e d to h ad expired a nd were c o nsequently
o f no e ffect I f they had been i n fu ll force h o w ever
they could have deter m in e d n o thing de fi n itel y in the
s e ttle m ent o f a mariti me questi o n between the Un i t ed
States and E n gland The anal o gy only in s u ch a case
would be o f a ny value
“
M Th ou venel also h e ld that in this case there w o uld
b e a non re co gn i tio n o f the p r inciple wh ich co n s t i t utes a
ship t o be a p o rtion o f the territ o ry o f the co u ntry w h o se
”
flag she bears
This doctrine is n ot so u nd Neu t ral
territory can not be seized a n d conde m ned because o f
fe n se s agai n st the rights o f neutrals are pract i ced up o n
it I f a sh ip were simply a bit o f neutral territ ory it
c ould n o t be seized a n d condem n ed fo r carrying c o ntra
b and o f w a r or othe r wise o ffe n ding agai n st n eutral rights
The law o f n a tions however permits capture a n d c o n
I f M T h ouv e
fi s ca tio n of a vessel f o r s u ch o ffenses
nel s do c tr ine b e ad m itted who c an tell what this small
p o rtion of ne u tr a l t e rritory prote c ted by its own flag
m ight not do !
The views of the A u strian govern m ent wer e d u ly
s u b m itted in the following dispat c h to its representativ e
a t Wa shington
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VI E NNA Dec emb e r
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1 8,
1 86 1
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o n fi de n tial )
C
(
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The differ ence w hich has occurred betw e e n the gov
e r n m e n t o f the Uni t ed S t ates a n d that o f Gre at Bri t ain
in c on se que n ce o f the ar r est o f Messrs Slidel l and Ma
son e ffected by the cap t ai n o f the America n ship o f war
the Sa n Jaci n t o o n b o ard the E n gl i sh packet the Trent
h as not failed to attract the most serio u s attention of the
“
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TR E N T
TH E
2 02
A F F A I R
.
imperial cabinet The more i m portance w e attach to
the preservati on o f g oo d r e l ati o ns betw een the U nit ed
States a n d E n gl a n d the m o re must w e regret a n accident
which has c o mpl icated i n such a g r ave ma nn er a situ ation
alre ad y surr o u n ded w i t h d i ffi cu l t ies
“
With o ut havi n g a ny i n te n t ion o f e n teri n g here into
an exami n ati on o f the questi o n o f right w e ca n no t
h o wever o verl oo k the fact th at acc or d in g to the noti o ns
o f in t ernati on al
l aw ad o pted by all the p o wers and
which the Ame r ica n g o ve r nme n t itsel f has o ften taken
as the rule o f its c on duct E n gl a n d could not by any
m ea n s re frain i n the prese n t case from m aking a r e p r e
se n ta tio n agai n st the attack made o n its flag
a n d fro m
dema n ding a just r epa r a t i on for it I t appears t o u s
m o re ov er that the dema n ds dra w n u p fo r this purp o se
by the cabinet o f St James have no thi n g in them hurt
ful t o the fee l i n gs o f the cabi n et o f Wash i n gt on and
that the latte r w ill be able t o d o a n act o f equity and
m o dera t i on w ith o ut the le a st sac r i fi ce o f its d i gni ty
“
We thi n k that w e can h o pe that the governme n t of
th e United States in taki n g c o u n sel both fro m th e r u les
which g o ver n i n ter n at ion al re l ations as well as fro m
c onsiderati on s o f e nl i gh t e n ed p o l i cy rather than fr o m
the mani festat ion s pr o du ced by a n o ver e x ci tement o f
natio n al feeli n g will bri n g t o bear o n its deliberat io n all
the cal m ness w hich the gravi ty o f the case requ i r es and
will thi n k it right t o de c i de on a c o urse w h i ch w h il e pre
serving from rupture the rela t i on s be tw ee n tw o gre at
states t o w hich Austria is equ a l l y b o u n d i n fri e n dship
w i ll tend t o a v ert the grave distu rb a n ces w h i ch t he eve nt
o f a war could n o t fa i l t o br in g ab ou t
no
t
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TRENT A FFA IR
TH E
2 04
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render m ore de fi nite and certain the rights and oblig a
ti o ns o f states in time o f war
Ass u rances were als o expressed that the pr e sident
h ighly appreciated the fra n k n ess and sinceri ty o f the
Aus trian g o vernment o n an o ccas i on o f such gre a t in
te r e s t to the wel fare o f the U n i t ed Stat e s
I n ab o ut a month a fter the recepti on o f the news o f
the capture o f the Con federate c o mmissioners the Pr u s
sian g o vern m ent expressed its vie w s in th e followi n g
dispatch to its m inist e r at Washington :
”
.
.
,
B E R L I N D ece m ber 2 5 1 8 6 1
“
M L E B A R O N—The m ari t ime o pe r a t i o ns u n der t aken
by Pre sident Linc o ln aga i nst the s o uthern seceding
states co u ld not fro m their very c o mme n ceme n t but
fi ll the king s govern m ent wi t h apprehensi o n lest they
sh o uld result in possible prejudice to the legitimat e in
te r e s ts of neutr a l powers
“
These apprehensions have un f o rtunately proved
fully j u sti fi ed by the f o rcible seiz u re on b o ard the n eu
tral mail packet the Trent a n d the abducti o n therefrom
o f Messrs Slidell and Mas on b y the com m ander o f the
United States man o f war the San Jaci nto
“
This occurrence as y o u can w ell imagine has pro
d u ce d i n E ngla n d and thro ughout E ur o pe the m o st p r o
f o u n d s e nsati o n a n d throw n n o t cab inets o nly but also
public o pini on i n to a s t ate o f the m o st excited expecta
tio n F o r although at prese n t it is E ngland on ly w h ich
is im m ediately c on cern ed i n the matter yet o n the other
h a n d it is o ne o f the m o s t imp o rta n t and u niversally r e
c o gn i zed rights of the ne u tral flag whi c h has b ee n call e d
into q ue stion
“
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C O U N T B E R N S T OR F F S OP I N I ON
’
“
20
.
5
n e ed not here e n ter int o a discussion o f the legal
P u blic o pinion i n E ur o pe has
s ide o f the q u esti on
with singu lar u n animity pronounced i n t he m ost posi
tiv e m anner for the i njured party As far as we are
c oncerned we have hitherto abst a ined fro m expressi n g
ourselves t o y ou up o n the subject beca u se in the ah
s e nce o f a ny reliable in form ati o n we were in do ubt as
to w hether the captain of the S an Jacint o in the cours e
taken by hi m had been acting un der orders fr om his
go vern m ent o r n ot E v e n n o w w e pre fer to assu m e
that the latter was the case Should th e for m er s u p
p o siti on h o w ever turn o u t t o be the c o rrect o n e we
sh oul d c on sider o urselves u n der the n ecess i ty o f attrib
a n d to ou r
n ti n g greater i m p o rtance t o the o cc u rrence
great regret w e should fi n d o u rselves constrained t o see
in it n o t an isol ated fact but a publi c m enac e off e r e d to
the existing rights o f all ne u trals
“
We have as yet no certai n i nform a tion a s to th e de
m a n ds made by E n gland to the American cab inet upon
the accepta n ce o f w hich the maintenance o f peace ap
pears to depe n d As far h ow ever as o u r i n for m ation
reache s on the subject we are c o nvinced that n o c o ndi
ti o ns have been p u t forward by the British g o vern m ent
which co u ld j u stly off e nd Pr e sident L inc o ln s sense of
hon o r
“
His m ajesty the king fi lled with the mo st ardent
wishes for the welfare o f the United States o f North
America has commanded m e to advocate the cause o f
pe ace w ith President Linc o ln thro u gh your in str u m e n
tality to the ut mos t o f my p o w er We sho u ld reck o n
o u rselv e s fortu nate if w e c o uld in this wise succeed in
fa c ilitating the p e aceful solution of a c onflict fro m which
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2 06
A F F AI R N
TR E N T
TH E
.
the gre ate st da n gers might arise I t is p o ssible h ow e v e r
that the p r eside n t has al r eady taken his decisi o n and a n
Whatever that decis io n may be the ki ng s
n o u n ce d it
gover n me n t when they reflect upo n the u ninterru pted
relati o ns o f frie n dsh i p a n d am i ty which have existed b e
tw een Pru ssia a n d the U n ited States ever s ince the latter
was founded will derive satisfac t i on from the th o ught
o f havi n g laid w ith the mo st u n reserved cand o r the ir
vie w s of this o ccurre n ce b e for e the cab i n et at Wash
in gto n a n d exp r essed the w ishes which they ent e rtain
in c onn e c tion w ith it
“
Y o u w ill read this dispa t ch w ith o ut del ay to the
secretary o f state fo r f or eign affairs a n d sh ou ld he de
sire it y o u will g i ve him a c o py o f i t I shall aw ait
yo u r rep or t up o n the i n stru cti o ns c on ta in ed i n this dis
”
patch a n d I ava i l etc
B E R N ST O R F F
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The publicati on o f the o p i n ion s o f other E u ro pean
gove r nme n ts caused t he e xpressi on o f much gr a tifi ca
ti o n in E n gla n d
The r e appea r ed to be s o m u ch
harm ony o f se n t i me n t th ro ugh o ut E ur o pe up o n this
m atter that t he c on fi de n ce o f the B r it i sh mi n istry was
much i n creased i n the p o s i ti o n w hich it had at fi r st as
sumed I t e n dured w ith the g r e atest pa ti e n ce the seve r e
cri t icism up o n t he past p ol i cy o f Great B rit ai n r ela t i n g
t o the righ t s o f n eu tra l s The cab i n e t p ro bab ly th o ught
that a subs t a n tial adva n tage w o uld b e gai n ed t o E n g
l and in the immed i a t e d i spu t e w h i ch w a s u n der c on
s i de r a t i on a n d he n ce i t w a s eas i e r to bear ce n su r e fo r
past misc on duct I n a discuss ion o f the matter on e o f the
“
The w h o le o f E ur o pe ha s pr o
E n gl i sh revie w s sa i d :
” 1
n o u n ce d that we were right
1
L ond on Qu art e rly R e vi e w N o 2 2 1 p 2 73
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2 08
TH E
AF F AI R
TR E N T
.
s e eing s uch haste and so h a u ghty a pr o cl am ati o n o f in
disp u tabl e e xige n c e on s ee ing the idea o f an impio u s
war a cce pted with s o mu ch readiness by some a n d s o
mu c h ill disse m bl e d joy by others E ur o pe de clared wi t h
o u t cir cum lo cu tion or reserve th at if E ngl a n d were n o t
mirac u l ou sly r e sc u ed fr om her o w n enterprise if sh e
drew the sw o rd against the N o rth in the capac i ty o f an
ally o f th e So u th she wo u ld destr o y with her o wn h a nds
her chief cl ai m t o th e r e spect o f the civilized world
The lang u age on this poi n t was the s a me at Paris Ber
lin St Petersburg Vie n na and Turin As they were
unani m o u s in deciding the tech n ical q uesti o n o f right
against A m erica so w e re they unanim o us in deciding
th e m oral questi o n against E n gl and T o recognize th e
techni cal right in fav o r of E n gl and w a s to rec o gnize
the right of neutrals against her Who is simple en ou gh
t o be asto n ished at the eagern ess displayed h e re by the
”
other p o wers !
I t is w o rthy o f spe c ial n o tice that d u ring the entir e
period o f the A m erican c iv il war the m o st p o werful
ru ler in all E u ro pe was an o utsp o ken and ste a dfa st fr ie n d
o f the U n ited States
I f a war had o ccurred betw een
E n gland and the n or thern states o f America as a res u lt
o f the affair o f the Trent
it is well n igh certai n that th e
Federal government w o uld have had a p ow erf u l ally in
the czar Alexa n der o f R ussia w h o d o ub tless re m e m
bered the l o sses he had rece n tly sustai n ed i n the Crimea n
war I n this war E n gl a n d had been h i s m o st p o w erful
ene my I n a few weeks af t er the capture o f the Co n
federate co mmi ssioners a fleet o f R ussian war vessel s ap
e a r e d in N e w Y o rk harbor and remained there fo r sev
p
e ral m onth s At the s a me ti m e a n umbe r of R u ss ian m e n
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R U SSI A N
F R I E N D SH I P
2 09
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w ar w e r e stati o n e d at S a n Francisco N o offi c ial
explanation w a s e ver g i ven f o r the l on g contin u ed pre s
ence o f these war vessels in A m erican w aters Their ex
tended visit cau sed m u ch c o mme n t b u t thei r p u rpos e
was easily divined a n d their presence was not u n w e l
c o me while a war be tween E n gland and th e northern
states was i mm i n ent
While at t h e Astor Ho u se in New York Ad m iral
Farragu t w a s visited by the R ussian admiral with who m
he had f o r m erly bec o me well acquainted On be ing
asked why he was spe n di n g the wi n ter in idleness in an
“
Ame r ican ha rb o r the R ussia n replied
I a m here u n
der sealed o rders t o be broken o nly in a c ontingency
”
which has not yet occ u rred
He also added th at th e
co mm ander o f the R u ssian men o f war lying o ff S an
F ran c isco harbor had received s i m ilar o rders
I n the
sa m e interview he ad m itted that h is orders w e r e t o
break the seals if while he rem ained at New Y ork
the United States b e ca m e involved in a war with any
f o reign n ati o n
S o o n afterw a r d whe n Secretary Seward asked the
R u ss i an mi n ister why the czar kept his w a r vessels s o
l o ng in America n harb o rs he replied that while he did
n o t k no w the exact nature o f t he o rders under which the
c o mmanders o f the flee t s w ere acting he felt at liberty
t o s ay that it was no u n fr ie n dly p u rpos e which caused
the pr o l o nged stay o f these m en o f—
war in the waters o f
the U nited States
I t seems th at when o fli c i al k nowledg e was co nveyed
to th e czar that E ngland w as making pr eparati o ns f o r
w ar with the U nite d States on acc o u nt of the d e te ntion
o f-
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I
4
TR E N T
TH E
2 10
A F F AI R
.
the Trent a n d the seizu r e o f the C on federate co mm is
s io n e r s tw o fleets o f w a r vessel s w e r e immediately se n t
t o America un der o rders which were se aled so that the
i n te n ti o ns o f the R u ss i an go vernme n t might remai n u n
kn ow n to the w or ld in the event that the services o f the
m en o f war sho u ld n o t b e n e eded o n this side o f the A t
la n tic
A pro m inent A m eri c an who was I n S t Pete rsb u rg at
that time made a n u n offi cial call up on the R ussian
chancell o r and was sh o w n the czar s o rder t o his a d
m iral t o rep o rt to the president o f the U ni ted States fo r
duty in case the no rthe r n states beca m e involved in a
1
war with E n gla n d
of
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A U T H O R I T I E S A N D R E F E R E N CE S
1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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1
B e rn a rd M o ntagu e : P am p h l e t o n th e T re nt q u e s ti o n
Briti s h A nnu a l R e gi st e r 1 86 1
D a a s Wh e a t o n s I te r a ti o a l L aw se c ti o n 5 04 n o te
D e G a sp a i : L A m é iqu e d e va n t l E u r o p e
te ly R e vi e w N o 2 2 1
L o nd o n a
S e w a rd Willi a m H : Work o f V o l V
We e d T hu rl o w : L i fe o f V o l 1 1
,
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,
n
’
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’
r n
r
.
pp
.
6
34 7
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s
a cc o u
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n
,
h u rl o w We e d s
V ol
n
r
,
T
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r
,
S ee
We e d
.
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nt
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,
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.
of
th i s
ma
tte r
.
i
L fe
of
TH E
2 12
TR E N T
A F F AI R
.
”
hav e now to re m ind your l o rdship c o nti nu ed Mr
“
S eward of so m e facts which do u btlessl y we r e o mitte d
by E arl R ussell with the ve ry proper a n d beco m i n g
m otive of allowi n g the m t o b e b r ought i n t o the case
on the part of t he U n i t ed States in the w ay mo st satis
facto ry to this g o vern m ent These facts are that at the
ti m e th e transac t ion o ccurred an insurrecti o n was exist
ing in t he United States which this g o ver n me n t w as e u
gaged in suppressing by the empl oyme n t o f la n d and
naval forces ; that in regard to this d o mes t ic strife the
U nited Sta t es c on sidered Great B r ita i n as a fr ie n dly
p ow er while she had ass u med fo r hersel f the a t titude o f
a neutral ; and that Spai n was c on side r ed in the same
light and had assum e d the sa m e attitude as Gr e at
Britain
“
I t ha d been settled by co rresp o nden c e that the United
S t a t e s a nd G re a t Britain m u t u ally recognized as applica
ble to this l o cal str i fe these tw o articles o f the declara
ti o n m ade by th e c o ngress o f Paris in 1 85 6 na m ely
that the ne u tr al o r friendly flag sh o u l d c o ver e n e my s
goods not co ntrab and o f war and that neutral goods n o t
c ontr ab and of war are n o t liable to c aptu re under an
e ne my s flag These excepti on s o f contraba n d fr om
favor w e re a nega t ive acceptance b y the par t ies of the
ru le hitherto everywh e re re cogn ized as a part o f the law
th at w hatever is c o ntraba n d is liabl e to c ap
o f nations
”
t u re a nd con fi scati o n in a ll cases
The character a n d purp o ses o f the pers o ns s e ized
w e re then c arefu lly explai n ed a n d the stateme n t m ade
that it was to b e p r esu m ed that the c omm issi o ners
b o re dispatches which it appeared fr o m i nf o rmati o n sent
b y the A m eri c an c ons u l a t Paris h ad e s c aped th e sear ch
“
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MR SE
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WA R D
’
S I N
2
UI R I E S
213
.
of th e Trent and re ached E ngland i n safety Mr S e w
ard als o stated up o n inform at ion and be l ief that the
agent and o fli ce r s o f the T r e n t i n cluding C o mma n der
W i ll i ams be fo re lea v ing Hava n a k n ew that Messrs
Mas o n a n d Sl idell w e r e c o mm i ss ion ers fr o m the Confed
c r ate States o n t he ir way to E ur o pe
Fro m the fo rego i n g facts Mr Se w ard arrived at
the conclusi o n that the case was no t a n act o f vi o lence
or o u trage but only an o rdi n ary a n d legal bell igerent
pr o ceedi n g against a neutral vessel carryi n g co n trab and
o f war f o r the u se and b e n e fi t o f the insurgen t s ; that
the questi o n w as w he ther this had bee n d on e in a c cord
a n ce w ith the law o f na t i on s ; and that the followi n g in
i
r ie s w ere i n v ol ved :
u
q
“
Were the pers o ns named and their supposed dis
1
patches c o ntraba n d o f war !
