Words As Powerful As Bullets: Diplomats During The U.S. Civil War

Map of the world created during the Civil War era showing plans for an overland telegraph route that would connect San Francisco and Moscow. Despite distance and cultural differences, this map effectively demonstrates how interconnected the world was at the outbreak of the Civil War. (National Archives Identifier 306678).

Words As Powerful As Bullets: Diplomats during the U.S. Civil War

Paige Weaver, intern, History Office | Pieces of History

When most people think about the U.S. Civil War, they typically consider it a purely American affair that pitted the geographic regions of the North versus the South. Yet, this so-called “War Between the States” was hardly limited to the confines of the United States’ borders. It was in fact a truly international event that involved countries across the globe.

Although no foreign country ever officially entered the war or engaged in the action on the battlefield, many were dramatically affected by the war’s repercussions. Countries around the world all had varying motives for meddling in the conflict. Great Britain suffered severely from the dramatic shortage of cotton as a result of the Union blockade of Southern ports. Emperor Napoleon III of France had imperial ambitions in Mexico that he believed could be expedited with a Confederate victory. And Russia championed the Union cause since it believed that the United States served as a counterbalance to Great Britain.

Countries around the world had serious vested interest in the outcome of the American Civil War. Thus, the political actions that each nation took as the conflict progressed were delicate matters that needed to be handled with care. Enter diplomats: underappreciated agents and delegates who participated in the war by using diplomacy instead of guns.

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