This Month in the War: 13th Amendment, South Carolina Secedes, Mason and Slidell Released

From the December 2022 American Battlefield Trust calendar.

DECEMBER 18, 1865

**  The 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, becomes a part of the U.S. Constitution.

DECEMBER 20, 1860

**  South Carolina adopts  an Ordinance of Secession.

DECEMBER 22, 1860

**  Major Robert Anderson evacuates Fort Moultrie and goes to Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor.

DECEMBER 26, 1861

**  The U.S. releases Mason and Sliddell, ending the Trent Affair.

DECEMBER 30, 1861

**  Banks in New York suspend specie payments.

DECEMBER 31, 1862

**  The Battle of Stones River (Murfreesboro), Tennessee, begins.

--Old Secesh

Events Taking Place in December: USS Cairo-- Nashville-- 13th Amendment-- Fort Fisher-- Mason & Slidell-- Stones River

DECEMBER 12, 1862

The USS Cairo strikes a torpedo and sinks in the Yazoo River, Mississippi.

DECEMBER 15, 1864

The Battle of Nashville, Tennessee, begins.

DECEMBER 18, 1865

The 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, becomes a part of the U.S. Constitution.

*************************************

DECEMBER 24, 1864

The first attack on Fort Fisher, North Carolina, begins.

DECEMBER  26, 1860

Major Robert Anderson evacuates Fort Moultrie for Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.

DECEMBER 26, 1861

The U.S. releases Confederate commissioners Mason and Slidell, ending the Trent Affair.

DECEMBER 31, 1862

The Battle of Stones River (Murfreesboro), Tennessee begins.

--Old Secesh

Lincoln and Seward-- Part 4: A Question of Aristocracy, Cotton and Slavery

Mason Slidell was a strong advocate of slavery and an author of the Fugitive Slave Law.  England was anti-slavery at the time.

However, England viewed the Confederacy as an aristocracy since the rich plantation owners ran most of it.  Pl;us, the U.S. was fast becoming a serious threat to British power and a challenge in democracy.  British commoners generally, however, supported the North.

The Confederacy considered cotton as a vital aspect of getting England's recognition and even put an embargo on it to force its hand.  However, cotton was found from other sources and England textile mills continued operating.

Slavery was the main reason England never recognized the Confederacy.  It had been abolished in the country in 1772 and in the Empire it became illegal in 1833.

--Old Secesh

Lincoln and Seward-- Part 3: The Trent Affair

The Trent Affair really almost turned ugly against the United States when the USS San Jacinto stopped the British ship RMS Trent and took off and arrested Confederate commissioners Mason and Slidell.  England was mortified and this probably came the closest that they ever got to taking overt operations against the country.  Britain demanded the immediate release of Mason and Slidell and an apology.

A break came when British Prince Albert talked Russell's demands down.

Seward's stance was that since the Trent wasn't taken to a prize court.  The British refused to allow Confederate privateers from bringing prizes into a prize court and could not call the Union's blockade ineffective (which it was).

They appointed Charles Francis Adams as ambassador to England which appeased the British somewhat. He was the son of a president and grandson of another and aristocratic, which helped appease the British.

Later, Lincoln quietly released Mason and Slidell.  John Slidell went to France and Mason to England where he was a bad choice and not liked much by the British aristocracy because of his manners.  One thing he did that offended them was chew tobacco and then, worse, spit on the floor.

--Old Secesh

This Week in the War 150 Years Ago: The Trent Affair Grows

From AP. For the week beginning December 18th.

It is kind of neat to be looking at the events and realize they took place 150 years ago to these days. that is a real Civil War connection.

The diplomatic crisis with Britain called the Trent Affair just continued to get worse. Confederate envoys Slidell and Mason had been taken off the British ship Trent on Nov. 8th. The British government and people were outraged that such an offense to their neutrality took place.

The British government demanded an apology and immediate release of the Confederate commissioners. Lincoln and his cabinet knew that fighting another country would be a real bad thing right now.

The British Minister in Washington, DC, sent a message to the US Secretary of State Dec. 19th demanding a reply.

That reply came Dec. 27th and said the Confederates would be released and reparations paid.

Another War Averted. --Old B-R'er

Outrage on the British Flag-- Part 2

On November 30, 1861, a letter was sent to Great Britain's minister to the US, Lord Lyons, from the British Foreign Secretary, Lord John Russell, expressing extreme displeasure at the seizure of Mason and Slidell.

The Royal Navy was put on alert but under orders to avoid hostilities with the United States.

Lord Lyons was instructed to be ready to leave Washington, DC, soon if there was no redress of "The Trent Affair."

What was the Lincoln administration to do?

Things Are Heating Up. --Old B-R'er

Outrage On the British Flag-- Part 1

From the Dec. 1st Rappahannock News "150 Years Ago This Week" 'Outrage on the British Flag' Nov. 1861"

Union forces landed on Tybee Island, Georgia, on the Savannah River, in Sunday, Nov. 24th. They now controlled the entrance to the harbor and they now had a foothold for an attack on Fort Pulaski.

The USS San Jacinto arrived in Boston carrying captured Confederate Commissioners James Mason and John Slidell forcibly taken from the British ship Trent. They were imprisoned in Fort Warren in Boston Harbor.

Lincoln and his cabinet met about what was becoming known as "The Trent Affair."

News of the capture of Slidell and Mason reached Great Britain on Wednesday, Nov. 27th and word spread rapidly setting off a wave if indignation and infuriation. Newspapers headlines screamed "Outrage to the British Flag!"