“
M ight Captain Wilkes l awfully stop and s e arch
2
the Tre n t f o r these c on traba n d persons and dispatches !
“
D
id
he
exercise
that
right
in
a
l
awful
and
proper
3
m anner !
“
n
Havi
n
g
fo
u
nd
the
c
o
trab
and
persons
on
b
o
ard
4
a n d i n pres um ed p o ssess i on o f the c o ntrab and disp a tches
had he a right t o captu r e the pers on s !
“
D
id
he
exercise
that
right
o
f
capt
u
re
in
the
m
an
5
”
ner allo w ed and rec o gn ized b y the l a w o f natio n s !
I t w a s the n stated th at if these questi o ns sh o uld be
a n swered in the affi rmative the British g o vernment
w o uld have n o cl ai m f o r reparati o n The fi r st f o ur
were argued briefly by the secretary and an a ffi r m ative
‘
c o nclusi on reached in the case o f e ach one The d ifli
c u l tie s began with the fi fth questi o n
Mat iti n e law is
s uffi ciently c lear as to the dispositi o n to be m ade of cap
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THE TR EN T A FFA IR
2 14
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c ontrab and vessels a n d pr o perty but it says n o th
i n g c o ncerni n g the m o de o f pro cedu r e in regard t o c o n
”
“
tr ab a u d pers o ns
The bell i ge r e n t capt o r said Mr
“
Seward has a right t o prevent the c on traband o ffi cer
s o ld i er sai lo r minister messe n ger o r c our ier fr o m p r o
c e e d in
in
his
u
n
la
ul
v
o
yage
a
n
d
r
eachi
n
g
the
destined
f
w
g
sce n e o f his injuri ou s ser vi ce But o n the o ther ha n d
the person captu red may be i n n o cent—that is he m ay
n o t be c on t r ab and He the r ef or e h as a right t o a fair
trial o f th e accusati o n against him The ne u tral s tate
that has taken hi m u nder its flag is bound to pr o tect
hi m if he is n o t c o ntrab a n d and is there fo re e n titled to
b e satis fi ed upon that i m p o rtant ques t i on The faith o f
that state is pledged to his s a fety if inn o ce n t as its jus
tic e is pledged to his s u rre n der if he is really co ntra
b and Here are c o nflicting cl ai m s i nv o lvi n g pers on al
l iberty life h ono r and duty Here are c on flicting n a
tio n a l cl aims inv o lvi n g welfare safety hon o r and em
pire They re q uire a t r ibunal and a trial Th e capt o rs
and th e captured are e q u als ; th e neutral an d the be llig
”
e r e n t states are e q u als
I t was then stated that th e A m erican g o vern m ent h ad
early s u gg e sted that such co ntr o versies b e set tled by
pro per j u dicial pro ceedings I f the suspected persons
were proved t o be c o ntrab and the vessel w o uld als o par
take o f that character I f the m e n were no t contraba n d
the vessel w o uld escape c o ndemnati o n Altho u gh ther e
w ou ld be n o judgment f o r o r aga i ns t the captured per
s o ns yet a legal certai n ty concerning their character
would r es ult fro m the d e te r m ination o f the c ou rt con
ce rn ing the vessel
O b je c tions w e re the n point e d o u t e v e n to th is c o u rs e
tu r e d
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2 16
TR ENT A FFA IR
TH E
.
to hear th e c o m pl ai n t o f the neutral o r t o re dr e ss it ! I n
that case the very act o f c apture w o uld be an act o f
war—o f w ar begun with ou t n o ti c e and possibly entirely
witho u t provocation
“
I think all u nprej u diced m inds w ill agre e that im
perfect as the e x isti n g judicial remedy may be supposed
t o b e it w ou ld be as a ge n eral pract i ce better t o fo l
l o w it tha n t o ad o pt the summary on e o f lea v i n g the de
c is io n with the capt o r and relyi n g up o n d ipl om atic de
b ates t o revie w h is de c is io n Practically it is a ques
tion o f c h o ice be tw een law with its imperfect i ons and
”
delays and w ar with its e v ils and des o latio n s
Mr Seward the n said there we r e cases where the
ju dicial re m edy w o uld bec o me imp o ss ible as by the
shipwreck o f the prize vessel o r o ther circ um stances
which exc u s e th e capt o r fr om sendi n g her into p o rt f o r
con fi scation Su c h a case however w o uld not a nn ul
the right o f the captor to the cu st o dy o f the c on trab and
pers o ns so that the ir u nl awful purposes can not b e a c
c om plish e d The c apt o r in such a case should show
that the fail u re o f the judicial re m edy resulted from cir
c u m stan ce s entirely b eyond his c on tr o l and witho u t his
fa u lt A ny other co u rse would permit hi m to deriv e
a dvantages fro m his o w n wr o ng ful act
Secretary S eward next reviewed the c o urse o f Cap
tain Wilkes in making a prize o f the Trent and cap
t u ring the c ontrab and pers on s la wfully then permitting
her t o conti nu e up o n her voyage i n stead o f sending her
into port f o r a djudicati o n The captu re was i n c o mpl ete
if the wh o le thi n g c o nstitu ted a single transa c tion I t
Whether the leavi n g o f
w a s un fi nished o r ab and o ned
the ac t u n fi nished was v o luntary or not was th e que s
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OF
R E LE A SE
TH E
TR E N T
21
.
7
ti o n which was t o determi n e the va l i d i ty o f the British
claim fo r repa r ation I f n ecessary a n d the r e for e in
v o lu n tary t he Bri t ish cla i m f o r reparati o n w o uld be u m
f o u n ded ; if u n n ecessary a n d voluntary then the cl ai m
was w ell fo u n ded
Captain Wilkes s reaso n s for no t carry in g the Tre n t
i n to port were then review ed a n d careful ly exam in ed
The fi rst reason was o n acc o u n t o f h i s being s o red u ced
i n o ffi cers a n d cre w and the seco n d w as the great in
c onvenience l o ss a n d disapp oi ntment which w o uld
have resulted to the pas se n ge r s o f the vessel S o far
as Capta in Wilkes w a s c o ncerned the reas o ns were sat
i sfa c tor y t o the U n ited States g o vernme n t
I t c o uld n o t
desi r e that the S an Jacint o sh ou ld b e e x p o sed to da n ger
a n d l o ss by red u ci n g her o fli ce r s a nd crew in o rder t o
put a prize crew on board the Tre n t a n d carry her i nto
p o rt ; neither could i t d i sav o w the huma n e m otive o f pre
ve n ti n g i n c o nve n ie n ces l o sses a n d p o ssibly disas t e r s to
the passe n ger s w h o were o n b o ard the captured vessel
I t ma n ifestl y did n o t occ u r to Captain Wi l kes that such
a c o urse might sacri fi ce th e right o f his g o vernme n t t o
retain the captured pers on s alth o ugh he was not de
s e rvi n g o f ce n sure for any thi n g tha t he had d o ne The
questi o n was not whether he w a s ju st i fi ed t o his g o v e m
me n t but what the view o f h is governme n t was as to
the e ffect o f his course in not br i nging the Trent into
p o rt
Th i s br o ugh t i n to view t he q u esti o n whether the r e
lease o f the Tre n t was a v o l u ntary o r an i n v o lu n tary
proceedi n g I t would have been cle arl y i nv o lun t a ry if
m ade solely up o n the gr ou nd tha t Captain Wilkes
c ould not bring th e priz e vessel into p o rt on acc o u nt of
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TH E
2 18
TR E N T A F F A I R
.
a lack o f o ffi cers and crew n e cessary to do so The
captor is n o t requir ed to hazard his own vessel in order
t o bri n g the prize vessel i n t o port Ne i ther is a larg e
priz e c r ew necessary fo r it is the d u ty of the captured
party t o asse n t a n d to g o willingly be fo re the j udicial
t r ibunal wh i ch tries the case
Should the captured
party e xpress a de t er m i n ati on t o use fo rce which there
is no reas o nable prob ability o f the captor s overc o mi n g
without t o o m u ch risk t o himsel f he m ay properly leave
the prize vessel to proceed o n her v oyage and it can
n o t afterward be o bjected th at she has been deprived o f
the j udicial remedy which was her d u e
Captain Wilkes s seco n d reas o n w as different fro m
the fi rst s o that the release o f the Tre n t was volu n tary
and n o t made o f necessity
M r Se w ard s ne x t inquiry was how th e s e explana
tions by th e comm ander o f the San Jaci n t o were to a ffect
the British g o vernment His fi rst o bserv ati o n was th a t
the explanati o ns had n o t been made t o the authorit i es of
the captu red vessel I f they had bee n so made the r e
lease m ight have been accepted by th e ofli ce r s o f the
Trent o n conditi o n o f w aivi n g an investigation by a
c o mpetent c o urt o r su ch c on d itio n might have be en e n
But it was a case with the British g o v
tir e ly ref u sed
e r n m e n t and n o t with the o fli ce r s o f the Tre n t
I f it
w ere cl aimed by Gre at Britain that a judicial trial h a d
been lost because Cap t ain Wilkes had voluntarily r e
leased the Trent out o f c onsiderati on f o r her inn o cent
“
passengers he did n o t see how Grea t B r itain was to be
bou n d to acqu iesce in the decisi o n which was th u s m ade
by us with o ut ne cessity o n o ur part and wi th o ut kn owl
edge o f conditi o ns or c ons e nt on her own The qu esti o n
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TH E
2 20
A F F A I R
TR E N T
.
were l aid d o wn fo r u s in 1 804 b y James Madiso n when
secretary o f s t ate i n the ad mi n ist r a tion o f Th o mas J e f
fe r s o n i n inst r ucti o ns give n to James M on roe o u r m in
ister to E n g l a n d
A qu o tat io n w a s the n i n serted fro m o ne o f Mr Mad i
so n s d i spa t ches i n w h i ch he s aid that a bellige r e n t
c om ma n der is no t pe r mi tt ed t o c on demn a n d se ize o n
the deck o f a n eu tral vessel pro perty suspected o f
bei n g c on t r ab a n d but tha t the wh o le mat t er must b e
sub m itted to a p r ize c o urt which can assess damages
agai n st the capt o r fo r a n abuse o f h i s p o w er ; he n ce it
is unre as o nab l e unjust a n d i nhuma n t o pe r m i t a n a v al
res tr ic t ed i n the case o f me r e p ro perty o f t r ivial
o fli c e r
am o unt t o dec i de on the deck o f his v essel wi th o ut a n y
s or t o f trial the ques t i on o f al l eg i a n ce a n d carry such
decis i on i n t o e ffect by for ci n g eve ry in d i v i dual he may
ch oo se int o a serv ice detestab l e a n d hum i l i a t i n g t o the
imp r essed seama n a n d da n ger o us even t o l ife i t self
Sat i s facti o n w a s expressed at be in g able t o decide the
case up o n st r ict l y Ame r ica n p r i n ciples and the state
ment made tha t the cl aim o f the B r itish g overnment had
n o t been made in a d i sc o urte o us ma nn er
I n comi n g to the c o nclusi on that it was the duty o f
the America n gov er n me n t t o disav o w Captai n W il kes s
“
act a n d r etu r n the pris o ners Se c r etary Se w ar d s aid : I f
the s afety o f this U n i o n r equired t he de t e nt io n o f the
captu r ed pers o ns i t w o uld b e the right a n d du ty o f this
g o vern me n t t o de t ain the m But the e ffectual check
a n d wa n ing pr o p o rt i on s o f the existi n g i n surrecti on as
well as the c o mparative u nimp o rtance o f the captured
pe rsons themselves w hen dispassi o na t ely weighed hap
”
pily fo rb id me from resorti n g to this defense
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S TR E N GTH
OF M R
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SE
WA R D
’
S AN S
WE
R
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22 1
Attenti o n was then called t o the fact that Great
Britain had o ften re fused t o yield cl aims like the o n e
under c onsideration a n d it was th ou ght a m atter o f
special congratu la t i on that the B ri t i sh go ver n me n t had
disav owed its f or mer p r i n ciples a n d w a s n o w c ont end in g
f o r what the United S t ates had always i n sisted up on
The las t par a gr aph o f the c o mmu n icati on read as f o l
“
lows :
The f o ur pers on s in qu es tio n a r e no w held in
m ilitary c u st o dy a t F o rt Warren i n the s t ate o f Massa
They wi l l be chee r fully l iberated
Y o ur
ch u s e tts
l o rdship will please indicate a time and place f o r r e ce iv
”
ing them
Such was the answer o f Mr Seward—the reply o f
the Ame r ica n govern m ent c o ncedi n g the B r i t ish de
m a n d Most critics pron o u n ce it a very able sta t e
paper This j udgme n t is certai n ly correct if all things
b e co nsidered I t was prepa r ed o n the brie fest n o tice
a n d in the fever heat o f war time I t was abs o lutely
necessa ry to yield t o the British dema n d The circum
stances w ere such that a refusal t o d o this m eant n ati o nal
ruin to th e United States Mr Seward sp o ke fo r an
a dministration alrea dy beset by in n ume r able diffi cultie s
and respo n s i ble t o a pe o ple w h o were a l m o st u nani
m o u sly opposed to the c o urse which the n ecessities o f
the case required the g o ve rnm e nt t o p u rsue The work
of Secretary Seward in this case was very skill fully done
His course w as b oth p o li t i c a n d w ise He yi elded u n
c o nd i tionally to the dema n d fo r the su rrender o f the
c o mm i ssi on ers but at the s a m e time he justi fi ed the
spiri t o f Captain Wilkes s act a n d was able t o place the
surre n der s o lely u pon a simple mistake—an err o r made
b u t of h uma ne c o nsiderations a n d co nsequently on e
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TH E
222
TR E N T
AF FAI R
.
which was not d e serving of c e nsu r e By showing th at
in maki n g the s u rrender he was gu ided by long cher
i sh e d American principles he fo restalled the cens u re
and ob j ections which were certain t o c o me fro m his own
co untr y m en B u t this was not all His p o sitio n s were
fo rti fi ed by vigor ou s a nd acute argum ent m u ch of which
was apparently u nanswerable
Wh ile Mr Se w ard dese r ve s the gratit u de of his co u n
tr ym e n for havi n g extricated the natio n from a diffi c u lty
that was very e m barrass i n g a c are ful exa m ination sh o w s
that h is letter is n o t entirely free fr o m o bjections and in
c onsistenci e s The e ntire comm un ication bears the im
press o f having been prepa r ed fo r the special purpose
o f fi nding diploma t ic reasons fo r s u rrendering the c om
m ission e rs—as it d o ubtless was
Aft e r having e stablished the right to m ak e th e c ap
t u r e Mr Se ward says that the volu n tary o r invol u ntary
r e lease of the Trent by Captain Wilkes m u st d e termine
the v a lidity of the E nglish c lai m for reparati o n I f the
release were volun t ary the cla i m was w e ll fo u nded ; if
invol u nta ry the validity o f th e claim could n o t be admit
t e d by th e Federal govern m e n t O n e o f Captain Wilkes s
reasons fo r releas ing th e British vessel was th a t he c ou ld
not sp are a prize crew o f offi cers and m en to bring her
into port—an inv o luntary reas o n of great weight The
se c ond r e ason fo r allow i n g the Tre n t t o proceed was the
d e sir e not to dis c om mo de her n u mero u s i n n oc ent pas
s e n ge r s—a purely vol unt ary pro c eeding o n t he p a rt o f
Captain Wilkes Here are tw o eq u ally valid in d e p e n d
ent reasons pre se nt e d f o r a co u rs e p u rs u ed To accept
o ne does not nullify the o ther although it leads by Mr
S e w ard s re a soning to a different c on c l u sion Altho u gh
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THE TRENT A FFA IR
2 24
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mad e co u rteousl y I f all this be c o urtesy then e very
A me rican sh o uld hope that in futu re his co u ntry m ay
be s av e d fro m the court e sy of such friends
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A U T H OR I T I E S
A N D R E F E R E N CE S
.
Bl a i e J am e s G : T w e ty Y e a rs o f Co ng e s s V ol 1 1
2
Briti s h A nu a l R e g i s te r 1 86 1
L
aw s e c ti o n
at o n
D
a
n
a
h
n
t
r
n
a
ti
o
n
a
l
s
W
e
I
e
3
5 04 n o te
P
h
E
o f th e R e be lli on
M
o
d
w
a
rd
P
o
lit
i
a
l
H
i
s
t
o
ry
e
s
:
c
c
4
N o rt h A m e ri c a n R e vi e w V o l x cv
6 O ffi c i a l R e c o rd s of th e U n i o n a n d Co n fe d e r a te N avi e s in
sh e Wa r o f th e R e b e lli o n S e r 1 V o l 1
7 P o rt e r A d m ira l D D : N ava l H i s t o ry o f th e Civil Wa
8 S e w a rd Wm
Work s o f V o l v
1
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XVI I
CHAPT E R
THE
MR
SUR R E N D E R O F M A SO N
.
S L I D E LL
A ND
.
