A World on Fire: Britain's Crucial Role in the American Civil War

ALSO BY AMANDA FOREMAN

Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire

Copyright © 2010 by Amanda Foreman

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Random House, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

RANDOM HOUSE and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Originally published in hardcover in the United Kingdom by Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Press, a member of Penguin Group (U.K.) in 2010.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Foreman, Amanda
A world on fire: Britain’s crucial role in the American Civil War/Amanda Foreman.
    p. cm.
Originally published: London: Allen Lane, 2010. Subtitle varies.
eISBN: 978-0-679-60397-9
1. United States—History—Civil War, 1861–1865—Participation, British.
2. United States—History—Civil War, 1861–1865—Foreign public opinion,
British. 3. United States—Foreign relations—Great Britain. 4. Great Britain—
Foreign relations—United States. 5. United States—Foreign relations—
1861–1865. 6. Great Britain—Foreign relations—1837–1901.
7. Public opinion—Great Britain—History—19th century. I. Title.
E469.F67    2011
973.7’2—dc22       2011003726

www.atrandom.com

Book design by Casey Hampton

Jacket images: “Jeff Davis” Escort flag (Confederate Memorial Hall, New Orleans © Civil War Archive/Bridgemen Art Library); regimental colors of “The 59th of Foot” (Queen‗s Lancashire Regiment Museum, Preston, Lancashire/Bridgemen Art Library); Union flag (© Civil War Archive/Bridgemen Art Library).)

v3.1

For the children

Contents

Cover

Other Books by This Author

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

List of Illustrations

List of Plates

List of Maps

Preface

Dramatis Personae

Prologue

PART I: COTTON IS KING

  1. The Uneasy Cousins

  2. On the Best of Terms

  3. “The Cards Are in Our Hands!”

  4. Expectations Are Dashed

  5. The Rebel Yell

  6. War by Other Means

  7. “It Takes Two to Make a Quarrel”

  8. The Lion Roars Back

  9. The War Moves to England

10. The First Blow Against Slavery

11. Five Miles from Richmond

12. The South Is Rising

13. Is Blood Thicker Than Water?

14. A Fateful Decision

PART II: FIRE ALL AROUND THEM

15. Bloodbath at Fredericksburg

16. The Missing Key to Victory

17. “The Tinsel Has Worn Off”

18. Faltering Steps of a Counterrevolution

19. Prophecies of Blood and Suffering

20. The Key Is in the Lock

21. The Eve of Battle

22. Crossroads at Gettysburg

23. Pressure Rising

24. Devouring the Young

25. River of Death

26. Can the Nation Endure?

PART III: IF ONLY WE ARE SPARED

27. Buckling Under Pressure

28. A Great Slaughter

29. “Defiance to Her Enemies”

30. “Can We Hold Out?”

31. The Crisis Comes

32. The Tyranny of Hope

33. “Come Retribution”

34. “War Is Cruelty”

35. “The British Mark on Every Battle-field”

36. “Richmond Tomorrow”

37. Fire, Fire

38. “A True-Born King of Men”

Epilogue

Photo Inserts

Additional Images

Acknowledgments

Notes

Glossary

About the Author

List of Illustrations

Click on the illustration numbers below to navigate to each illustration. You can then click the illustration number beneath the image to navigate back to this section.

The dates given in this list are the dates of first publication of the illustrations, not the dates on which the events they record took place.

  
ill.1
The Napier Ball at Willard’s Hotel, Washington, D.C.,
Harpers Weekly
(E. Hooper), March 3, 1859

  
ill.2
Willard’s Hotel in 1861,
Harpers Weekly

  
ill.3
“Life in an American Hotel?,”
Punch
(John Leech), June 25, 1856

  
ill.4
Grand torchlight parade of the New York firemen,
Harpers Weekly,
October 13, 1860

  
ill.5
“Monkey Uncommon Up, Massa!,”
Punch,
December 1, 1860

  
ill.6
“A Family Quarrel,”
Punch,
September 28, 1861

  
ill.7
Attack on the pickets of the Garibaldi Guard on the banks of the Potomac,
Illustrated London News
(Frank Vizetelly), July 20, 1861

  
ill.8
The stampede from Bull Run,
Illustrated London News
(Frank Vizetelly), August 17, 1861

  
ill.9
Reconnaissance made by General Stoneman to Cedar Run,
Illustrated London News
(Frank Vizetelly), April 19, 1862

ill.10
“King Cotton Bound,”
Punch,
November 2, 1861

ill.11
“Look Out for Squalls,”
Punch,
December 7, 1861

ill.12
“Waiting for an Answer,”
Punch,
December 14, 1861

ill.13
“Up a Tree: Colonel Bull and the Yankee ’Coon,”
Punch,
January 11, 1862

ill.14
“Naughty Jonathan,”
Punch,
January 18, 1862

ill.15
USS
Picket
leading the ships of the Burnside expedition over the Hatteras Bar,
Illustrated London News
(Frank Vizetelly), February 22, 1862

ill.16
The 9th New York Volunteers (Hawkins’s Zouaves) and the 21st Massachusetts taking the Confederate fieldworks on Roanoke Island,
Illustrated London News
(Frank Vizetelly), March 22, 1862

ill.17
“Over the Way,”
Punch,
November 16, 1861

ill.18
“Divorce à Vinculo,”
Punch,
January 19, 1861

ill.19
CSS
Nashville
running the blockade at Beaufort, North Carolina,
Harpers Weekly,
April 5, 1862, copyright © Corbis

ill.20
Jefferson Thompson’s guerrillas shooting at Federal boats in the Mississippi,
Illustrated London News
(Frank Vizetelly), June 14, 1862

ill.21
Engagement off Fort Pillow, Mississippi River, between Federal and Confederate gunboats,
Illustrated London News
(Frank Vizetelly), June 14, 1862

ill.22
The last stand made by the Federals at Manassas,
Illustrated London News
(Frank Vizetelly), November 15, 1862, copyright © Illustrated London News Ltd. / Mary Evans

ill.23
View of Richmond, Virginia,
Illustrated London News
(Frank Vizetelly), November 15, 1862, copyright © Illustrated London News Ltd. / Mary Evans

ill.24
General Stuart with his cavalry scouting in the neighborhood of Culpeper Court House,
Illustrated London News
(Frank Vizetelly), October 4, 1862

ill.25
Night amusements in the Confederate camp,
Illustrated London News
(Frank Vizetelly), January 10, 1863

ill.26
“Not Up to Time; or, Interference Would Be Very Welcome,”
Punch,
September 13, 1862

ill.27
“Abe Lincoln’s Last Card; or, Rouge-et-Noir,”
Punch,
October 18, 1862

ill.28
“One Head Better Than Two,”
Punch,
November 22, 1862

ill.29
The bombardment of Fredericksburg, Virginia, on December 11,
Illustrated London News
(Frank Vizetelly), January 31, 1863

ill.30
New Year’s reception at the White House, Washington,
Illustrated London News
(Frank Vizetelly), February 1, 1862