President Abraham Lincoln

February 12, 1809 - April 15, 1865.

European imperialists were insanely jealous of the growth of the U.S. and Russia!!

By 1850, the United States had fulfilled its Manifest Destiny by stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans, and from Canada to the Rio Grande. Russia stretched from the Arctic Circle in the north to the Black Sea in the south; and from Poland in the west to Vladivostok on the Pacific Ocean. Russia also included the vast territory of Alaska in its possessions.

The Vatican viewed the growth of these 2 great countries with alarm and jealously. Russia was the main bastion of the Orthodox Congregation which the Vatican had been vainly fighting for almost 1,000 years.... The U.S. was the home of Protestant Christianity, republicanism and . . . liberty!!

Here is a quote from the book Democracy in America written by the renowned French historian Alexis de Tocqueville in 1834:

"There are two great peoples on the earth today who, starting from different points, seem to advance toward the same goal: these are the Russians and the Anglo-Americans.
Both have grown larger in obscurity; and while men's regards were occupied elsewhere, they have suddenly taken their place in the first rank of nations, and the world has learned of their birth and of their greatness almost at the same time.
All other peoples appear to have nearly reached the limits that nature has drawn and to have nothing more to do than preserve themselves; but these are growing: all the others have halted or advance only with a thousand efforts; these alone march ahead at an easy and rapid pace on a course whose bounds the eye cannot yet perceive.
The American struggles against the obstacles that nature opposes to him; the Russian grapples with men. The one combats the wilderness and barbarism, the other, civilization vested with all its arms: thus the conquests of the American are made with the plowshare of the laborer, those of the Russian, with the sword of the soldier.
To attain his goal, the first relies on personal interest and allows the force and the reason of individuals to act, without directing them.
The second in a way concentrates all the power of society in one man. The one has freedom for his principal means of action; the other servitude.
Their point of departure is different, their ways are diverse; nonetheless, each of them seem called by a secret design of Providence to hold the destinies of half the world in its hands one day." (Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, pp. 395-396).

The goal of the imperialists was to use the Turks to block the further advance of Russia southward to a warm water port and to use Mexico to launch an invasion of the U.S. after its territory was greatly reduced by a civil war which they planned to instigate.

This war was to be a replay of the War of 1812, only this time an internal insurrection would aid the invasion force. The Prime Minister of Great Britain at that time was Lord Palmerston and he was just itching for a fight....Even before the first battle of Bull Run commenced in July 1861, Palmerston recognized the Confederacy as belligerents:

"On May 6, in answer to a question put to him in the House of Commons concerning the proposed policy of Great Britain toward the Confederacy, his lordship said "The attorney and solicitor-general, and the queen's advocate, and the government have come to the opinion that the Southern Confederacy of America, according to those principles which seem to be just, must be treated as a belligerent." On May 13, the very day that Mr. Adams landed at Liverpool and only a few hours before he arrived in London, as if to exhibit the greatest possible lack of courtesy toward him and the government which he represented, the queen's neutrality proclamation was issued. It forbade the enlistment of all British subjects on land or sea in the service of either of the contending parties and also warned her majesty's subjects not to carry officers, soldiers, dispatches, or any article of the nature of contraband of war for the use or service of either the Federals or Confederates. This constituted a complete recognition of the Confederacy as a belligerent power, that is, as entitled, so far as England was concerned, to all those exceptional rights and privileges that international law assigns to sovereign states which are at war with each other." (Harris, The Trent Affair, pp. 38-39).

Lord Palmerston referred to the Battle of Bull Run as the Battle of Yankee run. All Palmerston now needed was a excuse to declare war on the United States and this is how he almost got it.

The Trent affair

The Trent affair almost led to another war between Great Britain and the United States.

Captain Charles Wilkes then proceeded on to Boston where the 2 commissioners were imprisoned.

The Cuban Connection

The rebel commissioners and Captain Wilkes had a high level conference with the captain general of Cuba. They discussed the best way to cause a war between the U.S. and Great Britain.

War fever in Great Britain over the Trent incident!!

