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.
As news of the Federal setbacks travels overseas, the European powers begin to seriously consider mediating an end to the war and recognizing Confederate independence.
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.
News of the British reaction to the seizure of Confederate envoys James Mason and John Slidell reaches the U.S.
The U.S. and Great Britain awaited each other’s official reactions to the seizure of Confederate envoys James Mason and John Slidell aboard the neutral British steamer Trent.
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.