S E WA R D S a n s w er co nc e ding the British d e
m and w a s very grati fy in g t o L o rd L yo ns O n Dece m
ber 2 7 he ackn o w ledged its receipt and said that he
“
w o uld immedia t ely send a copy o f this i m p o rtant c o m
”
municati o n to E arl R ussell and that he w ould at o nce
confer with Mr Seward concerning the necessary
”
“
arrangements for the transfer o f the f ou r gentle m en
aga i n int o British prot ec tion
I t thus appe ars t hat
with o ut waiti n g to hear fro m London his l o rdship at
o nce accepted the answer o f the Federal go v er n me n t as
a fi nal a n d satisfa c tory s o luti o n of the d ifli cu l ty Three
days after ans w e ri ng Mr Sew ar d s letter L o rd Lyon s
addressed a note t o Co mm ander H e wett of the E ng l i sh
sl oo p o f war R inaldo dir e cti n g hi m to proceed at o n ce
w ith his vessel to Provinc e town a s m all se a p or t in
Massac hu setts abo u t fo rty miles fro m Bosto n a n d r e
ce iv e the rel ea sed priso n ers at that plac e
His lordship
“
I t is h ardly ne c ess ary that I
added at the s am e time :
should r e mind yo u th at these gentlemen h av e no o ffi cial
chara c ter I t will be righ t fo r yo u to receive the m wi t h
all c o urtesy and respect a s ge ntle m en of disti n ction but
it wo u ld b e i m prop e r to pay the m any of th os e honors
1
2
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THE TRENT A FFA IR
226
.
wh ic h ar e paid t o o ffi cial pers o ns
The tr a nsfe r w a s
”
“
directed t o b e made un o ste n tatiously
Havi n g been
co nveyed fro m F or t Warren t o Pro v incet o wn in the tug
b o at Starlight the pris on ers a n d their luggag e were p u t
on board the R i n aldo on th e e vening o f Jan u ary 1 1 86 2
”
“
“
Their o nly w ish
th ey said
w a s to pro c eed to
”
They were conveyed w itho u t del ay to the
E u r o pe
D anish port o f St Th o mas th e pla c e to which they
were proceedi n g when taken from th e Trent by Capta i n
Wi l kes At S t Th o mas they e m barked fo r E u r o pe
a n d reached their respective dest i nations w itho u t fu rther
mishap The captu r e a n d rem o va l o f the e n voys to
the United S t ates ca u s e d a delay of abo u t s e venty days
in their journey
After the surrender h ad b een m ad e and the Confed
c rate e missaries t ake n a w ay the prevalent t o ne thr o ugh
o u t the N o r t h still upheld t h e act o f Captain Wilkes
Temp o rary expedie n cy was ass i gned as the only reason
fo r giving u p the men The valid i ty o f the Brit i sh
clai m was denied in many public u tt e rances in m ost o f
which car e w a s taken to res e rv e th e right o f c ontesting
the m atter at a f u tu r e time whe n th e Unite d States
Th e o u tco m e of the
w o uld be better able to do this
w h o le m atter was l o oked u p o n by m any p ubli c men as
a n at i onal hu miliati o n I n m any insta n ces there w ere
expressed feeli n gs o f th e bitt e rest indign at i on toward
E n g l a n d a n d a pur po se anno un ced of a v en gi n g this in
sult s o w ant o nly offered the U nited States in her ho u r o f
deepe s t distress
On the aftern o on o f Jan u a r y 7 th e sp e aker o f the
hous e o f represe n ta t ives la i d be fore tha t b o d y copies
of th e co rresp o ndence w hich had taken place between
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THE TR EN T A FFA IR
228
.
as a b ellige r e nt power of the principles which her great
est o f jurists—L o rd Stowell—had imbedded in the law
”
of nations E n gla n d w a s fai rly est o pped t o make
Co n tinui n g his disc u ssi o n Mr Th o mas s a i d that E n g
“
l and had d o ne t o us a great w r on g in availi n g hersel f o f
o u r m om ent o f weak n ess t o make a dema n d which
acc o m pa n ied a s it was by the p o mp and circums t ance
of w ar was i n solent in sp i rit and th o r o ughly unjust I t
w a s indeed courteous in la n g u age but it w a s the courtesy
Art
o f Joab to Amasa as he sm o te him in the fi fth rib :
th ou in health my br o ther ! That message o f L o rd
R ussell to Lord Ly o ns which c o uld cr o ss the Atla n tic
h ad not pr oj e ctile force e no ugh t o have passed fr om
”
Dov e r to Calais
“
But
I n conclus io n h e s a id of the co ur se o f E n gland :
She is treasu r i n g up to
th e loss will ultimately be hers
he rself wr ath against the d ay of wrath She has ex
cited in the hearts o f this pe o ple a deep and bitter sense
of wr on g of inj u ry inflicted at a m o m ent w he n we could
not r e spo n d I t is n ight w ith u s n o w b ut thr o ugh the
w a tch e s of the night even we shall b e girdi n g o u r
”
s e lv e s to s trike the blow o f righte o us retr i buti on
“
Mr Wright o f Pe n nsylva n ia said :
I justify the
a ct as I understand it is justi fi ed by the c o u n t ry P u blic
m eetings were everywhere he l d ; Captain Wilkes was
ev e rywhere re c e iv ed with accl aim fo r the act he had
done ; the secretary o f the navy—o n e o f the heads o f
the d e p a rt m ents o f this gover n me n t—approved o f that
act I u n dersta n d the act t o have bee n appr ov ed by the
wh o le g ov ernme n t But i n the m eantime a sta t e of
things had arisen maki n g it nec e ssary to res o rt t o e xp e
d ie n cy in th is ma tt e r to s av e the co u ntry fro m be in g in
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OP P OS I T I ON
T O TH E
S UR R E N D E R
22
.
9
volved in a war with E urope I n th at view I w o uld
rather surrende r these rebel r efugees a thousa n d times
o ver than t o h av e t he m the cause o f w a r Let E n gla n d
take them ; if she has a m in d to fete a n d t o ast t hem let
her d o it—it is n one o f o u r busi n ess ; if E n gl a n d des ir es
t o make li o ns o f C o n fede r a t e rebels it i s a mere m atter
o f taste
I f they ha v e t o be surre n dered then let them
be surrende r ed u n der a pr ot est while we shall remember
here a ft er that there is a ma tt e r t o be ca n celed betw ee n
the B r i ti sh governme n t and the U n ited S t ates o f N o rth
America
Befo re the close o f the deb a t e Mr V a ll a n digh a m
took the fl oo r a sec o nd t i me and sta t ed tha t u n der the
“
c i rcumstances he w o u l d pre fer a w ar w i th E n gla n d t o
the humiliati on which we h a v e tamely submi t ted to ;
a n d I venture the asserti on th a t su ch a w a r w o uld have
c al l ed i n t o the fi eld fi v e hu n d r ed t h o usand me n wh o are
n o t now there and never w i ll be w i th o ut it a n d have
deve lo ped an e n e r gy a n d p o w er i n t he Uni t ed S t ates
which n o c o u n try has e xhib ited i n m o dern times e xcept
Fran c e in her g r eat st ruggle in
A few days a fter this deb a t e o ccurred it w a s proposed
in the h ou se to v o te
t o pay the e x penses o f a n
e xhibit o f the U n ited States at a n in ter n ati on al e xp o si
tion which w as s o on to be held i n L on d o n Mr L o ve
jo y o f I llin o is obje cted to th e measure a n d said that
“
the United States had been insul t ed dish ono red and
”
disgraced by the Br it ish n ati o n
C on tinuing he s aid :
“
That disgrace was all that t he n ati on c o uld bear We
m arched u p t o it s w ea t i n g great dr o ps o f bl o od
We
appr o ached it as Christ w e n t up t o the cr o ss saying i f
it be possibl e let this cup pass fr om us
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T
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2 30
TR E N T
A F F A I R
.
Mr Lovejoy then said th at inasmuch as the United
States had submitted t o b e d i sh ono red b y Grea t Br i ta in he
th o ught Ame r ica n s o ught t o s t a y at h o me u n ti l a t i me
sh o uld c o me whe n the y w o u l d be able t o wh i p the Brit
ish nat ion Then he w o u l d b e w i l l in g t o appear a t a
w o rld s e xhibi tion i n Lo n d on He the n like n ed h i s o w n
grief t o that o f the su ffer in g Tr oj a n s as related by
“
1
I E n e as t o
Quee n D id o
E very time t his T r e n t af
“
fair comes u p s aid he e v e ry ti m e that a n allus i o n
is m ad e to it ; every t i me th a t I have t o thi n k o f it that
expressi o n o f the t o rtu r ed a n d ago n ized Tr ojan exi l e
co me s to my l i ps I a m made t o re n e w the h or r i ble
grief which I su ffe r ed w he n the n ew s o f the su rr e n de r o f
Mason a n d Slidell came I ack no w ledge i t I l iterally
wept tears o f ve x at ion I hate i t ; a n d I hate the B rit ish
g o vernme n t I have n ever shared i n t he traditi on al h o s
til ity o f m any o f my c o u n tryme n against E n g l a n d
But
I n o w here publ i cly avo w and r ec or d my in e x tin g uish
able hatred o f that g o ver n me n t I me a n to cherish it
while I l i ve a n d to bequeath it as a legac y t o m y ch il
dren when I die A n d if I am alive w hen w ar with
E ng l a n d c o mes as s oon e r o r later it must f o r w e shall
never forget th is hum il i a t i o n a n d if I ca n car ry a mus
ket in that war I w ill carry i t I ha v e three s on s a n d I
m ean t o charge them a n d d o n o w publicly a n d s o lem n ly
charge them that if they shall have at that time reached
the years o f ma n h oo d and s tr e n g th they sha l l e nt er i nto
that war I have alwa y s d o ub t ed the necessi ty o f that
surre n der We might have I think secured a n arbi
tr a tio n at least and c o mpelled E n gl a n d t o have rec o g
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1
S ee th e
r e n ov a r e
I
E
n eid ,
d o lo r e m ,
”
B ook
e tc
.
11,
line
:
3
“
I
n fa n d u m ,
re g i n a j ub e s
,
THE TR EN T A F F A I R
2 32
.
b e stopp e d thu s positively e xcluding the ide a of stop
pi n g ambassad or s o r em i ssa r ies o f any ki n d w hile sail
i n g un der a neut r al flag I n s u pp or t o f this s t ateme n t
Mr Sum n er re v ie w ed American dipl o ma t ic hist o ry fr om
the begi nn i n g s o fa r as it t o uched up o n this quest ion
The doctri n e o f the U n i t ed Sta t es w a s fu l l y demonst r ated
by q uo tat ion s fr o m t he d i pl o matic dispatches o f M o nr o e
an d Madis on als o by r e fere n ce t o the vari ou s tre aties of
the United States w ith fo re i g n n ati o ns
“
said Mr S umn er
I f I am c o rrect i n this r evie w
“
then the c on c l us ion i s ine vi table The se izure o f the
rebel e missa ri es o n b o ard a neutral ship ca n n o t be
j us t i fi ed acc o rdi n g t o our best America n precedents and
practice
“
Mr President let the rebels g o Two wicked men
u n grate ful t o their c o u ntr y are let l oo se with the b r and
Pr i s on d oo rs are opened
o f Cai n up on their fo r eheads
but pri n ciples are establ i shed which will help to free
”
other me n a n d t o o pen the ga t es o f the sea
This speech was t i me ly a n d e ffective I t was well
recei v ed thr o ugh o ut the N orth The newspapers c o m
m e n te d up o n it i n the m o st fav o rable terms a n d it d o ubt
less did m u ch t o i n fl u e n ce public se n time n t in supp o rt
o f the surrender
The n ews that the British dema n d h ad been c o nceded
“
The c on cessi o n
w a s a disapp o i n tment t o the S o uth
o f Mr S e w a r d was a bl o w t o the h o pes o f the s o u t her n
pe o ple The c on templat io n o f the spectacle o f their
enemy s hum il ia t i o n i n it w a s but l ittle c o mpe n sati on
fo r t heir disapp o i n tme n t o f a E ur o pe an c o mplica tion i n
the war I ndeed the c o nclusi o n o f the Tre n t a ffair
gave a sharp check to the l o ng cherished i m aginati on o f
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D I S A P P OI N T M E N T
C ON F E D E R A T E
.
2
33
the in te r fere n ce o f E n gla n d in the wa r at least t o the
e xt e nt o f her d i spu tin g the bl o ckade w h i ch had begun
to tell o n the war p ow er a n d general c on dit ion o f the
1
C on fede r acy
The R ichm on d E xam in e r a r epresentati v e C on federate
“
n e w spaper sa i d :
Ne v er s in ce the humi l iati o n o f the
D o ge a n d Se n ate o f Ge no a b e for e the foo tst ool o f L o u i s
X I V has a ny nati on c on se nt ed t o a degr adat ion so deep
I f Li n c o ln a n d Se w a r d in te n ded t o give them up at a me n
ace w h y the i r pe o p l e w ill ask d i d they ever cap t ure
the amb assad or s ! Why the e x u l ta nt hurrah o ver the
e v e n t th at w e n t up fro m n i n etee n mi l li o n thr o ats ! Why
the gl or i fi cati on o f W il kes ! Why the c o w a r dly insults
t o tw o u n armed ge n tleme n the i r close imprisonme n t
and the bl oo d thirsty m ov eme n ts o f c o ngress i n their
regard ! But mo st o f a l l w hy did the g o vern me n t
o f Li n col n i n dulge a full cab i n et with a n u n a n im o u s
res o lu t i on that u n der no circumsta n ces sh o uld the
U n ited States s u rre n der Mess r s Slidell and Mas o n !
Why did they e n c o urage the p o pular se n time n t to a sim
il a r p o s i t ion ! The U n i t ed States g o ve rn ment a n d peo
ple sw or e the great o ath t o sta n d on the gr o u n d they
had taken ; the American eagle w as br o ught o u t ; h e
screeched h i s l o udes t screech o f d e fi a n ce—then
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‘
D 1 0p t
li ke
r ve
a c a
n coc
k
h is
co n
q u e re d
w
i
n
g,
’
at the fi rst gr o w l o f t he l io n Th i s is the attitude o f the
”
e n em y
The Canadia n press c o mmented up on the release o f
Mason a n d Sl i de l l i n the same spi r it as d i d o the r n ew s
papers th at we r e h o stile t o the U n ited States The
.
.
.
1
Po
ll a rd s
’
t
L o s Ca u s e ,
p
.
1
97
.
TH E
2 34
TRENT A FFA IR
.
Toronto Le ader was very abusiv e a n d de c lar e d that the
“
s u rrender was one o f the gre atest c o llapses since the
”
beginning o f time
The sa m e j o ur n al had much t o
”
“
s ay c o ncerning the humiliati o n o f the Federal g o v
The Montreal Gazette th o ught the a ffair w a s
e rnm ent
“
a bitter b itter pill fo r the fi r e ea t ers t o cra m dow n
”
their noisy th r oats
I n E n gland there was o f course mu ch rej oi cing o ver
the o utc o me o f the matte r The Federal g ove rn me n t
had been h u mbled in the eyes o f the w or ld a n d Brit i sh
arr o ga n ce had t r iumphed o nce m or e The E n glish
press includ in g the revie w s ge n erall y sus t a in ed the
co urs e o f the g o ve rn me nt as bei n g n ecessary a n d pr o per
I t was said tha t in Amer i ca the u nb ri dled pass ion s o f
de mo cracy c o ntrolled that t h i s fo rce was u nyielding
a n d u nreasonabl e a n d t hat a disp l ay o f mili t ary p ower
a nd a menace o f war was necessary t o secure just con
c e ssions from such a c ountry
The Q u arterl y R eview d i scussed this matter as fo l
“
l o ws :
There o ught then t o have bee n n o d i ffi culty
n o r de mu r in dis av ow i n g the act o f Captain Wi lkes
which w e are t o ld was n o t au th o rized by his go vern
m ent a n d o f which he o ste ntati o usly t oo k the wh o le r e
sp o nsib ility u p on himself ; n o r any delay in releasing
the pris o ners This is what we sh o uld e xpect from any
other E ur o pean power But in America the p r essu r e
m o b o pi n i on w a s bro ught to bear w ith dis astr ou s
of
weight u p o n a quest i on t he dete r minati on o f which
ou ght to h ave been left t o the calm and dispassi on ate
j u dgment o f reflecting me n resp o nsible fo r the charac
ter w hich the United States have to m aintain in their
”
relations with fo reign p ow ers
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THE TRENT A FFA IR
2 36
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l oo k to the fact that i n the m idst o f that exultation and
i n a c o u n try where the pr in ciples o f p o pular g o vern
m e n t a n d o f dem o cracy a r e ca r ried t o the extre m e
that eve n h o weve r i n th i s matter o f l i fe an d death as
they th in k it to b e t hat w h i le ebull i t i on s were taking
place a l l o ve r the c o u n try o f j oy a n d exultati o n at cap
tu re—that eve n the n this p o pul ar a n d dem o cratic g o v
e r n m e n t has under a dema n d o f a fo reign p o w er writ
ten these w or ds fo r the y a r e the c lo si n g w ords i n the
d ispatch o f M r Se w ard : The f o ur c o mmissi on ers wi ll
1
be chee rfu l ly libe r a t ed
“
as it was called
I n the e x u l tati o n o ver the v ict o ry
less n ot ice w a s take n o f Mas on a n d Slidell pe r s o nally
Thei r imp o r t a n ce t o the B r i ti sh n a t i on dim in ished a ft er
they were surre n dered I t was e no ugh t o k no w that
u n der the me n ace o f a for eign war in add i ti o n to the
d o mestic i n surrecti on the U nited State s g ov e rn me n t had
y i elded t o a perempt ory dema n d t o sur r e n der t he pris
o n ers a n d that the y had ac t ua l l y bee n rest o red t o B r i t ish
“
pro tecti on agai n The L on d o n Sta r said :
When
Mas on a n d Slidell have bee n surre n dered t o u s it w ill
surely b e t i me to dec l a r e i n what capaci ty w e as a na
—
ti o n are to rece ive them w hether as the e nv oy s o f Mr
Jeffers on Davis o r as i no ffensive vis i t o rs t o a c o untry
where the rebel slave o w n er a n d fugitive negr o are wel
”
c o me alike to t he pr o tecti o n o f the law
The Times
“
s aid :
We d o si n cere ly h o pe that o ur c o un try me n w ill
n ot give these fel lo w s a nyth in g i n t he sha p e o f an o v a
tion The civility that is due to a fo e i n dist r ess is all
that they can claim We have returned them g oo d fo r
evil and s oo th t o say we sh o uld be ex c eedingly sorry
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S
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p e ec h a t E dinbu rg h J anu ary
,
,
1 86 2 .