When the Trent reached Liverpool on Nov. 27, word quickly spread about the incident on the high seas. The dogs of war were immediately unleashed. It was like the war hysteria in the U.S. following the bombing of Pearl Harbor:

"Preparations were also made for placing the military forces upon a war footing, and it was arranged to increase the army in Canada at once by an addition of thirty thousand men. Recruiting began with unusual vigor. The very flower of the British standing army were mustered and passed in review, after which they embarked for Halifax. Among them were all of the most noted batteries and regiments, among which were the guards, to whom was accorded the distinguished honor of taking part in all important wars. These were the first to start to the seat of war. They believed that they were going to Charleston to help the Confederates. The guards played the well known American air, "I am off to Charleston," while embarking on their vessels.
Thurlow Weed, who was then in England, says: 'I rose early on Friday morning and went down to St. James's barracks to see a regiment of guards take up their line of march for Canada. Nearly fifty years had elapsed since I had seen 'British red-coats' whose muskets were turned against us. Something of the old feeling—a feeling which I supposed had died out, began to rise, and, after a few moments of painful thought, I turned away." (Harris, The Trent Affair, pp. 143-144).

Lord Palmerston conferred with rebel commissioner Mann of Georgia

Lord Palmerston was Prime Minister during the critical period of the U.S. Civil War. His Foreign Secretary was the devilish Lord John Russell.

Here is an excerpt from the book Palmeston by Philip Guedalla:

"There is little trace in the judicious terms of this confidential document of that malignant determination to destroy the Republic at all costs, with which Palmerston is sometimes credited in American fancy. Five days later he had, if he desired to do so, his opportunity. For it was known in London that the United States sloop San Jacinto, Captain Wilkes, had stopped the British steamer Trent one day out from Havana and removed four Confederate passengers by force. That night a boy in Suffolk Street saw Palmerston come to the Confederate office and confer with Judge Mann, of Georgia. The two men stood in front of a large map of the United States. The boy was listening, and their talk seemed to run on the course of future naval operations. New York and Philadelphia were mentioned as points of attack for a British squadron; and there was even talk of some combined operation with General Johnston's army, which would result in the capture of Washington—and then (the Prime Minister was speaking) "France and England will be in a position to demand the immediate cessation of the war and to exercise a rightful influence in regard to the terms of peace." (Guedalla, Palmerston, pp. 464-465).

Lord Palmerston issued a harsh ultimatum to President Lincoln!!

Lord Palmerston, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, issued a harsh ultimatum to President Lincoln, and gave him only 7 days to comply:

"The case was then considered by the cabinet, and, on November 29, only two days after the news of the boarding of the Trent and seizure of the envoys had reached England, Lord Palmerston prepared a note to the queen in which he formulated a statement of a demand to be made at once upon the American government. He wrote to her majesty as follows: 'The general outline and tenor which appeared to meet the opinions of the cabinet would be, that the Washington government should be told that what has been done is a violation of international law and of the rights of Great Britain, and that your majesty's government trust that the act will be disavowed and the prisoners set free and restored to British protection, and that Lord Lyons should be instructed that, if this demand is refused, he should retire from the United States". (Harris, The Trent Affair, pp. 164-165).

German Prince Consort averted war with the United States!!

The letter was forwarded to Queen Victoria for her approval. Her trusted advisor was her then sick husband: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He was born in the land of Saint Martin Luther and was only 42 years old at the time of his death in December 1861:

"A copy of the proposed dispatch to Lord Lyons was also forwarded to her majesty, who, with Prince Albert, carefully examined it. Both were profoundly impressed by the fact that the communication indicated a crisis in the affairs of the two countries and that a speedy rupture and war were not improbable. Illness and the serious character of this new political question made it impossible for the prince to sleep during the following night. Upon getting up, although scarcely able to hold a pen while writing, he prepared a memorandum of the changes which her majesty desired to have made in the dispatch to America. The queen preferred that language should be used which was less harsh and offensive in character than that contained in the first draft of the note to the American government. In its uncorrected form the draft of the note not only charged the violation of international law but added an accusation of "wanton insult," although the belief was asserted that it was not intentional. Prince Albert's memorandum, corrected with the queen's own hand, was returned, and the dispatch which was subsequently forwarded to Lord Lyons shows that her majesty's suggestions were fully observed. This was the prince's last political writing. His illness grew worse and he died before the communication which he and the queen had aided in preparing was answered by the American government." (Harris, The Trent Affair, pp. 164-165).

Prince Consort was poisoned for changing the letter!!

Queen Victoria, even though she was Queen of England, believed that a woman's place was in the home having children.

The British Royal Family was devastated by the U.S. Civil War. Prince Albert was a loving husband and father to his 9 children as well as confidant and advisor to the Queen.

