The Trent Affair happened at an extremely inconvenient time for the Union. At a time
when the Union was hoping to win Britain over to its side during the Civil War, the unimaginable happened. Seward just about single-handedly saved the Union from war with the British. Facing the prospect of losing the chance to reunite the Union, Seward used a conciliatory negotiation style to solve the diplomatic crisis. From the moment Mason and Slidell were seized and Britain demanded justice, Seward never faltered from his view that the captives should be released. He used a very creative argument to convince first Lincoln and the Cabinet, and then, Britain, to resolve the crisis. Lincoln’s preference to arbitrate could have led to war. Britain did not want to arbitrate. They presented Seward with an ultimatum, to which they wanted a “yes” or “no” answer. By adopting a posture of conciliation, Seward saved the Union. Thanks to him, cooler heads were able to prevail, and the Union was able to again focus its efforts on defeating the Confederacy and reintegrating the South back into our government. In terms of Seward’s legacy, his diplomatic efforts in The Trent Affair, surpassed the purchase of Alaska.
when the Union was hoping to win Britain over to its side during the Civil War, the unimaginable happened. Seward just about single-handedly saved the Union from war with the British. Facing the prospect of losing the chance to reunite the Union, Seward used a conciliatory negotiation style to solve the diplomatic crisis. From the moment Mason and Slidell were seized and Britain demanded justice, Seward never faltered from his view that the captives should be released. He used a very creative argument to convince first Lincoln and the Cabinet, and then, Britain, to resolve the crisis. Lincoln’s preference to arbitrate could have led to war. Britain did not want to arbitrate. They presented Seward with an ultimatum, to which they wanted a “yes” or “no” answer. By adopting a posture of conciliation, Seward saved the Union. Thanks to him, cooler heads were able to prevail, and the Union was able to again focus its efforts on defeating the Confederacy and reintegrating the South back into our government. In terms of Seward’s legacy, his diplomatic efforts in The Trent Affair, surpassed the purchase of Alaska.