C O M M ENTS OF
THE
“
TI
ME S
”
2
.
37
that they sh o uld ever b e in a situ at io n t o choose wh at
retur n they w ill make fo r the g oo d we have n o w d on e
them The y a r e here fo r the i r o w n inte r ests i n order
if p o ssible to drag us i nto the i r o w n qu arrel a n d bu t
fo r the u n p l easa n t c ontin ge n c i es o f a pris o n rather d i s
app o i n ted perhaps that the ir dete ntion has n o t p ro
Whe n the y stepped o n b o ard the
v o k e d a n ew w a r
Tre n t the y did no t tr o ub l e themselves w ith the th o ught
o f the m i schie f they m i ght b e d oin g a n un o ffe n di n g n eu
tral ; a n d if no w by a ny less per i l o us de vi ce the y c o uld
e n ta n gle us i n the war no d o ubt they w o u l d be on l y too
happy We trust there is no cha n ce o f the i r d oin g th i s
for impa r tial as the British pub l ic is i n the matter it
certa in ly has n o pre ju dice i n fav o r o f slavery which if
a nythi n g these gentle men represe n t What they and
the ir secretaries are t o d o here passe s o ur conjectu re
They are personally nothing t o u s They must n o t s u p
p o se because we have gone t o the ve ry verge of a gr e at
war t o rescue them that theref o re they are p r eci o us in o u r
eyes We S ho u ld have done just as mu ch t o rescue two
o f their o w n negroes ; a n d had th at been the object o f
th e resc u e the swarthy Pompey and C aesar w ou ld hav e
h ad just the sa m e right t o tri u mphal arche s and municipal
addresses as Messr s Mas o n a n d Slidell So pleas e
Br i tish public let s ha v e no ne o f these thi n gs Let the
c o mmissi on ers c o me up quietly t o t o wn a n d have their
say with a nyb o d y w h o may have time t o liste n t o them
F o r o ur part we ca n no t see h o w a nyth i ng they have t o
tell ca n tu rn the scale o f Bri t ish duty and deliberati o n
There ha v e been s o many cases o f pe o pl e s a n d nati on s
establish in g an actual indepe n de n ce a n d compelling the
r e c o gnition of th e w orld th at a ll w e h av e to d o is wh a t
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THE TRENT A FFA IR
2 38
.
w e hav e don e be for e u p to the very l ast y ear T h is is
now a si m ple ma tter o f pre c edent Our state s m en and
l awyers know qu ite as mu ch on the s u b j ect as Messrs
M ason and Slidell and are in no need o f their informa
” 1
ti o n or advice
When th e co m missioners were surrendered a por
tion of th e British troops dispatched t o Canada to
menac e the U nited States had n o t yet arrived With a
strok e o f the wit which often ch aracterized his deali n g
with h is O ppo n ents Mr Seward pr o ceeded t o inf o r m
the British c o nsul at P o r tla n d Ma in e that these troo ps
w o uld be p e rmitted t o land at that city and pass freely
through the territ o ry o f the United States by rail t o their
desti n ation thus avoidi n g the risk a n d sufferi n g i n ci
dent t o a pass age by the Canadian r o ute beset by the
snow a nd i c e o f an incle m ent midwinter s e ason
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A U T H O R I T I E S A N D R E F E R E N CE S
1
Co n g re s s i o n a l G l o b e ,
.
2d
S e ss
i o n 3 7th
.
Co ngr e s s
.
nd o n Q u a rte rly R e vi e w N o 2 2 1
h
ivil
a r i n A m e ri ca V o l I I
W
L
o
s
s
in
B
:
T
e
C
3
g
J
M
a g a zi e o f A m e ri c a n H i s t o ry M a r h 1 8 86
4
R
J
1 86 2
a s fo ll o w s :
i
a u ry
N
ch m o n d E x
e w sp a p e r
5
a m i n e r T o r o nt o L e a d e r M o n tr e a l G a z e tte L o n d o n S t a r L o
d on T im es
6 P a ri s Co m pte d e : H i s to ry o f th e C ivil War i n A m e ri ca
a
h
a
u
P
o
ll
rd
E
A
T
e
L
o
s
t
se
:
C
7
8 S o u t h e r n L a w R e vi e w V o l V I I I
u m ne r Ch a rl e s :
a t e J a nu a ry
p
n
ee c h i n th e U
S
S
e
S
S
9
2.
Lo
,
,
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.
c
,
n
s,
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,
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n
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a
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,
,
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,
n
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9
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,
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,
1 86 2 .
1 0.
1
Sum
ne r
,
C h a rl e s :
See Lond o n T i m e s,
Work s
J
an . I I
,
o f,
Vol
.
VI I
.
,
THE TRENT A FFA IR
2 40
.
a gain into B rit i sh hands and als o the e xpl a nations of
M r Se w ard—all o f w hich c on s t ituted the desi r ed r e
dress His l o rdsh i p said that her maj esty s gover n ment
d i ffered h o wever f ro m ma ny o f th e conclusi on s wh i ch
M r Sew ard had arrived at in his d iscussi on o f the i nt er
national l aw p o i n ts i n the case a n d that these differ
e n ce s w o uld be fu l l y p r ese n ted i n a future dispa t ch
Acc o rdingl y o n Ja n uary 2 3 1 86 2 E a rl R ussell ad
dressed a d i spa t ch t o L or d Ly on s i n which the d i ffer
discussed The only grou n d up o n
e n ce s w ere fully
which a f o reig n g o ve rn me n t c o uld treat the mat t e r a c
c or di n g t o L o rd R usse l l s v i e w was up on the supp o s i
ti o n that the captu r e d pers on s w ere no t rebels but on ly
e n emies o f the U nit ed States at war wi t h i t s g ov er n ment
he n ce the d iscussi on was t o be c on fi ned s o lely t o the
principles o f i n ter n ati on al law i nv o l v ed
The fi rs t i n qu i ry that ar o se was whether the co m mis
s io n e r s a n d their supp o sed d ispatches w ere c on trab a n d
”
“
Up o n this questi on
s aid h i s l o rd
o f war o r n o t
“
ship Her maj esty s g o ver n me n t differ e nt ire ly from
Mr Seward The ge n eral right and du ty o f a neutral
p o wer t o mai n tai n i t s o w n c o mmu n icati on s a n d fr iendly
”
rel ati on s w i th b oth bel li gere nt s ca n n o t be disputed
I n supp o r t o f t his pr o p o sit ion it was held that a n e u
tral na t i on has cert ai n duties t o pe rf or m t o w ard b o th
parties at w ar that it may have m o st direct a n d material
interes t s i n the pe rfor ma n ce o f such duties o n b o th sides
a n d especially w a s this true whe n i ts ci t ize n s reside n t
both there and at h o me have valu able pr o perty i n the
territories o f b oth be l ligerents Such pr o per ty ma y be
e xposed t o acts o f vi o lence o r c o n fi sca t i o n if the pr o
e ctio n of the ne u tral govern me nt b e W ithheld a nd this
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L OR D
R U S SE
’
WS
VI E
LL S
241
.
i n his l o rdship s o pi n i o n was the case with r e spect t o
”
B riti sh subjects i n t he civil war then e xi sting in the
U n ited S t a t es The o p inio n was exp r essed that a ne u
tral had t he right t o ma int ai n n ecess ary relati on s with
b o th bellige r e nt s This bei n g tru e it w ou ld f o ll o w that
a n eutral carrying dipl o matic pers on s o r dispatches o f
o n e bell igere n t w o uld n o t be gu i l ty o f a n act o f h o st i l
ity t o w ard the other party at w ar and th at this princi
ple applied w ith equal f o rce t o t he dipl om atic agents o f
a n unrec o gn ized p o w er Vari o us te x ts a n d precedents
w ere the n quoted i n supp o rt o f t he f o reg o i n g opini o n
“
I t appears t o her m a
af ter which his l o rdsh i p s a i d :
e st
s government t o be a necessary a n d certain d e d u c
j y
ti o n fr o m these p r inciples that the c o nve y a n ce o f publ ic
age n ts o f this characte r fro m Hava n a t o St Thomas o n
their way to Great Bri t ai n a n d Fra n ce a n d o f their cre
d e n tia ls an d dispatches ( if a n y ) on b o ard th e Tre n t
w a s n o t and could no t b e a vi o la t i on o f the duties o f
n eutral i ty o n the part o f that v essel and b o th f o r that
reas on a n d als o beca u se the desti n ati on o f these per
s on s a n d o f the i r d ispa t ches w a s Oon a fi de n eutral it is
i n the judgment o f he r majesty s g ov er nm ent c l ear and
”
ce r tain that they w e r e no t c ont rab a n d
The n a tu re o f c on traba n d o f w a r was then e xplained
and it was held that articles o f that nature must alwa y s
ha v e a h o sti l e a n d not a n eutral desti n ati o n “ On
”
“
what ju st pr i nciple sa i d L or d R ussell ca n it b e c on
te n ded that a h o stile destina t i o n is less necessary o r a
neu tral desti n ation m o re n o xi o us f o r c o nstitu ting a co n
tr ab a n d character in the case o f public agents or dis
”
patches than in the case o f ar m s and a mmu nition !
“
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1
6
THE TRE NT A FFA IR
242
.
Mr S ew ard had endeav o red to s u stain his o wn c on c l u
sion by qu o ting from Sir Willia m S c ott wh o se o pinion
was b ased u pon the d o ctrines o f V a tte l H i s l o rdship
h eld that M r Seward h ad wrongly i nt erpreted the q u o
tatio n s
R easons w e r e then given f o r a d i fferent con
“
stru ction and the co ncl u si o n reached that n o writ e r of
auth o rity has e ver suggested that an a mb assador pro
ce e d in g t o a neutral state on board one of its me r c hant
”
ships is contr ab and o f war
Th e ru le deduced fro m th e t e xts a nd pr ec ed e nts as
“
e xplained by E arl R u ssell was that y o u may stop an
ene my s a m bassador in any place o f w hich you are y ou r
self the m aster o r in any o ther place w here y ou have a
right to e xercise acts o f h o s t ility Your o wn territory
or ships o f y o ur o wn co u ntry are pl aces o f w hich yo u
a re yo u rself the m aster The enemy s terri to ry o r the
ene m y s ships are pl aces in which y o u h ave a right to
e xercis e acts o f hostility Neutral vessels gu ilty of no
vi o l ati o n of th e laws o f neutrality are pl aces wh e r e y ou
”
h a v e n o right to exercise acts o f h o stility
“
I t w o uld be an inversi o n o f the d o ctri n e that amb a s
s a d or s h ave peculiar p r ivi l eges t o argue that they are
l e ss prote c ted than o ther me n The right c on clusi o n is
that a n a mb ass ad o r sent to a neutral p o w er is invi o lab le
o n the high seas
as well as in neutral waters whil e n u
”
der the p r otection of the neutral flag
M r Seward had stated that the circ um stance th a t th e
Trent was proceedi n g fro m o ne neutral p o rt to a no ther
ne u tral p o rt did n o t modi fy the belligerent right of cap
tu re as b ased up o n British a u thorities This was dis
“
u
e d by h is l o rdship who s aid :
t
is
und
o
ubtedly
th
e
I
t
p
l aw as l aid down by British a u thoriti e s th at if the r eal
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THE TRENT A FFA IR
2 44
.
u ssia on th e o ther a R uss i an mi n ister g o ing fro m
Hamburg t o Washi n gt on i n an Ame r ican ship might hav e
b een b rought to P or tsm o uth the ship m ight have been
co n dem n ed a n d the mi n ister se nt t o the T o w er o f L on d on
S o als o a C o nfede r a t e vessel o f w a r might capture a
C u nard steame r o n its way fro m Halifax t o L i v erp oo l
o n the
grou n d o f its carryi n g dispatches fr o m Mr
Seward t o Mr Ada m s I n vie w there fo re o f the
e rron eous p r i n ciples asserted by Mr Sew a r d and the
consequences they in vo l v e her majes ty s g o vernment
thi n k it ne cessary to declare that the y w o uld n o t a c
quiesce in the capture o f a ny B r itish me r cha n t ship in
circumstances s imilar t o th o se o f the Trent and the
fact o f its bei n g br o ught be for e a pri z e c o urt th o ugh it
w o uld alter the character w o uld n o t d i mi n ish the grav
ity o f the o ffe n se against the l aw o f nati o ns which w ou ld
”
th e reby b e c o mmitted
His l o rdship th o ught tha t the disp o siti o n o f th e qu e s
ti o n c o n c erni n g the c on trab a n d n a ture o f the me n and
the d ispatches re n dered un n ecessa ry any discussi o n o f
the o ther questi on s raised by Mr Se w a r d alth o ugh
n o tice was taken o f the l at t e r s asse rt i o n that if the
s afety o f the Uni on requi r ed the de t e n ti o n o f the c om
m issi on ers it w ou ld b e the right a n d duty o f the Fed
e ral governme n t t o detai n them but happ i ly the wa n ing
pro p o rti o ns o f the i n s u r r ecti on a n d the c o mparative
u nimp o rtance o f the captured pers on s thems e l v es f o r
b ade a res o rt t o that de fense T o this a haughty reply
“
was m ade as f o ll o ws :
Mr Sew a r d d o es n o t he re
a ssert a n y right fo u n ded o n i n ter n ati on al law ho wever
inconve n ient o r irritati n g t o neu tral n a t i o ns ; he entirely
l os e s sight of th e v a s t di ffer en c e which e xis ts b etw ee n
R
,
,
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-
-
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"
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,
WS
L OR D R U S S E L L S VI E
’
2 45
.
the exercise o f a n extreme right a n d the c omm ission o f
an u n ques t i o nable w ron g H i s fr a n k n ess c o mpels m e
to be equally o pe n a n d to i n fo rm him t hat Great Brita i n
c o uld n o t have subm itt ed t o the pe rpetra tion o f t hat
wr o ng h o we v er fl o u ri sh in g m i ght h ave bee n the in su r
recti o n i n the S o uth a n d h o w ever imp o rtant the per
s o ns c aptured might have bee n
I n c on clusi o n h i s l o rdsh i p e x pressed a h ope th at
similar da n gers should they ar i se might be settled by
“
peace ful neg o tia t i on s a n d request e d that this d i s
”
patch b e read t o Mr Seward and a c o py of it fu r
n ish e d him
Such was the f o rm al rej o i n der of her
majesty s g o ver n me n t t o Mr Se w ard s letter conced in g
the British dem and I t was n o t to be expected that
silence w o uld b e mai n tained o r that the d o ctri n e s o f the
Ame r ican secretary o f state w o uld b e acqu i e sced i n
T o p u r sue either o f these c o urses w ou ld have b een fo r
the B r itish g o vernment t o c on cede t oo m u ch and i n the
est i mation o f itsel f to lose digni ty in th e e y e o f th e
world
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A U T H O R I T I E S A N D R E F E R E N CE S
l R e gi s te r 1 86 1
2
D an a
Wh e to n I te r n a ti a l L a w s e c ti o n 5 04 note
M
a
a
f
m
i
zi
e
o
ri
a
n
t y J u e 1 8 86
A
c
H
3
g
4 M c P h e o n s P o liti c l H i s t o ry f th e R e b lli o
5 N o r th A m e ri c a n R e vi e w V o l x c v pp 3 5 5 0
6 Wh a rt o n s D i g e t o f th e I te r
ti o a l L w o f th e U S
T h i s is S e n ate M is D oc N o 1 62 Par t
Co ng"I st SCS!
1
.
Briti s h A
.
n nua
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.
a
s
n
,
’
s
.
n
on
e
rs
s or
’
,
a
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n
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o
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e
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s
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na
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n
a
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2 48
TRENT A FFA IR
TH E
.
mi litary character ; a l s o s o ld i e r s a rms am mu nition an d
other th in gs which are classed as c on trab and o f war
Knowingly t o vi o late this law renders a ne u tral s h ip lia
b le to capture a n d c on fi scati on
I f these prem i ses be c orr ec tly sta t ed it f o ll o w s th at th e
legal ity o f the c o u r se o f the T r e n t w i l l set tle the ques
t ion as t o what Cap t a in Wilkes had a r ight t o do in t his
case The fi rst m atte r t o be c on side r ed then is w hether
the l aw o f n at ion s was vi o la t ed w he n the C on federate
c o mmissi on e r s w ith their secre t aries a n d d i spatches were
k now i n gly recei v ed on b o a r d the Tre nt at Hava n a and
all o w ed t o pr o ceed t ow ard their desti n ati o n I f these
m en and their d i spatches w ere c ontraband o f war by
the l aw o f nati on s i t f o ll ow s that the vessel which
carried them was liable to seiz u re and c o nde m nati o n by
the Federal auth o rities
I n his letter c on ced in g the British de m and Mr Sew
ard discussed t his ma tte r and arrived at the c on cl u sion
that the c o mmissi on ers a n d the ir dispatches were c o n
“
He s a i d :
All w r iters a n d judges pr o
trabaud
n o unce naval o r m il i tary pers on s i n the service o f the
enemy c on trab a n d V atte l says war all ow s u s t o cut
a n d t o hinder
o ff f ro m a n enemy al l o f his res o u r ces
h im fro m sendi n g mi n isters t o s o l i cit assista n ce And
S ir William S c o tt says y ou m ay st o p the amb assad o r
D ispatches are no t less
o f y o ur enemy on his passage
clea r ly c o ntrab and and the bearers o r co u rie r s wh o
u n dertake t o ca rry the m fall under the same co n de m n a
“
ti o n
Mr Seward als o held that p r etended mi n is
ters o f a u su rping p ow er n o t rec o gni zed as legal by
”
e ither the bellige r e n t o r the n eu tral
were n on e the
less con trab a n d a n d i n supp o rt o f his p o sition quo ted
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MR
WA R D
SE
.
