You are President Lincoln's Secretary of State and are the chief negotiator for the United States. Lincoln, your superior, was very popular in the North, but just prior to his assumption of office in March, 1861, secessionists acted on plans to leave the union. In February, 1861, six states proclaimed themselves to be a sovereign nation, the Confederate States of America. They selected Jefferson Davis to be its provisional president and adopted a constitution. On April 12th, 1861, the Civil War officially commenced when Confederate forces fired upon Union troops at Fort Sumpter. On July 21st, 1861, the Union was defeated soundly by the Confederates at the Battle of Bull Run. In October, 21st, at the Battle of Ball's Bluff, your general, George B. McClellan, suffered a humiliating defeat in Loudoun County, Virginia. Morale in the North has been relatively low recently. There was a sense of national jubilee when the Union learned that Captain Wilkes, commander of the USS San Jacinto, intercepted a British mail steamer, carrying two Confederate envoys, who were traveling to England to ask for recognition of the Confederacy. Wilkes stated that he consulted international law before taking action. Your first impression is that Captain Wilkes, though acting without U.S. Governmental authority, was within his rights to board the ship and seize the two men as "embodiments of dispatches."
At first, when Northerners heard the news about the seizure of Mason and Slidell, they were elated. Congress even passed a resolution honoring Wilkes for his bravery. It boosted their morale which had been lacking due to recent Confederate victories. You and President Lincoln have heard via letter from your Ambassador to London, Charles Francis Adams, that war with England is inevitable. At a Washington diplomatic party, in a moment of excitement, you were heard to exclaim that the Union "will wrap the whole world in flames."
When the Union heard about England's outrage and calls to sever relations with the United States, the stock exchange fell. Government securities dropped by 2.5% and railway stocks plummeted. There was a run on New York banks. Seventeen million was withdrawn in just 3 weeks. The financial markets are acting as if war is a certainty. You are aware that this is a very grave matter. The United States cannot fight a war with England and a war with the Confederacy at the same time and prevail on both.
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You think that Lord Palmerston is intent on war. He was heard to exclaim at a recent event (told to you by Lord Lyons, the Ambassador to the United States), "I don't know whether you are going to stand for this, but I'll be damned if I do."
Despite your pro-war rhetoric, you are actually inclined to free the two captives because of the rights of neutrals. However, you do not think that the Union owes England an apology. After researching law and consulting with lawyers, you believe that Wilkes had the right to stop and search the Trent, but should have taken the seizure of the two men to prize court to have it adjudicated. There are long standing American principles against impressment dating back to Madison and Monroe. In fact the United States went to war with Britain in 1812 over the search and impressment practices of the British.
One thing is especially concerning. The Union relies on England to supply it with saltpeter, a key component of gunpowder. You heard that the Prime Minister is going to stop supplying it to the Union which will hurt your chances in carrying on the war with the Confederacy. In order to get the saltpeter, you are willing to compromise.
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This Photo by J. Gurney & Son is licensed under CC BY-SA
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Lord Palmerston, the Prime Minister of England, has given you 7 days to respond to his request for the release of the prisoners and an apology. Failure to respond will result in war.
Source:Conner, Fox. “The National Defense.” The North American Review, vol. 225, no. 839, 1928, pp. 1–11. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25110403. Accessed 22 Nov. 2020.