The leaders of Great Britain express new reluctance to recognize Confederate independence, and Emperor Napoleon III of France proposes foreign mediation between the two warring factions.

Exploring the most important 55 months in American history
The leaders of Great Britain express new reluctance to recognize Confederate independence, and Emperor Napoleon III of France proposes foreign mediation between the two warring factions.
U.S. officials protest the construction of a ship at Liverpool that escapes British jurisdiction and later becomes the feared commerce raider C.S.S. Alabama.
Abraham Lincoln finally decides upon a course of action regarding Great Britain’s demands to release the Confederate envoys seized aboard the British steamer Trent.
News of the British reaction to the seizure of Confederate envoys James Mason and John Slidell reaches the U.S.
News of the U.S. seizure of Confederate envoys James Mason and John Slidell aboard the British steamer Trent officially reaches Great Britain, where it is met with immediate outrage.
The European powers entertain the possibility of recognizing Confederate independence, while France capitalizes on the war by invading Mexico.