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- #21
The Basket
Senior Master Sergeant
- 3,712
- Jun 27, 2007
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Could it have been Judah P. Benjamin? I think he was Secretary of Treasury (CSA).Interestingly, there was a proposal before the war started made by a confederate gentleman who had his head screwed on (name escapes me) which was
to sell the cotton stockpile before any blockade could come into effect. This would have given the Confederacy a very large war chest from the start. The
proposal was ignored and as The Basket noted the Confederates were under the misapprehension that Britain's need for cotton was so great they would
join the fight on their side (40% of English employment was in textiles). Big mistake on both counts as the cotton stayed mostly in warehouses and the
British forces stayed away from the civil war.
Yes! That's him. He proposed an immediate sale of 100,000 bales. It was later realised that 3,000,000 bales (400lbs each bale) could have beenCould it have been Judah P. Benjamin? I think he was Secretary of Treasury (CSA).
Russian fleet? Er..ok.
I do think the Trent Affair is a bit more than bluff but the fact it was dropped quickly has its merits.
The Russian fleet was 1863 so if war was gonna happen it would happen much sooner. And I doubt the Russian Fleet was much ado.
The Union was in a much weaker position than the British Empire so the Union was under direct and real threat. The idea that the Union could build a fleet or occupy Canada or commerce raid is more wishful thinking than real life.
Not to be insulting but the wishful thinking is the first half of that sentence. The Union could and did build a substantial fleet rather quickly, I suggest looking up the "90 day gunboats" used for much of the blockade. Commerce raiding would have had a much larger impact than you are giving it credit for, look at what the CSN's few raiders did to Union shipping, triple or quadruple that amount and send them after British trade and I think you get the picture.*SNIP*
The Union was in a much weaker position than the British Empire so the Union was under direct and real threat. The idea that the Union could build a fleet or occupy Canada or commerce raid is more wishful thinking than real life.
I never let a lack of knowledge stop me. I'd have nothing to say.I have reached the limits of my knowledge. I am not able to add anything else without learning more.
So I will sign off.