Official cause of the Prince's death was typhoid fever!!

The official cause of death was TYPHOID FEVER—a very infectious disease.

"The cause of Prince Albert's death was officially given as "typhoid", doubtless attributable to "the noxious effluvia" which escaped from the drains at Windsor. As one courtier put it, "There are more stinks in royal residences than anywhere else". Nevertheless, there are grounds for supposing that the Prince may have died from some other cause. In the first place, Sir James was notorious for errors in diagnosis. Indeed, most of the royal physicians, according to Lord Clarendon, were unfit "to attend a sick cat". Secondly, the doctors were plainly puzzled by some of their patient's symptoms. Thirdly, it is rare to find solitary victims of typhoid. It is possible therefore that the Prince's fatal illness was the terminal episode of a chronic disease, such as cancer of the bowels." (St. Aubyn, Queen Victoria, p. 328).

Prince Consort averted a world war!!

Prince Albert not only averted a war between the U.S. and Great Britain, but he also prevented a world war. Immediately upon hearing of the Trent incident and the warlike preparations of Great Britain, Czar Nicholas II of Russia dispatched a fleet of warships to New York and San Francisco. The Czar had a score to settle after the humiliation of the Crimean War and the assassination of his father, Czar Nicholas I, in 1855.

The admirals of the Russian fleets had sealed orders and were told to report to President Lincoln in the event of a declaration of war by England or France:

"It is worthy of special notice that, during the entire period of the American Civil War, the most powerful ruler in all Europe was an outspoken and steadfast friend of the United States. If a war had occurred between England and the northern states of America as a result of the affair of the Trent, it is well-nigh certain that the Federal government would have had a powerful ally in the Czar, Alexander of Russia, who, doubtless, remembered the losses he had recently sustained in the Crimean war. In this war England had been his most powerful enemy. In a few weeks after the capture of the Confederate commissioners, a fleet of Russian war vessels appeared in New York harbor and remained there for several months. At the same time a number of Russian men-of-war were stationed at San Francisco. No official explanation was ever given for the long-continued presence of these war vessels in American waters. Their extended visit caused much comment, but their purpose was easily divined and their presence was not unwelcome while a war between England and the northern states was imminent." (Harris, The Trent Affair, pp. 208-208).

Had Russia declared war on England, France would have sided with England. Prussia undoubtedly would have attacked France and before long a world war would be in progress.

While the rebels were "praying" for a war between the U.S. and Great Britain, many of the people in the North urged him to take a tough stance against the demands of England. In the middle of the worst crisis of the Civil War, he kept a cool head and his motto was: "one war at a time." Prince Albert's conciliatory letter and the presence of the Russian Navy helped to keep the British lion at bay while he prosecuted the war against the rebellious states.

Vital Links

Czar Alexander II of Russia pledges support for the Union

Assassination of President Lincoln

The Trent Affair: How the Prince Consort Saved the United States

Editor's Notes

The Crimean War is mainly known for the Charge of the Light Brigade and the work of Florence Nightingale. It was the first war in the history of the world to be photographed.

Prince Albert was not the only British head of state to be assassinated prior to a major war. Prime Minister Spencer Perceval was assassinated just before the War of 1812. God willing we will have more information on that assassination soon.

References

Bennett, Daphne. King without a Crown: Albert, Prince Consort of England 1819-1861. J. B. Lippincott & Co., Philadelphia & New York, 1977.

De Tocqueville, Alexis, Democracy in America. (in 2 volumes), The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2000, (First published in 1835).

Ferris, Norman B. The Trent Affair: a Diplomatic Crisis. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, 1977

Guedalla, Philip, Palmerston. G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York & London, 1927.

Harris, Thomas L. The Trent Affair. The Bowen-Merrill Co, Indianapolis, 1896.

Ridley, Jasper. Lord Palmerston. E. P. Dutton & Co., New York, 1971.

Thomas, Benjamin P. Abraham Lincoln, A Biography, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1952.

Roscoe, Theadore. The Trent Affair, November, 1861. Franklin Watts, Inc. New York, 1972.

Strachey, Lytton. The Illustrated Queen Victoria. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, New York, 1987.

St. Aubyn, Giles, Victoria, A Portrait. Atheneum, New York, 1992.

Weintraub, Stanley. Uncrowned King: The Life of Prince Albert. The Free Press, New York, 1997.

Copyright © 2007 by Niall Kilkenny

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