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.
Tag: Lord Palmerston
The Trent Affair
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.
Keeping Quite Clear of the Conflict
The European powers entertain the possibility of recognizing Confederate independence, while France capitalizes on the war by invading Mexico.
Foreign Recognition or Mediation
October 22, 1862 – The leaders of Great Britain expressed new reluctance to recognize Confederate independence, and Emperor Napoleon III of France proposed foreign mediation