OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Captain Charles Wilkes of the U.S.S. San Jacinto halts the neutral British steamship R.M.S. Trent on the open sea and seizes two Confederate envoys under dubious circumstances.
Tag: Charles Wilkes
Mason and Slidell Escape
165 YEARS AGO TODAY: Confederate envoys board a steamship in the hopes of eluding the Federal blockade and reaching Europe to gain Confederate recognition.
The Peterhoff Affair
A U.S. warship seizes a British merchant vessel in neutral waters, which threatens to cause an international crisis.