The Alabama British Neutrality And The American Civil War

A study of the Confederacy's inept attempts to win foreign support for its cause.

A tale of intrigue about the attempts of the Confederacy to build a navy in Britain.

This fascinating book discusses the role of the United Kingdom during the American Civil War. Officially, the UK stayed neutral throughout the war. They also legally recognised the belligerent status of the Confederate States of America (CSA), though never recognising it as a nation. Neither did the UK sign a treaty with it nor ever exchanged ambassadors. Over 90 percent of Confederate trade with Britain ended, causing a severe shortage of cotton. Private British blockade runners sent munitions and luxuries to Confederate ports in return for cotton and tobacco. Public opinion was divided over the war, with support for the Confederacy tending to emanate from the upper class while the middle and lower classes mostly favored the Union.

To commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the end of the Civil War, Diversion Books is publishing pivotal works of the era: stories told by the men and women who led, who fought, and who lived in an America that had come apart at the seams. Readers of Amanda Forman’s seminal work, A World on Fire will become enthralled reading the British take on a war they did not start, but set in motion centuries before in colonizing the New World. This not-often-read take on the war offers new insights and remains a must-have for the Civil War completist.

Numerous issues in Britain affected public reaction to the American Civil War. Opinion was not straightforward with recent evidence showing that a majority of English people were suspicious of both sides in the conflict. This volume offers new insights into British attitudes to the conflict.

Those writing for the British press of the mid-Victorian era were masters of the English language, given to tirades of grand oratory. They liked to cover the former colonies, arousing rhetorical fears among Britons over the increasing power of the United States. With the advent of the American Civil War, the British press had the perfect opportunity to practice their peculiar brand of journalism. The South was the home of virtuous aristocrats, and Lincoln had bad taste, bad grammar and the respect of no one. Selections from all of Britain's major Civil War-era newspapers and magazines (along with numerous pamphlets) are presented, with the author's historical and editorial comments. A revealing assessment of British journalistic treatment of the War Between the States is the result. Sections of the book are devoted to the British press' handling of contentious issues between the North and South, specific battles or persons, a detailed profile of The Times of London (including personal correspondence) with examples of the bias in favor of the Confederacy in The Times' reportage, and the portrayal by the press of Lincoln's presidency upon his assassination (suddenly The Times found wisdom and goodness).