LLooyyoollaa UUnniivveerrssiittyy CChhiiccaaggoo LLooyyoollaa eeCCoommmmoonnss Master's Theses Theses and Dissertations 1949 TThhee RReellaattiioonnsshhiipp ooff WWiilllliiaamm HH.. SSeewwaarrdd ttoo tthhee TTrreenntt AAffffaaiirr Christopher J. McGarigle Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses Part of the History Commons RReeccoommmmeennddeedd CCiittaattiioonn McGarigle, Christopher J., "The Relationship of William H. Seward to the Trent Affair" (1949). Master's Theses. 819. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses/819 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 1949 Christopher J. McGarigle r THE RELA'l'IONSHIP OF WILLIAM H. SE.'WARD TO THE TRENT AFFAIR by CHRISTOPHER J. MCGARIGLE A THESIS SUBhlTTED IN PARTIAL FULFILlMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in LOYOLA UNIVERSITY JUNE 1949 vnA Christopher J. MoGarigle was born in Chioago, Illinois Deoember 5, 1919. He was graduated fram Mount Carmel High Sohool, Chicago, Illinois, June, 1931. In June, 1939. he graduated fram the Pre-Legal School of Woodrow Wilson Junior College. Chicago, Illinois. In February, 1940, he entered the Chicago Teachers College and withdrew from the college Arm¥. in November, 1942 to enter the United States In February, 1946, he returned to Chicago Teaohers College, and was graduated in June, 1946. Mr. MoGarigle received a Baohelor of Eduoation degree with a major in History. From 1946 to 1949 the writer has been engaged in teaching for the Board of Education, Chicago, Illinois. During those years, he has devoted his time to graduate study in the field of History. PREFACE The purpose of this paper, as the title states, is to show the relation ship of William H. Seward to the lI'1'rent Affair". In order for the reader to gain a true insight to this problem, he must understand the background of the relations between Great Britain and the United states between 1860 and 1862. The reader must also be familiar with the public and private life of William H. Seward up to this time. To blend these two ideas into the subject, it was necessary for the writer in the introduction to mention the attempts of the Confederacy to secure their recognition as a nation by Great Britain and France; the attempts by the United states to prevent this recognition; and the place and attitude of Great Britain and F'rance towards the Confederacy and United States in 1861. In the second. chapter the author states the speeches, views, and be liefs of William H. Seward on matters which the author considered led to a feeling of distrust of by Great Brit&in. Se~ard The third chapter consists of advice to Seward from the friends of the United States in London at tre time of the episode. It was the Tren~ letters of these people which gave Seward insight and a dvice on the public opinion and attitude of Europe, mainly Great Britain, towards the Trent case. This advice, together with Sev,ard's viewpoints on the seizure helped to bring the affair to a peaceful settlement, and thus eliminated European military interference which might have proved disastrous to the North in the Civil War. -i- ii Chapters four, five, and six do not require explanation in the Preface. If, in the reader's estimation the author neglected to mention other outstanding occurrences at the time, it was because the author felt they were either outside the scope of the problem, or not necessary for a proper understanding of the subject. . - TABLE OF CONTENTS ... CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODucn ON ••••••••••••••••.•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 1 English government unfriendly--Troops to Canada--Upper class hostility--Aristocrats favor Confederacy- Confederacy desires recognition--Exaggerated idea of cotten --Commercial profit--Seward's Circular--English and Canadian reaction--Seward's despatch to Dayton--8eward Warns Europe--Yancey and Mann to England--Rost and King to France--Toombs' instructions--European opinion changes despatches to Toombs--Lyons ad -~easons--Confederate vises Russell--Effect upon Russell--Failure of mission- Motives for mission--Second and Slidell- mission~ason Object of mission--Seward instructs Adams--Confidence of Seward--Seward wants no interference. II. BRITISH DISTRUST OF SEWARD ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 15 Seward unfriendly-Speech on exiles- Ireland-~elcames Clayton-Bulwer treatY--Seward and Canada--Seward and monarchies--Welcame to Kossuth--Aid republican efforls- Expansion and trade--Campetition with England--Peerless and Newcastle incidents--Britain remembers threats- IIDangerous Foreign Ministerll--Seward' s foreign war advises Lyons--Seward's seizure threats theory-~ussell --Thoughts for President--Intervention in Mexico-- Lincoln rejects programme--War would unify-Seward's reasons--Russell's interview--Seward 21 excited-~ay despatch--Threatened European intervention--Lincan changes despatch--Seward's boasting assertion. III. FRIENDLY ADVICE FROM LONDON AND PARIS •••••••••••••••••••••• 32 America admires Bright-Bright sympathizes with North- Rochdale speech--Reminds Englishmen--Bright-Sumner cor respondence--Advice on affair--Courteous note--Put Britain in wrong--England seeking quarrel--Have no foreign war- Arbitrate or negotiate--Bright influences Cobden--Cobden Sumner correspondence--8outh wants British aid--Threatened French interference--Gonfusion in England--Letter of December 5th--Weed in London--Weed's Times letter--Times answers Weed--British hostility towards Seward--1Neecr- warns Seward--Dayton warns Seward--Europe against seizure --Scott letter--Adams' carefulness--Seward advises Adams --Adams' strong advice--British war preparations--Not Adams fault--Adams meets Russell--Europe supports England. I IV. LORD LYONS' MEETINGS WITH SEWARD •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 51 .. Russell's premonition--Opinion of jurists--Hostile Parliament--London Times attitude--Wrath against Seward--Palmerston--Victoria and Albert--Lyons silent--Russell's notes--Instructions--British motives--American opinion changes--First meeting- Apologize and release prisoners--Lyons avoids menance--Lends Seward the despatch--Seward serious --Second meeting--Seven days begin--Lyons' fairness --Seward now for peace. v. THE CABINET MEETING .