The grind of war continues this week 150 years ago in the Civil War as a contingent of 3,000 Confederate fighters overrun a 1,000-man Union force at Front Royal in northern Virginia in a battle fought May 23, 1862.At the close of 1861, President Abraham Lincoln finds himself at war at home – and fending off a diplomatic crisis with Britain that threatens hostilities if not handled delicately.
Although outrage lingers in London after the Union warship USS San Jacinto stopped the neutral British ship Trent east of Cuba on Nov. 8, 1861 – seizing two Confederate diplomats bound for Britain – an end to the impasse is near.
An outraged British government has been demanding an apology for what is seen as a violation of its neutrality.
And London also insists on the immediate release of the two Confederate envoys.
But after tempers flare, cool heads prevail. A message is sent by the British minister in Washington to Lincoln’s secretary of state on Dec. 19, 1861, demanding a reply. Lincoln cannot afford another fight. On Dec. 27, the U.S. secretary of state would send back a carefully worded reply announcing that the Confederates would be freed and reparations paid – defusing the standoff.
Also this week, The Associated Press reports that Confederates are able to run their own limited blockade of waters leading to Washington, D.C., much as the Union blockades Southern seaports and inland rivers.