S OP I N I ON
’
E
XA M I
N E D
2 49
.
fro m Sir William Sc o tt wh o had on ce e xpressed an
“
o p inion up o n the matter as f ol l ows :
I t appears to
me o n p r i n ciple to be bu t reas on able that whe n it is of
the e n emy that s u ch pers o ns
su fli c i e n t imp ort a n ce t o
sh al l be se n t o ut on the public se r vice at the public ex
pe n se i t sh o uld affo rd equal g ro u n d o f f o r feitu r e
agai n st the vessel that may be let o u t fo r a purp o se so
”
i n timately c onn ected wi th the h o sti l e o pera t i on s
V a tte l w h o m Mr Seward qu o tes in supp o rt o f his
positi on that ambassad or s o f an e n emy may be cut o ff
w ro te at a time whe n ma ny pr in c i p l es o f i nt er n ati on al
law were no t fully se ttl ed H is d o ctr in es w ere in a c
co r d a n ce with t he i ll i be r al ideas o f i n te rn ati on al c o m i ty
wh i ch p r eva il ed i n that age The passage re ferred t o
by Mr Se w ard reads as fo ll o ws w he n care fu l ly tra n s
“
lated fro m the o r i g in al Fre n ch :
His ( the e n emy s )
pe o ple may als o be at t acked a n d se i zed whereve r w e
have a right t o c o mm i t acts o f h o s til i ty N o t o nly
there for e may w e j us tly refuse a passage to the mi n is
te r s w h o m o u r e n em i es send t o other s o vere i gn s ; w e
may eve n a rr est them if they attemp t t o pass pri v ately
a n d w ith o ut permissi o n th ro ugh places bel on gi n g t o o ur
” 1
ju r isdict ion
T o illust r ate h i s mean in g m or e fully
,
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B o o k I V c h apte r 7 se c ti o n 8 5 A s fu rth e r e vid e ce
t h a t th e o ld e r w rite r s o i te r n a ti o l l w did n o t h ld t th e
d o c tri e t h a t a a m b a d r m y b e rre te d o n n e u tr a l te
r i to y
G r o ti u m ay b e q u o t e d
H e ay :
A li u d i t s i q u i s
e tr
fi e s
i idi p t le ga ti l i e i s ; e 0 e i m j u s ge n
tu
D
ti u m v i l
J u r B lli e t P i L i b 1 1 c p 1 8 e c 5
f ll w s by S i
Tr
l te d
T T wi :
I t i s q u it a o t h e r
th i g i f y pri e s h ll u t o f h i o w n te rrito ry c o n trive to
m b a s a d r s o f a o t h e r s t a te fo r t h i s w ou ld b e a
s u rpri e th e
di re c t b re a c h o f th e law o f na ti o ns
1
V a tte l ,
,
,
n
n
r
x
n
n
s
ans a
as
an
,
s
na
o
r
ns
”
e
.
o
as
o
s
a
s
s
o
o
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,
n
.
“
,
”
s
n
a
s
n
r
“
s
ss
.
o
s
ac s,
e
r
nc
a
a
a
ona
e
o
a
.
uo s,
o ar e n
n
n
s
,
a
a ss
n
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,
a
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,
s
n
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.
THE TRENT A FFA IR
2 50
.
V a tte l
the n gives an i n stance o f what he regards as a
lawful ar r est viz that o f Marshall Belle I sle a F r e n ch
m i n ister wh o was arrested i n 1 744 while p assi n g throu gh
Han o ver He was se ized by the tr oo ps o f Georg e I I
As George I I of
w h o was then at w a r with F ra n ce
E n gla n d was also ruler of Ha no ver h e had a right to
make the se izure i n his o w n territory
I t is evide n t that V a tte l means t o limit the righ t to
seize the amb assad o r o f an an e m y a n d that in h is o pin
i o n this righ t can b e exe r cised on ly where o n e h as a
”
“
righ t to c o mmit acts o f h o sti l i ty
This can no t b e
d on e o n the deck o f a n eutral ship u n less the r e is suf
I f t he Trent had
fi c ie n t cause fo r su ch a pr o ceedi n g
bee n co nveying tr oo ps to the C onfederates o r if she
had escaped thr o ugh a Federal bl o ckadi n g s qu adr on
she w ou ld then hav e bec o me liable to seiz u re and ac ts
o f h o stili ty could h av e been exercised agai n st her by
C aptai n Wilk e s Since she had been guil ty o f nothing
it is evident that the o nly gro u nd for
o f this character
pr o ceedi n g aga in st her was the assumpti o n that the Co n
federate amb assad o rs were o n b o ard h er and that th e ir
presence there gave t o her a h o stile character But the
l atter fact is the test o f righ t—a thi n g which we are not
warranted i n assuming A neutral vessel is n o t a plac e
o ver wh ich o n e can exercise acts o f ho s t ility u nless
the r e be evidences o f a bre ach o f neutrality I t is not
“
a p l ace over which on e is m aster
The me r e fact
that amb assad o rs o f a h o stile p o wer are o n bo ard a ne u
tral vessel is n o t o f i tself evide n ce o f a breach o f ne u
I f Captain Wilkes had made the arrest in one
tr a l ity
of the so u thern bl o ckaded ha rb o rs o r if he had inter
c e p te d the Theod o ra a n d captu red t he c o mm ission e rs ,
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2
5
TH E
2
TR ENT A FFA IR
.
the D u tch government to carry fo r a c onsideration su ch
pers on s as might be designated w i th o ut regard t o n um
ber She thus became a tra n sp o rt ship u n de r the con
tr o l o f the e n emy let t o d o h o s ti le se rvice Du rin g the
te r m o f her c on tract she was subject t o the or ders o f an
e n emy ; her voyage in th is insta n ce began at a h o stile
po rt ; i t was to end at a p o rt o f the same ene my An
atte m pt was m ade t o c on ceal these facts
S u ch were the circu m sta n ces in the case which l ed to
th e c on dem n ation o f the Or o z e m b o The c o ndi t i o ns
under wh i ch the voyage w as m ade and the presence o n
b o ard her o f three disti n gu ished m ilitary o fli ce r s w o uld
have been s uffi cient cause f o r c o ndem n ati o n w i th ou t
taking i n t o acc o u n t the fact that she carried tw o o ffi cers
in the c i vil empl oy o f H o ll a n d After an no unci n g the
“
pri n ciple tha t a vessel hi r ed b y the e n emy fo r the co n
v e ya n ce o f m il i tary pers on s is to be c on sidered a trans
”
p o rt subject t o c o ndemnati o n S ir Willia m Sc o tt says
“
w hether the principle w o uld apply t o them alone
”
o fli c e r s
civil
d
o
n
o
t
feel
it
necessary
to
determine
I
)
(
He the n uses the l a n guage qu o ted by Se w a r d Th e
passage referred t o b y Mr Seward is on ly a d i ctu m —a
pers on al o pi n i on o f the judge—a n d is no t t o be under
st oo d o r c onstrued as a n es t ablished p r inciple o f public
law An able wr it er o f i n te rn a t i o nal law sa y s o f this
“
q u otatio n :
E ve n as a d i ctu m it d o es no t t o uch the
case o f a neutral vessel no t le t o u t as a transport a n d
merely havi n g ci vil O ffi cers o f a be l l i ge r e n t g o vernme n t
on b o ard without other ci r cumstances tendi n g to sh o w
” 1
the vessel herself t o b e i n the e ne my s service
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1
Se e
Wh e ato n s I nte rnati onal
p age 64 1
’
.
L aw,
edite d by
Da
na note
,
,
MR
SE
.
WA R D
’
S OP I N I ON
E
XA M I N
E D
2
.
53
appe ars then from a ca r e ful c o ns iderati o n o f the
au thor i ti es rel ied up on by Mr Se w ard t o establish the
c ontrab a n d character o f the m en that h is con c l u sion is
n o t w arr ant ed
He als o held that the d ispatches o f the Confed e rate
c ommiss ion ers were c on trab a n d a n d their bearers liable
t o c on demnati on N O re as on fo r this o pini o n was given
s ave the rel ati o n o f the supp o sed c on te n ts of the dis
patches t o the errand o f Messrs Mas o n and Slidell
ab ro ad The onl y k no wledge o f the natu re or even the
e x iste n ce o f these d ispa t ches w a s b ased u p o n i n for ma
t io n o f the ir arrival i n E ur o pe fu rn ished by the U ni ted
States c on sul at Par i s 1 I n the case o f the R apid
an America n v essel pr o ceed i n g from New Y o rk
to T o n n in ge n b o th neutral p o rts it w a s held that where
a neutral vessel no t in the empl oy o f a n e ne m y tra n s
ports n o xio u s dispatches w h i le pursuing her regu lar em
pl oyme n t her guilt depends up on the act o f her m aster
in receivi n g s u ch co m m u n ic a
o r those in charge o f her
tions I n s u ch cases S i r William S c o tt l aid down the
“
rule that the cauti on must b e propo r tioned t o the cir
”
c u m s ta n ce s u n der w hich such papers are rece ived
It
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i i r s h ad o fli ci al di sp atc h e i t h e ir p o sse ss i o n
M r A l fre d S lid ll a s o n o f o e o f
w h il e o n b o a rd th e T re t
th e c o m m i ss i o e r s a d a p sse g e r o n th e T r e t t th e ti m e s h e
a r e e t l e tt e r o f i q u iry fr o m
sw e r t
w a s t o pp e d s a id i
a n d S lid e ll w e r e s e iz e d
th e au th o r : A t th e ti m e M e r s M a o
by Ca pt Wil k e s t h ey w e r e o f c o r se i p o s se ss i o n o f th e ir
l e tte r s o f c re d e n ce b e id e o t h e r Offi c i a l d o cu m e n t A s f a s
I c a n r e m e m b e r n o se a r c h w a m a d by th e o ffi c e rs o f th e S a n
J i to fo o ffi c i al d o cu m e ts n o a y a tte m pt m a d e to i n te r
fe r e w ith th e m em b e r s o f th e fam ili es o f th e four ge n tl emen
”
seized
1
c o m m ss o n e
T he
s
n
s
n
,
an
o
“
ss
,
s
,
.
r
u
a
n
n
n
s
e,
s
n
n
,
s
,
ac n
s
.
,
,
.
c
n
,
n
n
a
n
n
e
.
.
n
,
r
n
.
ar
2
TR E N T
TH E
54
AF FAI R
.
w a s he ld that when each term in u s of th e voy a g e is
” 1
“
a n eu tral port there is less to excite h is vigilan ce
E v e n this rule is relaxed in the case of diplo m ati c dis
z
A
m
ore
stringent
r
u
le
would
s
u
b
j
ect
ne
u
tral
h
a
c
e
s
s
t
p
vessels to a m ost irks o me surveillance and greatly dis
t u rb mail com m u n icati o ns since n o t even a single l e tter
c ould b e accepted with s a fety
The case o f the Car o l i ne has already b e en c ited
This was the case o f an American vessel which was
captu red wh ile pro c eeding f r o m New Y ork to Bordeaux
in 1 808 She carried a d i spatch fr o m the F ren ch m in
ister in the United S t ates t o h i s o wn g o vern m ent S ir
Willia m S c ott held i n this i n stance that diplo ma tic dis
patches ar e not c o ntrab a nd o f war s inc e th e y are not
presumed t o partak e o f a host i l e n ature I t is tr ue th at
they may b e s o but the remedy is n o t the c aptu re o f th e
ship The r e dress m ust b e p o li t ical and diplo m ati c
3
The case o f the Atalanta has been cit e d as on e wher e
diplo m ati c dispatches were regarded as contrab and o f
war There are however m any points o f diff e renc e
betw ee n the c as e o f this vessel and that of th e Trent
The Atal anta was a ne u tr al vessel which c arri e d dis
patches of an o fli cial character They w ere in ch arge
a nd
o f the s u percarg o wh o pla n ned t o c o nce al the m
ac tu ally did th is when his vessel was boarded and
searched by a British cruiser The noxi ou s papers wer e
d iscovered o nly by accident This vessel also carri e d a
French artillery offi cer who w as disguised as a pl a nte r
It
.
,
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,
,
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,
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,
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,
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,
1
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pid E d w a rd s R e p o rt s p
M a di s o n E d w a rd s R e p o rt s
Se e
c ase o f
th e R
S ee
c a se
th e
Se e 6 R
of
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0
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460
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2 2 8.
p
.
2 24
.
2
THE TR ENT A FFA IR
6
5
.
trans m ission He had in fact e x erc i sed all o f the legal
ca u tion tha t was n ecess a ry i n rece i vi n g t hem o n b o ard
his ship He had n o k no w ledge o f the i r c ont en t s I f
in 1 8 1 0 British law regarded as in no ce n t every vessel
plyi n g b etween n e ut r al p o rt s this w o uld ha v e been c o n
c l u siv e in favor o f t he R apid w it h o ut a n y I n qu i ry what
e v er in t o the c on duct o f her mas t e r The fact o f neu
tral te r m i n i o f her voy age w o u l d u n d o ubtedly ha v e
been the gro u n d o f her release if S ir W il li a m Scott
had u nderst oo d this t o be B r i ti sh law at that time Since
he d id not s o decide the on l y i n fe r e n ce w hich can be
dra w n fr o m h i s c o urse is that he d id no t u n derstand
such to be the l aw
D ana in disc u ss i n g the p r ob able decisi o n o f an
American prize c o urt c on cer n i n g this matter says :
“
As the o ffi cial cha r acte r o f these pers on s the g e rie r al
natu re o f their missi on a n d the p ro b able ge n eral char
acter o f the i r papers a n d the te r m i n i o f the i r j o u rn ey
were well kno w n t o the perso n s i n charge o f the Tre n t
a n d they t oo k them on b o a r d k n ow i n gly a n d v o lu n ta r ily
t o fra n k them u n der the neut r al flag o ver a part o f their
hazard ou s passage the r e can be no d o ubt t hat the fate
o f the Trent w o uld have bee n the same
whether her
” 1
C on trary
ter m i n i we r e neutral o r h o s t ile p ort s
O pinio n s h ow ever a r e no t di ffi cult to fi n d An em in e n t
“
American auth o ri ty say s :
The character o f the vessel
the
Tren
t
as
a
packet
ship
c
onv
eyi
n
g
mai
l
s
a
n
d
e
i
)
(
passe n gers from on e neut r al p o rt to a no ther al m ost pre
c l u ded the p o ss i bility o f guilt E ven if h o stile military
e
rsons
had
b
e
en
found
o n board it m ight b e a que stion
p
.
,
,
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,
,
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,
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,
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,
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,
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.
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,
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,
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,
1
n a s Wh eato n no te
Da
’
,
,
sec
ti o n
5 04
.
VA R I O U S OP I N I ON S E
XA M I N
E D
2 57
.
I
wh e ther their prese nce wo u ld involv e the s h ip in gu ilt
a s they were g o ing fro m a neutral c o u ntry to a ne u tral
” 1
c ountry
As an e xa m ple o f an o pi n i o n in which this sa me
doctr i ne is carried to the e xtrem e that of M Haute
feu ille m ay be ment io ned He susta i ns Lo rd R u s
sell s position a n d decl ares wi thout res e rv e that the sail
i n g o f a ne u tral vessel betwee n two neutral ports is ab
s olu te and co n clus ive evide n ce in her fav o r 2 This
h o wever is on ly a pe r s on al o p i ni on n o t based up o n jud i
c ia l precede n t
and hence n o t w o rthy o f spe c ial con
s iderati o n
The s ou nder rule o f i n ternational l aw as ded u ced
fro m the pra c tice of both E n glish and Americ a n prize
c o urts seems t o b e that the fact of the sailing o f a neu
tral vessel betw ee n two ne u tral p o rts is n o t t o be r e
garded as an indifferent m atter in determ ining th e qu es
ti o n o f her gu ilt o r i n n o ce n ce I t is always an evidence
in fav o r of the neutral altho u gh not by any m eans a c on
e lusive o n e
The Qu een s ne u tral ity pr o cla m ati o n issued at the
beginning of th e war fo rb ade her m ajesty s s ubjec t s
“
fr om c arrying o ffi cers s o ldie r s d i sp a tcfi es arms m ili
”
tary stores etc fo r either o f the c on te n ding parties
I t has b ee n held that this al o ne w o uld have bee n s uffi
cient t o d ec ide th e case agai n st the Trent Such a view
“
of the m atter is ho w ever not co rr ect Th e ter m d i s
,
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,
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’
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,
,
,
,
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,
,
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,
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’
,
’
,
,
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,
,
,
,
,
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.
,
1
L aw ,
1
na
Wo o l sey
s e c ti o n 1
99
Dr
.
,
.
,
I
ntro ducti on
to
th e
S
tu dy
of
I
nte rna ti onal
.
Se e H
ti ona l
17
’
au te fe u i l le s
Law
.
”
Pa m p h l e t ,
“
ue sti o n s
CL
of
M a ritim e I nte r
2
THE TR ENT A FFA IR
8
5
.