••.•.•......••....•.....•.•..•••••.•••• 62 Different views--Lincoln's attitudes--No~thern reaction--Lincoln's draft unsuitable--Cabinet meeting--Blair and Swward favor compliance- Chase's views-4Jelles' thoughts--Blair's course- Sumner says surrender--Bates' Diary--Thouvenel's despatch--Cabinet fears public opinion. VI. SEWARD'S NarE •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 75 Seward's considerations--Lyons' instructions- Surrender or war--Effects of intervention-- Seward's note--Seizure unauthorized--British neutrality--Contraband--Bell1gerent proceeding- Contraband reasons--Human motive- persons-~ilkes' Legality of seizure--Old American tradition--Release- Seward's reasons--Informs Adams and Weed--Seward and Grant--British objections- acceptance--R~siell's Conclusions--Conservatives want Northern failure- Seward's great responsibility--Adjudication necessary- Method of presentation--Blair's correct advice--Not sound reasons--Britain's "white elephants II • CRITICAL ESSAY ON AUTHORITIES •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 91 ... CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION During the first half year of the American Civil War, the policy of the British government toward the United States appeared to be one of un- frl'.edn line sse 1 In the summer of 1861, troops were sent to Canada by the British government. Lord John Russell, the British Foreign Secretary, re- garded this as necessary because of what he regarded as disturbed conditions in the United states. The upper classes of England taken as a whole, were decidedly hostile to the cause of the Union from a variety of motives. Englishmen recalled that a century had not passed since the colonists of New England had demanded for themselves the right of separating from the Mother Countr;.l, and could not restrain a certain satisfaction at seeing the United states in trouble;2 dislike of American business methods and materialistic views was common, and had found expression in a novel of Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit. In addition, the feeling among the upper classes in England was then in sympathy with a graded or aristocratic state of society, and it could see this state existing in the South in 1 David Knowles, American Civil vvar, Clarendon Press, Oxford 1926, 73. Hereafter this work will be cited as Knowles. 2 Message Of The President And Diplomatic Correspondence, 1862, Govern ment Printing Office, Washington, 1862, 60. Hereafter this work will be cited as Diplorratic Correspondence, 1862. -1- 2 .. much the same way as in England,3 while the North had been in the habit of employing its democratic citizenship. For these and similar reasons, the majority of the English governing classes found their transformed sYIT~athy into enthusiasm by the early Confederate victories of the war, and by 4 genuine admiration for the character of the Confederate leaders. In the North continued acts of unfriendliness such as the above, seemed to indicate a strong desire for recognition of the Confederacy and 5 early intervention in American affairs by the British government. In the South these acts were an inspiration and renewed enthusiasm for the Confederacy. From the time when secession began to be contemplated by the southern leaders, it was evident that they confidently expected foreign aid, both 6 moral and material, i~ their efforts to establish their independence. A comparatively large and profitable commerce had been carried on for many years between the South and the nations of western Europe. It seems an exaggerated idea of the importance of this trade had impressed itself upon the minds of the secession leaders. They evidently believed that England would aid than in a war for independence which would be caused by a destruction of the cotton trade. 3 James F. Rhodes, History Of The United states From The Compromise Of 1850, Harper Brothers, New York, 1900, III, 502. Hereafter this work will be cited as Rhodes. 4 Ibid., 502. 5 Frank L. Owsley, King Cotton Diplomacy, University of Chicago Press, ·Chicago, 1931,13. Hereafter this work wlll be cited as Owsley. 6 ~., 13. 3 These actions of the British government were brought under the scrutiny .., of the President and the members of his Cabinet. Secretary of State William H. Seward addressed a circular on October 14, 1$61, to each of the governors of the loyal states bordering on the Atlantic Ocean or the Great Lakes. The circular told of the attempts by the Confederacy to invoke inter- vention by foreign powers against the United States. It further stated that although these attempts had failed, every precaution must be taken to insure the safety of this country.7 Seward warned that our ports and harbors on the seas and lakes should. be put in a condition of complete defense for "any nation may be said to voluntarily incur danger in tempestuos seasons when it fails to show that it has sheltered itself on every side from which the storm might come. ,,8 He added that bec~use Congress in its last session was chiefly absorbed during it s extra session, with r aisingan efficient army and navy, it did not provide as amply as could be wished for the fortifica- tion of our sea and lake coasts. Thus, the states with the approval of their legislature should perfect the defenses of their state at their own expense and in his opinion would later be reimbursed by the Federal govern 9 ment with the consent of Congress. This circular caused great comment both in Canada and England. The Canadian press declared that fortifications along the northern frontier of 7 Frederic Bancroft, Life of Seward, Harper Brothers, New York, 1900, II, 213. Hereafter this work will be cited as Bancroft. 8 Ibid., II, 212, quoting Seward. 9 ~., II, 212.