What was the Trent affair and how was it settled?
The Trent Affair
The Trent Affair would have been a minor conflict between United
States and Great Britain, but because of the circumstances during
this time period, it lead to an international outrage. In the end,
the Trent Affair had an abrupt effect of building confidence
between the governments of Britain and the U.S.
"Trent Affair was an incident during the American Civil War
involving the doctrine of freedom of the seas, which nearly
precipitated war between Great Britain and the United States. On
Nov. 8, 1861, Captain Charles Wilkes, commanding the Union frigate
San Jacinto, seized from the neutral British ship Trent, two
Confederate commissioners, James Murray Mason and John Slidell, who
were seeking the support of England and France for the cause of the
Confederacy (Britannica)." Because this happened during the
American Civil War, the seizure of the two men, in November 1861,
without bringing the ship to port, was seen as a violation of the
laws of the sea. In addition, the Trent Affair challenged the
traditional concepts of freedom of the seas and the rights of
neutrals and almost caused a war between the United States and
Great Britain.
"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 (Wikipedia)."