”
as
used
i
n
the
pr
o
clamati
on
evidently
me
ans
p
those of a mi l itary nature on ly si n ce it is enumerated
al o ng w i th o ther w o rds used to de fi n e O perations o f that
kind The langu age does no t express o r even imply
any relati o n t o c o mmunicati on s o f a dipl om ati c natu re
I t was n o t the desig n o r i n te n t o f the pr o clamatio n to
l ay d ow n a ny new inter n ati o nal l aw but only t o warn
Bri ti sh subjects agai n st the thi n gs al r e ady fo rbidden by
the l aw o f na t i on s and by the s t atutes o f Gre at Britain
I t was simply an appl i ca tion o f t hese vari ou s laws to
the existi n g s ta tu s o f the bel l i ge r e n ts
D iploma ti c pers on s are b y the l aw of nati o ns e n
ti tled t o the special fav o r a n d p ro tecti on of govern
me n ts Si n ce Messrs Mas o n a n d Slidell were th e
representatives o f a n u nrec o g n i z ed i n su r ge n t power the
ques t i o n arises as t o w he ther the y w ere entitled t o any
o f the immu nit ies a n d privileges u ni fo rmly e x te n ded to
dipl o m a t ic m i ni sters Ther e is n o j ud i c i al decisi o n
w hich bea r s even rem o tely up o n a ma t ter o f this ki n d
O n the on e hand it may be s aid that the go vernme n t
represented by these me n had received n o s o rt o f rec o g
The i r missi o n was
n itio n e x cept that o f bellige r e n cy
no t the u su al on e o f d iplo m atic represe n tati v es wh o
c o nduct the friendly a n d established dipl o macy o f s ov
e r e ign n ations
but it w a s to o b t ain fo reig n aid f o r an
insurrecti on i n America a n d t o be c o me rec o gn ized mi n
i ste r s ab r oad should the i n dependence o f the C o n
federacy b e establ i shed
On the o ther ha n d it m ay be a r gu ed that w here an
insurgent p o w er has been rec o g n i z ed as a belligerent
this carries with it the right t o mai n tai n at least inform al
relati o ns with foreign states wh o se subje c ts may have
i
a te/ es ,
,
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.
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,
TH E
260
TR E N T
AFFAI R
.
h av e to be don e u pon prin c ipl e a nd with o u t the a id of a
ju di c i a l pr ece d e nt
I n c onsid e rin g the que stion as to wh ethe r the Con
fed e r a t e c o mm issioners were contrab a nd of w a r or not
“
C a ptain Wilk e s s the o ry that they w e re the e m b od i
”
”
“
m ent o f dispatches or living e pistles
d e serves a
b rief noti ce I t was only a c leverly devised fi ction of
p u bli c law a nd of no val u e I t has nev e r r ec e ived any
r eco gnition wh atever fr om o ffi cial o r a u tho ritativ e
“
I t is si m ply absurd to
so u rc e s Dr Wo o lsey s ays :
” 1
say th at these m e n were livi n g dispatches
Co un t d e
“
The doctrine o f m a n d isp a tclzes is th e
G asp ar in s ays :
w ea k sid e of the A m erica n argu ment I n such a matter
it is not p e rm issible to extend by force of re asoning or
e v e n a f or ti or i th e ca t e gories fi xed by the l a w of
” 2
nations
C a pt a in W ilkes h a d a n u ndo u bte d righ t to stop a nd
s ea rc h th e Tr e nt for contraband o f w a r Offi c i a lly it
w a s ne ith er denied nor c ompl a ined o f b y the Britis h
gov e rn me nt W riters o n internation a l l aw a r e pr ac ti c
a lly u na n i m o u s in their s u pport of th e do c trin e th a t a
b elliger e nt c ru is e r m ay se a r c h n eu tral ships for c ontra
b a nd in ti me of w ar This is a right that is b oth j u st
a nd ne ce ss a ry sin ce it is th e only w ay by wh ic h th e bel
l ige r e n t m ay a s ce r t a in beyond do ub t w he th e r the n eu tral
is p e rform ing c ontr ab a nd servi ce for a n e n em y
I n th e beginning of this dis cu ssion it was st a t e d tha t
th e right o f Captain W ilk e s to captu r e the Trent de
pended u pon th e legal ity o f her ac t in c arrying th e m en
a nd the ir d isp a tch e s a nd tha t th is in tu rn d e p e nd e d
.
,
’
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,
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1
I
1 “
,
ntro d uc ti o n to th e S tu dy o f I nte rnati o nal Law sec ti o n 1 99
”
L A m er ique d evan t l E ur ope ch apter o n th e T re nt
,
’
’
,
.
.
TH E
SE I Z
UR E
UN S U S TA I N E D
26 1
.
u pon the ir c ontr aba nd cha r ac ter Whe n M r Se ward
assume d th at they w e r e c ontr ab and th e b u rd en of proof
r e sted u pon hi m He a ppealed to Britis h au tho rities
only in s u pp o rt of h is position I f th e present e x am ination
o f these a uthoriti e s has shown th at Mr Sew a rd s positi o n
was un t e n abl e and that the m e n were not c o n tr ab and o f
w a r it follows that Captain Wilkes h ad no righ t to cap tu r e
the Trent unless th ere wer e oth e r re asons for s uc h a
pr oc ed u re I f no s uc h right e x isted then c l e arly no
right w a s waiv e d—as clai m ed by Mr S ew ard—when
she w a s permitted t o pr o ceed u p o n her j ou rn e y ins tead
o f being brought into p o rt for adj udicati o n I f th e me n
a nd th e ir dispat c hes were n o t c o ntraband of w a r ther e
appears to be no v a l id reason fo r th e c ap tu r e
I t c a n not be h eld that the U nited State s had the righ t
to se ize th em a s a n exer c is e of o cean p o lic e pow e rs
s uc h a s E ngland pr a cti c ed a half century before whe n
she took o u t of ne u tral ships m en o f pretended E nglis h
b irth Any s u ch position w a s discl ai m ed by M r Se w
ard and it is a ma tter of history that the United S tat e s
h as alw ays d e ni e d the e xist e n ce of s u ch a right
Neith e r ca n it be pret e nded that th e seizur e w a s ju sti
fi ab le beca use the m en w e r e rebel s or p o l itical offe nd
e rs no m atter what th e r e l ation of their gov e rn me nt
was to th e other govern m ents of the world T he U nited
States has always ma intained the right of a syl um for
this c l ass of me n and th e right of a fore ign pow e r to
do this in the ca s e of A m erican offe nd e rs c o u ld not be
consistently denied A c ri m in a l or a tr a itor c an not b e
tak e n fro m the prot ec tion of a ne u tral foreign flag e x
ce pt in acc ord a n ce with th e provisions of a tr e aty b e
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2 62
TH E
A F F AI R
TR E N T
.
th e powe rs pr o viding f o r the ex tradition of s u ch
o ffe n ders acc o rdi n g t o f or ms o f l aw
I f i n dependently o f the fact that the co mm issi on ers
and the ir d i spa t ches were o n b o ard there had e x isted
a ny val i d reas on fo r se i zi n g the Tre n t a n d bri ng in g her
into p o rt th i s c o u r se could have been purs u ed a n d as
s o on as she had e n tered American waters thes e men
being citize n s o f th e U nit ed States w o uld have been
a m enable t o the l aws o f thei r c ou ntry Their arrest a n d
impriso n ment the n w o uld have been entirely legal I t
wo u ld h ave bee n in that case onl y a n i n cidental m at
ter which c o uld be in n o way c onn ected with the cap
tu re and det e ntion of th e v e ssel upon which they trav
tween
.
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
.
.
,
,
e le d.
If
the Trent had be e n bro u ght into port a priz e co u rt
would have m et with d i ffi cul t ies in adj usti n g the case
Mariti m e l a w deals o n ly i n r em that is with thi n gs o r
pr o perty n o t wi t h pers on s The ship and her cargo
wo u ld hav e been e ither c on de mn ed as priz e o r rele ased
with an award o f damages t o her o wners But what
ever the decisi o n Of the c o urt concer n i n g the vessel and
her carg o the s ta tu s o f Messrs Mas o n a n d Slidell
wo u ld h ave been precisely the sa me Dana i n review
ing this m atter s ays that u n der these circumstances they
“
could n o t be c o nde mn ed o r released by the court
They w o uld d o ubtl e ss have been held as pris on ers o f war
by the U n ited States g o ver n ment I n the eve n t o f a de
c isio n favorab le t o the capt o rs the case o f the pers o ns
” 1
would still be a dipl o matic o n e
I f A m eri c an d o ctri n e had been consulted Mr Sew
a rd c ou ld h av e fo u nd in it nothing t o sustain his views
,
.
,
,
.
,
.
.
,
,
.
,
.
.
,
.
,
h
t
n
nt
rn
ti
n
l
W
a
o
I
a
o
a
e
s
e
E
1
m
’
L aw ,
se c
ti o n 5 04 no te
,
.
.
2 64
TH E
TREN T A FFA IR
.
ther e w a s no treaty be tw ee n th e tw o c o u n tr i e s b y
which c o ntraband o f war was de fi ned in pre c is e term s
Where no s u c h tre a ties existed be twe e n th e se two
c ountries it can not be hel d th at anything is positively
proved by th e argument here offered b ut the c oncl u si o n
to be dra wn by analogy is self evident
I t wo u ld h ave been mo re consistent with the past
record o f A m erican diplo m acy if the releas e of th e
Confeder a te co mm issi o ners had b een m ade u pon the
ground that the l aw of nations a s understood a nd inte r
r
e
e
t
d by th e United States govern m e n t doe s not per
p
m it a belligerent t o take fro m a fre e ne u tr al ship e ither
non m ilitary disp a tches o r any cl a ss o f persons e xcept
o ffi cers or soldiers in the actual servi ce of the ene m y
I t is to be regretted that the m en w e re s u rrendered
upon the gro u nd that altho u gh th ey a nd their dispatch e s
were cont r ab and yet the right to re t a in the m h a d b een
f o rfe it e d when Captain Wilkes vol u ntarily rel ea s e d the
Trent instead of bri nging h er into port for adju dic a tion
The following gen e ral con c l u sions see m to b e war
ranted fro m a carefu l exa m inati o n of th e Trent c a s e :
I
The c o m mission e rs wer e not c ontrab and of w a r in
a ny sens e of that ter m
2
Th e ir disp a tches be ing of a non m ilit ar y Cha r ac
ter were not contrab a nd of w ar
e
A
ne
u
tr
a
l
pow
e
r
is
ntitled
b
h
old
ne
ce
ssary
i
n
t
3
for m al r e la t i o ns with a n u nrec o gnized belligerent
The
Trent
had
in
n
o
way
violated
her
d
u
ties
as
a
4
neutral ship when she was stopped by th e S an Jacint o
Captain
Wilkes
had
a
n
u
ndoubt
e
d
right
t
o
stop
5
and search th e Trent for c ontrab and of w ar I n the
abs e n ce of anything of th is c h ara c ter only resist a n c e to
.
,
,
-
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-
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-
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,
S U M M A R T OF
C ON CL U S I ON S
26
.
5
righ t of s e ar ch wo u ld have ma de the Tre nt li ab le to
c apture As a ma tter of fact h e r captain did refu s e
a ll fa c ilities for search and m ade it known th a t h e
yielded only to s u peri o r for c e What vi e w a priz e
c o u rt m ight h ave t a k e n of this ca n b e only a m atter of
c onje ct u re
6 I n any e vent Captain Wilkes h ad no right to seize
th e p e rs o ns or dispatches o f the Confederate comm is
s io n e r s w h il e th ey wer e on b o a rd th e Trent on th e high
se a s
V
iewed
solely
fro
m
t
he
st
a
ndpoint
of
int
e
rnati
o
nal
7
l aw so u nd reasons wer e not given f o r th e s u rrend e r of
th e co mm issioners b y S ecret a ry Seward
“
Mr Blaine says
I t is not believed th at the do c
trine anno u nced by Mr Seward can b e m aintain e d o n
so u nd principles o f international law The restoration
of the e nvoys on any s u ch app a rently in sufli cie n t b asis
did n ot avoid the m o r tifi catio n o f the surr e nder ; it only
deprived u s o f the f u ller credit and adva n tag e whi c h we
m ight h ave se cu red fro m th e a c t I t is to b e regr e tt e d
that w e did n o t place the restor a tion of the prisoners
u pon franker and tru er ground viz that their seiz u r e
was in viola t i o n o f th e principl e s which w e wo u ld not
ab a ndon either for a te m p o rary advantage or t o s av e
”
the wo u nding o f o ur national pride 1
V iewed fr om any standpoint M r S eward s positi o n
is u n tenable I f it h ad prevailed and had be e n fu lly
re co gnized as a doctr ine of intern ational l aw a ba c k
ward step in m ariti m e affairs would hav e b e en taken
I nstead o f enlarged rights for ne u trals a nd a gr e ater
fr ee d om u pon the ocean ther e wo u ld hav e be en a r e
th e
.
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,
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!
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’
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,
1
T we nty Ye ars
of
Co ngre s s , V o l
.
I
,
p
.
5 85
.
2 66
TH E
TR E N T A F F A I R
.
tu rn tow ard the narrow a n d illiberal m ariti m e policy
wh ich prev a iled during the N apoleonic wars R eprisals
would h av e b ee n invited ; naval c o mm anders every
where wo u ld h a v e b ee n transform ed into ad m iralty
ju dges ; and e v e ry n eu tr al de c k wo u ld h ave b e en liabl e
”
“
to b e c hanged into a floating j u dg m ent seat
A m eri
c an m ariti me poli cy a nd principl e wo u ld h av e b een r e
vers e d
Th e right to c aptu r e the Conf e d e rate c o mm issioners
s eeme d very de ar to the p e opl e of the N o rth By th e
s u rrend e r o f th e captu r e d persons all o f th e i m medi a te
r e s u lts of the se iz u r e were lost Although th e sacri fi ce
s eeme d a grievo u s on e yet th e a pp are n tly u nfav o rable o ut
c o me of th e wh o l e m atter from th e standp o int o f inter
n a tion a l l aw w a s a bene fi t n o t only t o the United States
bu t to the world I t was a vindi c ati o n of the princ i ple
for whi ch A m erica had a lways c o ntended E n gland
having co mm itted herself to the A m erican do c tri n e it
b e c am e in this u nexpected m anner fi r m ly a nd f o rever
i mbedd e d in the principles o f i n ternational law A
triumph was thu s realized f o r there re m ained n o t a
s ingl e n a tion in all the worl d to dis p ut e this principl e
.
.
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,
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,
,
,
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,
.
A U T H O R I T I E S A N D R E F E R E N CE S
1.
2
d am s J Q ; M e m o irs V o l V
A d m ir a lty R e p o rts E d w a r d s s a n d R o b in son s
A m e ri c a n L aw R e vi e w V o l v
B e rn a rd M o ntagu e : N eu tra lity o f Gre a t Brita i n d u ring
th e A m e ri c a n C ivil War
Bl i e J a m e s G : T we nty Y e ars o f Congr e ss V o l 1
D an a s Wh e a t o n s I nte rn a ti o na l L aw
E dinbu rgh R e vi e w J anu a ry 1 86 2
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CHAPT E R
REF
LE CT I ON S
ON
TH E
C
XX
OU R S E O F
E R N
ME
N T
.
