2008-09
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/31/2008
Confederate imprint “Minority Report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Presented by Mr. Smith, of Alabama.” 7p. octavo, and reads in part: “... Resolved, That the President be respectfully requested, if not incompatible with the public interest, to communicate to this House the number and names of all persons engaged in the service of the Confederate States in foreign countries, either as diplomatic, consular, or commerical agents, or in any other capacity, stating the places to which they have been sent, the date of their appointment, the salaries they receive, the duties they are expected to discharge, and how far they have been officially or otherwise recognized by any foreign Government. Also the number and character of foreign agents, whether consular, commercial or other, known to our Government, representing in any capacity foreign Governments within the limits of the Confederate States, and whether in communicating with this Government, they do so under an exequatur from our own Government or tht of the United States, and whether they are subordinate or subject to the control and direction, in any way, and to what degree, of the ministers of their respective countries, accredited to, and residing in the United States...” Much more, including paragraphs on Mason and Slidell. Fine. The Trent Affair, also known as the Mason and Slidell Affair, was an international diplomatic incident that occurred during the American Civil War. On November 8, 1861 the USS San Jacinto, commanded by Union Captain Charles Wilkes, intercepted the British mail packet Trent and removed two Confederate diplomats, James Mason and John Slidell. The envoys were bound for Great Britain and France to press the Confederacy’s case for diplomatic recognition by Europe. The initial reaction in the United States was enthusiastically in support of the capture, but many American leaders had doubts as to the wisdom and the legality of the act. In the Confederate States, the hope was that the incident would lead to a permanent rupture in Union-British relations, diplomatic recognition, and Southern independence. In Great Britain, the public expressed outrage at this apparent insult to their national honor. The British government demanded an apology and the release of the prisoners while it took steps to strengthen its military forces in Canada and in the Atlantic. After several weeks of tension during which the United States and the United Kingdom came dangerously close to war, the issue was resolved when the Lincoln administration released the envoys and disavowed Captain Wilkes’ actions. No formal apology was issued. Mason and Slidell resumed their voyage to England but failed in their goal of achieving diplomatic recognition. The Union had successfully navigated its way through its most crucial diplomatic challenge of the war.
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