THE
BR I T I
SH
G OV
.
the laps e of a third of a ce nt u ry th e c o u rs e of
the British g overn m ent in the affair o f the Trent m ay
be c onsidered c a l m ly and with o ut passi o n or prejud ice
I n the abs e nce o f such influences it sh ou ld be easy to
dr aw co rre ct c oncl u s i o ns c o ncerni n g the m o tives which
c ontrolled the action of the E n g l ish m inistry o n that
o cc as ion Th e fac ts which ha v e be e n prese n ted in
for me r c h apters sp ea k f o r the m s e lv e s E xte nd e d c o m
me nt u pon th e m is u nnecessary
I n view of all the circ u mstances o f t he c a se the r e ca n
b e b u t on e co ncl u si o n p o ssible and th at is o ne which is
unfavorable to E ngl and The acti o n taken by her gov
c ra m ent in that inst a nc e w as u nwarranted by t he n a tu r e
of th e cas e ; it was n o t consistent with e ither th e pr e
tended position o f E ngland as a leader of c iviliz a tion or
wi th the past rec o rd of that c o untry as regards he r
treatm ent of neutrals ; a nd last but n o t least her co u rs e
was ad o pt e d a nd pursu e d with th e intention of d e
l ib e r a te ly m enacing the Unit e d States of A m erica at a
ti m e when they wer e already engaged in a d ea dly str u g
gl e , a nd l ea st abl e to r e sent forei gn i n s u lts
2
5
( 9)
A FT E R
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2
TH E
7
0
TR E N T
AFFAI R
.
is true th at no govern m ent can hop e to m aintain
the re sp e ct of the civilized w o rld if it ta m ely s u bmits
t o w anton o u trage perpetrated against its flag When
pre m ed i tated insult is o ffered the na t i o nal honor sh ou ld
be vindicated alth ou gh it be necessary to do so by an
appe a l to arms and the f o rtu n es o f even a d o ubtful
war Th e s e things have been u rged in j usti fi cati o n o f
the c ond uc t of th e British g o v e rn me nt in th e affair of
the Trent
I t is not tr ue th a t the ac t of Captain Wilk e s w a s a n
”
“
outrag e o n th e British flag a s has b e e n so often
affi r m ed b y a pol o gists for the cours e purs u ed by E n g
l a nd o u that o c casion The seizure of the so u thern
c o mm iss ion e rs was not a n act which c an b e s aid to p o s
s e ss a ny of th e e sse n tial q ualitie s o f outrage I t was
don e a s ha s alre ady been stated in a preceding chapt e r
with o u t a ny a u thority wh a tever fro m the F ederal gov
Alth ou gh the pr o ceed i ng was irregu lar a nd
c ra me nt
not s anction e d by the principles of internati o nal law
ther e existe d o n the part o f Captain Wilkes n o t the
sl ightest intenti on t o o ffer a n affr o nt to the Brit i sh flag
F illed with patri o tic zeal t o serv e h is own country he
was guil ty o f h a vi n g st o pped a British m ail packet o n
th e high seas and taken from her four A me rican c iti
z e ns insurgents pr o ceeding to E ur o p e in t he h o pe o f
sec u ring assista n ce there t o a cco m p l ish the ru i n of their
c o u ntry No harm was d o ne o r o ffered to the person
or property o f any Bri t ish sub j ect I t did not lie within
the p ow e r of C aptain Wilkes t o insult the British nation
u nless his a ct h a d been previo u sly ordered by h is gov
c r a ment or afterward s a nct io ned by it
I t oft e n happens in war a nd not infre qu ently in p e ac e
It
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THE TREN T A FFA IR
7
2
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a ct the Britis h go vern m ent m ade a n inst a nt a nd p e r
e mpt o ry de m a n d fo r reparati o n which was dictated by
themsel v es a n d backed by m o re ac tive prepara ti on s fo r war
than had bee n made in that c ou nt ry since th e Nap o le o ni c
1
era
N o o n e knew w he ther the a ct had been co m
m itte d in p ur sua nc e o f instru cti o ns fro m the Federal
g o vernment o r n o t There w a s t o be no discussion o f
the case ; n o c o nsiderati o n o f what the A m eri c an gov
e r n m e n t m i ght have to sa y ; no a rbi trati o n o r dipl o
m a t ic mea n s o f o btaining redress in accorda n ce with
the practice o f fr ie n d l y nati on s The United States
were gi v en the alte rn a t ive o f accedi n g to the per
emp t ory dema n d o f G reat Britain or o f engaging in a
w ar w ith that c o u n try
The fi rst comm u nicati o n to the Washi n gt o n govern
m ent w a s an u lt imatu m—a last a n d on l y c on dit ion a
begin n i n g w ith the e n d The n a tu ral begin n i n g in such
a case w o uld h ave b een t o ask fo r an explanati on o f in
ten tio ns and to de m and repa r a t i on o f the wr on g done
with o ut at the sa m e time prepa ri n g fo r war I n disc u s
sing the E ngl i sh ul t imatu m C o unt De G a sp ar in says :
“
P ubl ic O pi n i on mo re o ver was ar ou sed i n E uro pe
with u n fo resee n rap i d i ty ; the precipitati o n o f the meas
ure ad o pted at L o nd o n was judged seve r e l y ; the clause
c on ce rn i n g ap o l o gy was als o ab and on ed i n fact But it is
n o less i n credible that i t fi gur ed in the o rigi n al pr o gramme
Little ch i ldren are made to ask pard on the h um iliati o n
of a p o logy is inflicted o n c ou ntries w i th o ut r e gu lar gov
e r n m e n t on Turks and savages ; between na t ions which
respect each o ther m utua lly it is always d eeme d sufli
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Se e Li fe
of
Th
u rlow We e d
,
Vo l
.
I
,
p
.
643
.
TH E
B
RI TIS H
UL
TIM A T U M
2
.
73
cient sat i sfac t i on t o repair the wr o ng and de ny th e h o s
” 1
t i le in te ntion
The M orni ng P o st a n d o ther L o nd on n ewspapers de
fe n ded the ult i ma t um o n the gr o u n d tha t the act o f
Cap t ai n Wi l kes was the l as t o f a ser i es o f h o st i le acts
des i g n ed t o b r i n g ab o ut a war I t w a s s a i d that th e
U n i t ed S t ates w e r e seek in g a pre t ext fo r decla r i n g war
agai n st E n gla n d a n d tha t M r Sewa r d des i red to he al
the d o mestic di ffi cu lty by pr o p o s in g t o rec on cile all dif
fe r e n c e s w it h the S o u t h a n d make a c o mm on assault o n
Canada They sa i d t hat if w a r mus t c o me it is best to
ch oo se on e s o w n t i me in s t ead o f aw ai t i n g the i n evitable
These s t ateme nt s a r e t oo s il l y to dese r ve seri o us con
I n re fu tin g t hese absu r d iti es C o u n t D e
s id dr a tio n
“
2
I ha v e fo ll o w ed the pr o gress o f
G asp ar in sa y s :
eve nt s in America as a t te ntiv e l y as a ny on e I h ave read
the Ame r ican n e w spape r s I have studied d o cume nt s
am on g o the r s t he fam o us c i rcu l ar o f Mr Seward ; I
h a v e see n there m o re tha n on e sig n o f disc on te n t with
the unsympa t hizi n g a tt i t ude o f E n gla n d ; I have also
see n the r e the symp to ms o f the s o me w h at n atural fe ar
which the i n terv e nt i on o f E u ro pe i n Mexico e x cites in
me n a tt ached t o the M on r o e d o c t r in e ; but as to thes e
incredible pl a n s ( a nn e x i n g Ca n ada
I ha v e never
”
d i sco v e r ed the sl i gh t est t r ace o f them
I t was o nly
E nglishmen wh o c o uld disc o ver such pl a n s
An ultimatum t o the Fede r al g o vernm ent—o ne pre
pared a n d fo rwa r ded w i th o ut seek in g expl a n ati o ns
w a s th e panace a f o r E nglish w o u n ded hon o r i n this in
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1 “ L ’A
1
Se e th e
18
d e va t l E u r o p e c h apte r o n th e T r e nt
”
l ast ch apte r o f h i s U n Grand P e upl e qui se re l eve
m ér i qu e
n
”
’
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“
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2
THE TR ENT A FFA IR
74
.
stanc e Only fi v e years before in the Paris congress
an E nglishma n L o rd Cl a r e n d on had prop o sed a rule
“
o f arbi trati o n that he said w o uld be a
barrier to th o se
conflicts which n o t i n fre q uen tly break o ut on ly beca u se
of the I m p o ssib ility o f offeri n g expl an a tions or of
”
coming to an understanding
This w a s a qu estion introd u ced by th e E nglish gov
e rnm e n t
I t was discussed with earnestness and a
fi nal vote p o stpo n ed u n til the R ussian representative
c ould obtain th e views o f his g o ver nm e n t by tele
raph
The
u
n
animous
de
clara
tio
n
assented
to
by
a
l
l
g
the powers i n cludi n g the U n ited S t a t es was as f o ll ows :
The ple n ip o te n tiaries d o no t h e s tita te to express the
wish i n the name o f their g ov er n ments that s t ates b e
tween which seri ou s d issensi o ns may arise shall have
reco u rse to the g oo d offi ces o f a f r iendly p ower as far
”
as circ um stan c es per m it before appe aling to arms
I f there has ever been a case where this rule pro
p o sed a n d ad o pted at the suggesti o n o f E n gland c o uld
be appl ied adva n tage o usly it was certai nl y in the in
stance under c on side r ati on A war was ab o ut t o bre ak
o u t thr o ugh
the imp o ssibi l ity o f o fferi n g e xpl a n at ion s
”
o r o f c o mi n g t o an understandi n g
This pr o p o siti on
s o e arnestly m ade and s o chee r fully asse n ted t o on ly
fi v e years bef or e was ut t e rly d isregarded at the fi rst
O pp o rtu nity t o put it i n to practice Th i s was an in co n
sis t ency n o t creditable to E n gl i sh character
There was abs o lutely no thi n g in the a ffair which
ju stifi ed a m enace o f war a n d if the British gove rn
me n t ever believed that such was the case it was s oon
undeceived I t has already been sta t ed in a previ o us
c h apter th a t on N o vember 30 Mr Se ward t o ok the
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2 76
TRE NT
TH E
A F F AI R
.
r ec eiv e d which had the slightest be aring on th e Tr e n t
c as e O n ly a few day s later the Observer p u blished a
su m mary o f all the eve n ts rel at i ng t o the c ase at th e
Close o f w h i ch w a s a fai r ly c o rrect acc o unt o f the s u b
sta n ce o f Mr Se w a r d s dispatch o f N o vember 30
“
“
After the appeara n ce o f that s ays Mr Adams
I
h ad no hes i t a t i o n i n d i scl o si n g t o pe r so n s w ith wh om I
c o nversed my k no wledge o f its c o rrect n ess
I t was
then with no l ittle surprise that they perce ived last week
when i n tell i ge n ce was received fr o m America o f the ex
i ste n ce o f such a paper a fo rmal de n ia l i n t he P o st that
a ny such paper h ad eve r b een c o mmu n icated t o th e
British g o vernme n t N o l on ger able t o deny the exist
e nce o f it the ne x t step was t o afli r m that I m ust hav e
s u ppressed it A n d no t satis fi ed w ith that the sa m e
press went o n to supply a m o tive fo r d o i n g s o in the
fa c t that cert ai n American parties had about the sa m e
ti m e appe ared in the ma r ket buyi n g up s to ck which
was the cause o f the rise i n the funds already alluded t o
Of c ou rse the assumpti on was that I was e n gaged in a
heavy stock j o bb i n g operati on for my own bene fi t and
” 1
that of my f r ie n ds
Th e Post evide n tly wa n ted to have the Britis h publ ic
b el i e ve a falseh oo d as lo n g as poss ible Fi n ally Lord
R u ssell s acc o u n t o f the m atter as given in a n o te to
L o rd Ly on s was pub l ished a n d the case was clear to
all But the P o st r emained s ile nt I t m ade n o r e tr ac
tion of its statemen t s ; no justifi cation f o r maki n g the m ;
neither did it discl ai m th e auth or ity upon which they
were made
There see m ed to b e an e ager n ess o n th e part of the
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1
Mr
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A
d am s to M r
.
S e wa
rd J an
,
.
1
7
,
I
862
.
B
RI TISH
I N C ON S I S T E N CT
2
.
77
British govern me nt to seize o n the occ asion a nd to
grasp the pre t ext f o r m aki ng war I t was loth t o giv e
u p this ch a n ce wh i ch h ad been so hastily ac c epted
Peac e was n o t wa n ted but war A kindr e d pe o pl e
were alre ady engaged in a struggle fo r th e ir very exist
e n c e yet fo r a di fference w hich it was easily possible to
a rrange by diplomatic mea n s this pr o fe ss e d l ea der of
civi l izati o n and b o asted enemy o f h u m a n sl avery did a ll
in her power to make a conflict inev i tabl e a nd the
tri u mph o f a n i n surge n t s l ave republic cert a in A f e w
a l mo st un k no w n E ng l ishme n present e d an addr e ss to th e
prime mi n ister at this time I t was an appeal fro m th e
Anti Slavery S o ciety The case was well stated They
“
s a id :
S u ch an undertaki n g on the part of E ngland
wo u ld n o t on ly be mo st humiliating but wo u ld la m ent
ably c o ntradict her past e ffo rts and f o rmer sacri fi ces for
th e liberty o f slaves ; it w o uld expose her pr o tests to th e
repr o ach o f h y p o crisy fr o m the rest o f the world ; it
w o uld destr o y her cla i m a n d cl o se her lips henceforth to
every appeal addressed t o the intelligen ce a nd c on
s c ience o f other nat io ns The m e mbers of the society
e xperience i n expressible horro r and repugnance at th e
thought o f seei n g their c o un t ry engaged in a w a r th e
”
virtu al end o f which w o uld be the de fens e o f slavery
“
o
f
The circ u msta n ces
this case perm itted re co urse to
”
the good o fli ce s of a frie n dly p o wer before rushing to
a r m s This w o uld pr obably have been prop o sed by
the United States if an y o pp o r tu nity t o do s o had been
p e rmitt e d I t is know n that this m eth o d wo u ld have
been m ost satisfactory to President L incoln B u t the
E nglish view o f the case w as that a bl o w had been r e
c e iv e d and this was n o t a m atter whi c h admitted o f
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2
TH E
8
7
TRENT A FFA IR
.
arbitr a tion I t m ust b e s e ttled by w a r unl e ss the Brit
ish dema n ds were insta n tly grant e d I t was n o t a n
o rdinary i n fracti o n o f i n ternational law ; it was a n e n o r
m ity a n d t here fo re e n tirely pr o per that the fi rst m essag e
sent t o Lord Ly o ns should instru ct hi m to demand his
p a ssports in s e ven days if the Federal govern m ent did
not sub m it fully to the co nditions dictated by E ngland
Captain Wilkes s error was entirely exc u sable I t
was i n no respe ct like any o f the genu ine outrages
which E ngland has b een gu ilty o f in her deali n gs with
A m erica I n 1 795 the British war ship A frica e ntered
A m eri c an waters with the avow ed intenti o n o f seizi n g
M F auchet the French mi n ister to the Un i ted States
He was travel ing fro m New York t o Newp o rt in the
packet Peggy a neutral A m erican vessel Having r e
ce iv e d intimations of the i n te n tion o f the c o mmander of
the Africa M F a uchet left the A m erican vessel at
Stonin gto n Conn When the Peggy had arrived al
m ost at the harb o r o f Newport and while within the
m ariti m e ju risdicti o n o f th e Un ited States she was
boarded fro m the Afri c a the trunks of the passengers
were sear c hed a n d gre at d isappoint m ent s h ow n on a c
co u nt o f the absence o f M Fa u chet The Bri t ish vice
cons u l at N ewp o rt a ided in th is m atter These facts
show that the Fre n ch m inister to the Un ited States
escaped seizure only beca u se h e had left the A m erican
packet a few hours befo re 1
F o r three q u arters o f a c entury E ngland m aintain e d
”
“
“
and prac t iced the right of search and seiz u re
The
victims were counted by th ou s a nds L ord Castlereagh
hi m self ad m itte d on the fl o or o f th e House o f Co m
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Se e Se
n ate E xe cu tive
D
ocum e nt
,
N
o
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n
4 , 3 7th Co g
.
,
3 d Se ss
.
TR ENT A FFA IR
TH E
2 30
.
Whatever wr on g w as i n flicted on the British flag by
the act ion o f Cap t a i n Wilkes had bee n ti me a n d aga i n
inflicted o n the Ame r ica n flag by o ffi ce r s o f the E nglish
na vy wi th o ut cause w ith o ut redre ss with o ut ap o l o gy
1
1
1
But i n V ie w o f the past and o f the l on g
series o f graver o u trages w i th w hich G r eat Britain had
s o w a n t on l y i n sulted the Ame r ican flag she might ha v e
re frained f ro m i nv o ki n g the j udgme n t o f th e civ ilized
w o rld agai n st u s a n d especial l y m i ght sh e h a v e refrai n ed
fr o m m ak in g i n the h o ur o f o ur s or e tr i al a n d o u r dee p
distress a dema n d w h i ch n o B ritish m in is t er w o uld
address to th is g o ve rn me n t in the day o f its stre n gth
and i ts po w er 1
I n c on clus ion it is w o rthy o f rema r k th at with u nim
p o rta n t excepti on s the rela ti o n s o f th e U n i t ed S t ates
with the va r i o us c o u n tries o f c o nti n e n tal E ur o pe have
alw ays b ee n o f the m o s t f ri e n dly a n d agr eeable cha r ac
ter I n the rev o luti o n F r a n ce rec o gn ized the str ug
gl i n g Ame r icans a n d furnished the m timely and sub s ta n
tial a id R ussia h as al w ays bee n th e stead fast friend o f
A m erica and pr o b ab l y w o uld ha v e aided the U nited
States in a th ird wa r agai n st E n gla n d in 1 86 1
W ar i n the ea r ly histo ry o f the United States a nd in
l ater times a success io n o f d i pl o mat i c disputes wh i ch
have o fte n threate n ed wa r c on s t i t ute much the larger
p o rti o n o f the rec o rd o f A n gl o Ame r ican inter n ati on al
relations This sh o uld be a matter o f s i n cere regre t i n
b o th c ou ntries Pres iden t Bucha n a n s t a t ed the case we l l
“
N o tw o na t i on s have ever e x isted on
w hen he s aid
the face o f the e arth which c o uld d o each other s o much
” 2
go od o r s o much h arm
I t is f o r this reason that
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Bl a ine s T we ty
1 E
’
:
“ no
n
2
d Se
Y e a rs
ss
1 11
of
Congr e ss , V o l
V
a
!
11
.
I
2
,
pp
.
6
8
7
5
.
CON CL U S I ON
281
.
every frie n d o f either c o u n try should des ire that the
n ext ce n tu ry o f the ir r e l ations m ay be one o f c o ntin uo us
peace and go o d will
-
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A U T H OR I T I E S
I
2
3
4
5
6
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7
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Bl a i n e J a m e s G
a s Wh e t o
D
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ty Y e a rs o f Co ngre s s
I te r a ti o a l L aw s e cti o n 5 04 n o te
D e G a sp a i : L A m é iqu d e va t l E u 0p e
D e G a p i : U n G r a n d P e u pl e qu i s e r e l eve
E di b u rg R e vi e w V o l c xv
E x D o cu m e t 2 d S e s i o n 3 5 th Co g re s s V o l 1 1
S e n a te E x D o c u m e t : V o l 1 3 d S e ss i o n 3 7th Co ngr e ss ;
N o 4 3 7th C o gr e ss 3 d S e s i
Sum n e r C h a rl e s : Sp e e c h in U S S e n a te J a n 9 1 86 2
,
an
’
.
T we n
:
’
n s
a
n
.
n
n
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.
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s
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,
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.
ar n
s
.
8
A N D R E F E R E N CE S
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s
,
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.
,
on
.
\
.
.
,
.
,
.
2 84
I N DE
X
.
B r iti sh gove rnm ent cou r se o f i T e n t c a se di scu sse d 2 69 ; u lti
m a tu m o f i
T r e nt c a se c o s id e r e d 2 72 —
n
in
o
s i s te n cy o f
c
;
4
2 74 ; m e n a c e s o f w a
by u n e ce ss a ry 2 74 ; re ce ive t h r o ug h
M A d a m s a ssu ra nce s of M S e w a rd s p a c i fi c i n te nti o n s 2 75 ;
tre a t m e nt o f s am e 2 75 6 ; a ddre sse d o T re n t c ase by A nti
s l ave ry s o c i e ty 2 77
B uc h an an J a m e s c o m m e nt s o f o n Briti h a n d A m e ri can re l a
ti o n s 1 3 1 4 2 80
C an a d a tr o o p s p u s h e d i t o by E gl a d 60 14 3 6 ; c o m m e n ts
1
h
u p o n by T hu rl o w We e d
b
y
t
L
o
nd
o
n
pr
1
e
s
e
s
;
44
44 5 ;
pre p a r ati ons fo w a i n 1 5 8
Ca r o li n e c a se o f th e c it e d 2 5 4 2 79
C ir cu l a r l e tte r to U S m i i te r s a b r o a d by M Bl a ck 3 1 ; by
M r S e w a rd 3 2 ; by M S e w a rd t g ove r o r s o f th e n o rth e r n
m
m
u
h
h
n
a
o
t
d
p
n
b
y
t
L
o
d
o
d
t
a
n
a
c
e
e
e
e
C
s ta te s 6 1 —
;
4
di a n pre ss 6 5—
67
Co m m o ns H o u s e o f m o ti o n to r e c o g iz e Co n fe d e r a te i n d e p e n d
e n c e in 3 5 ; M
G e ge y u pp rt s s a m e i n L o n d o n T i m e s 3 5
D e r by E arl o f c o n su lte d by Briti s h g o v e rn m e t in T re nt c ase
'
n
,
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r
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-
,
,
-
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r
r
,
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,
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,
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,
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n
o
.
n
,
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n s
.
,
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o
n
.
,
n
,
r.
,
r
r
o
s
.
,
n
,
,
1 43
.
,
.
,
,
.
i sp a tc h e s o f M e ss r s M a o n a d S lid e ll 1 1 2 ; c o ntr ab and n a
tu re o f 2 5 3 6 ; th e c o m m i s si e r c o s id e re d livi g di s p a tch e s
by Ca pt Wil k e s 1 3 1 1 9 ; t h i d o c tri e o t te b l e 2 60
E u r o p e a n p o w e r s re a l m o tive s o f in s u s t a i i n g E ngl and i n T re nt
D
n
s
.
on
-
,
1
,
.
,
n
s
n
n
s
,
.
,
n
,
c a se , 2 06 - 8
na
n
.
ve re tt E d w ard e xpre sse s Opi n i o i n T r e nt c as e 1 2 8
E x c ite m e nt in E ng l and o ve r T r e n t a ffa ir I 40 ; r e ac h e s
E
n
,
,
.
,
U S
.
,
1
75
.
,
.
i eu t D M r e ce ive s i n s tru c ti o s fro m Capt Wil ke s
1 0 1 1 02 ; p a rt t a k e n i
se iz u r e o f e v oy s 1 03 1 08 ; di scu s se s
T re nt c a se w it h Briti s h Capt M o ir 1 09
F au ch e t M F r e c h M i n i te r to U S a tte m pte d s e iz u r e o f i n
A m e ri c a n w a te r s by a Briti s h m a o f w a 2 78
F o re i g c o u n tri e s r e s p o se s o f to M r S e w a rd s ir cu l a r l e tte r 3 3
E gli s h h i s to ri a n r e ga rd s th e A m e ri ca n
F r e e m a n E d w a rd A
U ni o n a s a t a n e n d 2 9
G a ri b a ldi w i s h e s to vol u t e e r in F e d e r a l a rm y 3 3
y m p a thy w it h th e S o ut h 2 8 ;
e x pr e sse s
G l d to n e Wm E
c h a rg e s A m e ri c a n p e o pl e w ith in s ta b ility and co wa rdi c e 2 3 5 6
Fa
ir fax
L
,
.
.
.
n
,
n
-
n
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n
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n
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n
,
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-
-
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s
,
,
-
.
INDEX
28
.
5
Gro ti us c ite d 2 49
I n te rn a ti o n a l l aw in T re nt c a se 2 4 7 2 6 2
I ri h p e o pl e sy m p a th iz e w it h U S in T re nt a ffa ir I 48
I v e r s on S e n a t o r pre di c t s for e i gn a id fo r th e C o n fe d e racy 70
Ki ng T B u tl e r se e Y a n cey
L i n c o ln A b ra h a m vi e w s o n c a ptu re o f M a so n a n d S lid e ll 1 2 5—
6;
6 ; pr o p o se d di sp a tc h o f
ill u stra te s T re t c ase by s to ri e s 1 8 5—
to G re a t Brit a i n r e l a tiv e to T r e n t c as e 1 8 8
0
9
L ive rp o o l e xc it e d p u b li c m e e ti g a t o n a c co u t o f s e iz u re o f
M a so n a n d S lid e ll 1 46 7
L o d o n pr e ss o f c o m m e n ts o n s e iz u re o f M a s o n a n d S lid e ll
—
1 8 1 2 ; a di sse n ti
w
i
n 1
n
p
p
r
e
s
e
4
5
g
59 1 6 0
L ovej oy R e pre se n t a tive c o m m e t s o f u p o n su rr e nd e r o f M a s o n
a n d S lid e ll 2 2
1
2
9 3
Ly o s L o rd Briti h m i i s te r to U
re p o rts s e ce ss i o n o f
ta te s to h i s g o ve rn m e t 1 7; expre ss e s n o Opi n i o n i n
s o u t h e rn
T r e t c a se 1 3 1 ; c o diti o a l o rd e r to l e ave Wa s h i g t o n i n
1 71 ; to g iv e i n fo r m a ti o n to Briti h go ve rn o r
se ve n d ay s
1 71 ; to m ak e v e r b a l d e m and fo r su rr e nd e r o f M a so n a n d S l i
d e ll I 72
Lytto n S i E d w a rd B u l w e r expre s se s sy m p at hy for th e Co n
fe d e r acy 2 7
M a nn D u dl ey se e Y an cey
M a so n J am e s M u rr ay k e t c h o f 80
M a son a n d S lid e ll a tu r e a n d o bj e c t s o f t h e ir m i ss i o n a b r o a d
—
8
f
8
M
r
w
a
rd
l
tt
r
f
t
h
w
rti
f
f
rt
8
8
S
o
a
e
o
s
o
e
s
e
e
;
79 3 4
g
4 ;
1 2 ; c o m m e ts o f R i c h m o nd E x a m
e sc a p e fr o m C h a rl e s t o
9
i n e r u p o n 94—
6 ; a rriva l a n d r e ce pti o n a t H ava
m
e
;
93 4
b a r k u p o n Briti s h s t e a m e r T re nt 94 ; s e iz e d by Capt Wil k e s
1 06 7; b e c o m e pri s o n e r s a t F o rt Wa rr e n B o s t o n 1 1 1 ; pr o t e s t
a ga i n s t s e iz u re 1 1 1 ; di sp a tc h e s i n p o ss e ss i o
o f 1 1 2 ; re ce p
ti o n o f n ew s o f c aptu re o f i n N o rth 1 1 7 1 1 9 ; r ej o i c i n g i n
ne w sp ap e r c o m m e t s o
N o rt h at c aptu re o f 1 2 4 ; n o rt h e r
L i n co l
o n c a ptu r e o f
c a ptu re o f 1 2 4 1 2 7 9 ; a ttitu d e o f M
1 2 5 6 ; c a ptu r e o f d e n o u ce d by M r Bl a ir 1 2 6 ; c o m m e t s o n
1 3 1 ; by J e ffe r s o n D avi s
c a ptu r e o f by C o n fe d e r a t e pr e s s
1 3 1 2 ; by Ca n a di a n pr e s
1 2 4 ; c a ptu r e o f a n ti c ip a t e d i n
3
6
E n gl and 1 6 3—
n
id
r
d
b
y
Briti
h
b
i
t
1
c
s
e
e
c
e
4 5 ; be li e f
4;
i n th e N o rth t h a t th ey w o u ld n o t b e su rr e nd e re d 1 76 7 ; sur
,
.
-
,
s
.
,
,
.
,
.
,
,
.
,
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.
.
,
,
,
,
n
,
1
-
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.
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n
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-
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-
a
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-
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na,
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r.
-
-
n
n
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s
a
n
-
,
,
-
I N DE X
2 86
.
re nd e r o f a di s app o intm e nt to th e Sou th 2 33 ; opp o se d b y
L
a
l
l
a
n
i
h
a
m
1
b
y
V
d
80 ; by pe opl e
C
Se n a to r H a l e 1 77—
g
9;
1 80 2 ; c o m
2 2 6 ; by N o rth e rn n e w s p a p e r s
o f th e N o rth
—
W
1
6
W
b
y
ri
h
t
t
d
u
p
n
b
y
J
o
h
n
F
o
rn
y
M
r
o
f
e
o
m ea e
;
4 5
g
P a 2 2 8 ; by M r T h o m a s o f M a ss 2 2 7 8 ; by M r L ovej oy
2 3 3 4 ; by E ngli s h
2 2 9 3 1 ; by th e Ca n a di a n pre ss
of
pre ss 2 34 5 ; d e m and fo r su rre nd e r o f si gnifi ca n ce o f 1 86 —
7;
c au s e d re j o i ci n g a t th e S ou t h 1 8 5 ; su rr e n d e r o f di scu sse d i n
1 0
u
rr
nd
r
d
to
L
o rd Ly o n
2
2
e
e
o
s
e
c a b i n e t m ee ti n g
;
;
p
5
9 4
s ur
2 26 ;
s i n k i n to i n sig n i fi c a n c e w h e n
to E u r o p e
ce e d
re nd e re d 2 36 ; c o m m e nts u p o n a fte r di ffi cu lty i s se ttl e d by
L o nd o n S t a r 2 3 6 ; by L o nd o T i m e s 2 36 7 ; dipl o m a ti c ch a r
”
—
livi ng di sp atc h e s 2 6o ; e ntitl e d to ri gh t
a c te r o f 2 5 8 9 ; n o t
t tus o f in a m a riti m e c o u rt 2 6 2
o f a syl u m 2 6 1 ;
M c Ca r th y J u stin d e fe n se o f n e u tra lity pro c l a m a ti o n by 47
M o ir c a pt a in o f th e T re nt b e h avi o r o f w h e n h i s ve sse l was
b o a rd e d 1 03 1 08 ; di scu sse s T re nt a ffair w it h L i eut F airfa x
,
,
.
.
,
,
,
.
.
-
.
,
,
,
.
,
.
-
,
,
.
-
-
,
-
,
,
,
,
,
r
s,
-
,
,
,
n
,
-
,
“
,
,
s a
,
,
,
,
.
,
,
,
,
1 09
.
,
,
.
.
u tra lity procl am ati o n Briti sh i ssue o f 3 8 ; di scu ss i o n o f 4 2
f
f
u
s ti n M c Ca r th y 47; by L o rd S t anl ey
d
n
b
y
J
s
o
e
e
e
;
4 7;
47
by M o nt agu e B e rna rd 48 ; th e d e fe nse s e x ami ne d 48 5 1 ; n o t
vi o l a te d by c apt a in o f T re n t 2 5 7—
8
N e w c astl e D u k e o f I 5 3
O r o e m b o c a se o f th e c ite d 2 5 1 2
P ak i n gto n S i r J o h n e xpre sse s sy m p at hy fo r th e S ou th 2 8
P a l m e r s t o n L o rd Briti s h pre m i e r a n e e m y to th e N o rt h 2 8
P a ri s d e c l a ra ti o n o f a d o pte d 5 3 ; r e fu se d by U S 5 4 ; di scu s
S M a i e 5 4 ; u rge d u p o n th e Co n fe d e ra te s
s i o n o f by S i r H
by L o rd R usse ll a n d Co su l B u nc h 5 5 ; a d o pte d by th e Con
fe d e ra te Co n g re ss 5 6 ; ind o rse d by L o rd R u sse ll 5 7; M r
B u nch s cou r se a vi o l ati o n o f U S l a w 5 7; di scu ssi o n o f
N
e
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
z
-
.
.
,
-
,
,
.
,
,
,
,
,
n
,
.
,
,
,
,
n
.
.
.
.
.
,
,
n
,
,
,
.
’
,
,
.
.
,
re sid enti a l m e ss age s d ea ling w ith di ffi culti e s b e twe e n U S
a n d Gre a t Brit a in 1 3
P rince o f Wa l e s vi s it s A m e ri ca 1 4 ; th e q u e e n th ank s pe opl e
o f th e U
S fo r h i s re ce pti o n 1 5 ; re ply o f th e pre sid e n t 1 6 ;
co mm ent s o f t h e L ond o n pr e ss 1 6 1 7
P ru s s i a offe rs opini o n in T re nt c a se 2 04 2 06
s
o
o
f
f
r
c
a
a
U
S
o
n
i
t
ri
t
h
n
k
p
e
pl
e
ee
V
o
P rince of Wal e s s r e
Qu
P
.
,
.
.
,
.
.
,
,
-
,
.
-
,
.
’
.
.
c
pee c h i n se nate o n sam e 2 3 1 2 ; c o n d e m n s E gl and fo r
pr c ti c i g e rc h n d se iz u r 2 78—9
T h ou ve e l M o ff e r O pi i o o f F r e c h g o ve rnm e t o
e iz u r e
a d S lid e ll 1 96 2 00 ; M
o f M a so
S e w a rd re pli e s 2 00 ; M
p o iti o n e xa m i n e d 2 00—2 0 1
T h ou
el
T re t c h a r c te r o f th e 94 ; w h y s h e w
o t s e iz e d 1 08 ; p u r s e r
o f p u b li s h e s a cco u t o f se iz u r e o f M a o
d on
a d S lid e ll i
L
T i m e s 1 3 7 9 ; a ffa ir o f th e c re a te s g r e a t e x ite m e nt i E g
l a n d 1 40—
1 ; n e u tr a l t r m i i o f di
u ss e d
2 5 5 6—
7 ; c a se o f
su m m a ry o f prin c ipl e s i n v o lve d i
2 64 5
V a l la n d igh a m C L o pp o se s s u rr e nd e r o f M a s o n a n d S lid e ll 1 80
1 90 ;
s
-
“
n
a
n
a
a
s
.
n
n
e,
s
n
n
r.
s
as
,
s
n
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n
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-
,
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sc
n,
,
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on
c
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r.
.
n
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a
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-
,
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n
n
s
,
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ve n
n
n
,
n
n
-
,
,
-
.
,
,
,
ite d by M Se w ard : di scu ss i o n o f 2 48 2 49 2 5 0
Wa r pre p ara ti o n s o n acc o u n t o f T re t a ffa ir i Ca a d 1 5 8 ; i n
E ng l and 1 4 1 1 42 ; ne ce ss a ry i n U
di cu s si o n o f by ne w s
p ap e r s 1 8 1 2
We e d T h u rl o w l e tte r o f i n L o nd o n T i m e s o n T re n t a ffa ir 1 5 3 4 ;
re ply o f T i m e s to sam e 1 5 4 5 ; no ti ce s w arli ke pr e p a rati o n s
in E n g l a n d 1 44
Wil ke s Capt Ch a rl e s c h a r acte r o f 9 7—
8 ; r e tu rn s fro m A fri c a
to We s t I n di e s 98 ; l e a r s o f th e M a s o n
d S lid e ll m i ss i o n
m
a k e s pr e p a r a ti o n s to s e iz e th e c o m m i ss i o e r s
1
8
;
9 9
99 00 ;
i n s tru cti ons to L i e u t F a irfax 1 01 2 ; inte rc e pt s th e T re n t a d
s e iz e s th e c o m m i s s i o n e r s 1 02 7; pr o c e e d s to F o rtre s s M o n
r o e 1 09 th e n ce to N e w Y o rk 1 0 a n d fi a lly to B o s t o n 1 09
n o t se izi n g th e T r e t 1 1 2 1 1 5 ; m a d e a
1 1 1 1 1 2 ; r e a so n s fo
1 ; a c t o f ap
h e r o o f 1 1 7 1 1 9 ; t h a nk e d by s e c re ta ry o f w a r 1 2 0—
pro ve d by n avy d e p a rtm e n t 1 2 1 ; re so l u ti o s o f th a k s to by
—
n
2
6
ri
h
t
t
o
p
a
n
d
r
c
h
T
r
e
t
0
1
t
se
o s
Co gre ss 1 2 2 3 ; h ad g
Willi am s Co m m a n d e r R i c h a rd b e h avi o r o f w h il e M a s o a n d
S lid e ll w e r e b e ing s e iz e d 1 04 5 ; m a k e s o ffi c i a l re p o rt o f T r e t
a ff a ir to Briti s h a d m ir a lty 1 40 1 6 4 ; m a k e s ridi c u l o u s s pe e c h
V a tte l
C
r
,
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-
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an
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1
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1
57 8
,
,
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-
.
Y ancey ,
R
os
t
M a nn ,
,
and
King M e ss r s
,
.
fi
,
rst
Co n fe d e r a te
u r o p e 71 ; s k e t c h o f t h e s e m e n 71 72 ; c o m m e nts
o f J e ffe r s o n D avi s c o c e r n i n g t h e ir l a b o r s 76 ; r e ce ive d by
L o rd R u sse ll 72 3 ; pro te s t ag a in s t t h e ir r e ce pti o n by M r
S e w a rd 73 4 ; M r Y a n cey s s p e e c h be fo re F i s h m o n ge r s S oc i
e ty L o nd o n 7 ; M r Ki n g s p am p h l e t fo r fo r e i gn c ircu l a ti o n
4
t
a ge n s
in E
-
,
,
n
,
-
.
,
’
-
,
’
.
’
,
75 6
-
,
.
.
,