More to Come. --Old B-R'er

Naval Happenings 150 Years Ago: Fort Fisher Fired On

From the Civil War Naval Chronology 1861-1865.

NOVEMBER 11, 1861-- Thaddeus Lowe made a balloon observation of Confederate forces from the Balloon Boat G.W. Parke Curtis anchored in the Potomac River. The early aircraft carrier was purchased for $150 and readied fr service at the Washington Navy Yard. It was towed to the site by the steamer Couer de Lion.

NOVEMBER 12, 1861-- The Fingal (later CSS Atlanta) purchased in England, ran the Savannah blockade with military supplies, the first ship to run the blockade on solely Confederate government account.

NOVEMBER 15, 1861-- Confederate commissioners Mason and Slidell disembarked from the USS San Jacinto, Captain Wilkes,at Fort Monroe.

NOVEMBER 16, 1861-- Confederate Secretary of the Navy Mallory advertised for plans and bids for construction of four seagoing ironclads capable of carrying four guns each.

Today, 1861-- The USS Monticello, Lt. Braine, engaged Confederate battery near New Inlet, North Carolina. That would be Fort Fisher. This is tye first action of read of at Fort Fisher in the Civil War Naval Chronology.


NOVEMBER 22, 1861-- The USS Niagara, Flag officer McKean, USS Richmond, Capt. Ellison, and Fort Pickens began two day bombardment against Confederate defenses at Fort McRee, the Pensacola Navy Yard and the town of Warrington. Much damage done to Confederate positions and USS Richmond.

NOVEMBER 24, 1861-- A landing party from the USS Flag, Cmdr. J. Rodgers, USS Augusta, Pochahontas, Seneca and Savannah took possession of Tybee Island, Savannah. Admiral Du Pont attributed the Confederate abandonment of the island without a fight was "due to the terror inspired by the bombardment of Forts Walker and Beauregard...."

Skeered Away Again. --Old B-Runner

150th Anniversary of the Trent Incident

I've covered this event since Confederate commissioners Jim Mason and John Slidell slipping out of Charleston in October. Today marks the 150th anniversary of Captain Wilkes in the USS San Jacinto stopping the British mail steamer Trent in the Old Bahama Channel off Cuba and removing the two Confederates and sparking an international incident, straining British-US relations.

As a pro-Confederate, I'd have to say the capture of the two was illegal, coming as it did off a vessel belonging to a neutral country.

But, the North and Lincoln's administration saw it differently.

Who Was Right. --Old B-Runner

Looking for the CSS Nashville

From the Oct. 17th Civil War Daily Gazette

Octiber 17, 1861, Thursday

The US Navy thought the two Confederate envoys, John Slidell and James Mason had boarded the CSS Nashville for their trip out of Charleston Harbor. The USS James Adger and USS Curlew were dispatched to intercept it. The Curlew was short on coal and turned back, but the Adger went all the way to England pursuing the Nashville.

The USS Connecticut was sent to Bermuda to gather any information it could on the Nashville and then to return to the New York Naval Yard if nothing could be found.

Meanwhile, Mason and Slidell were already in Cuba, arriving on the Theodora. Before reaching Havana, however, the coal supply was short and a stop was made in Cardenas, 100 miles to the east. The Theodora was accompanied by a Spanish steamer at this juncture, having helped guide the blockade-runner through the waters around the Bahamas.

There was a delay because the papers of clearance were for Havana and not Cardenas. During the day, Mason and Slidell landed.

By the time the two got to Havana, they found that they had just missed a ship bound for England by a day. The next ship going there was not set to leave for three weeks.

Missed It By [] Much. --Old B-R'er

USS San Jacinto

The USS Jacinto was a wooden screw steamship commissioned in 1851 and mounting six guns that was out seeking the Sumter. It spent a lot of its career chasing after Confederate raiders.

Earlier it had been off Wilmington, NC, on blockade duty.

After seeking the Sumter, commanded by Raphael Semmes, unsuccessfully, it had stopped at Cienfuegos, Cuba, for coal.

After the Trent Affair, it later chased after Semmes again, this time while he commanded the CSS Alabama. First it was off the coast of Nova Scotia. When it was found the Alabama had gone to the Caribbean, the San Jacinto followed and a period of hide-and-seek between the two ships took place.

The San Jacinto finally caught up with the Confederate raider at Fort Royal, Martinique, but the Alabama managed to slip out.

Much of 1863 was spent looking for another raider, the CSS Florida.

Setting the Stage for the Trent. --Old B-Runner

CSS Nashville

Union authorities believed Confederate commissioners John Slidell and James Mason had left Charleston aboard the CSS Nashville which is why ships were sent to look for her. Mason and Slidell had originally considered taking the Nashville, but had canceled their plans when word got out and taken the Theodora instead.

From Wikipedia.

The CSS Nashvillewas originally the USMS Nashville (US Mail Service Ship), built in Greenpoint, Brooklyn (obviously, a lot of ships built there) in 1853.

During the bombardment of Fort Sumter, the Nashville blundered into Charleston harbor without flying the US flag and was accidentally fired upon by the USRC Harriet Lane, the first shots of the Naval war.

The Nashville was later seized by Confederates and fitted out as a cruiser under Lt. Robert Pegram, CSN. It ran the blockade of Charleston October 21, 1861, and sailed directly to Southampton, England, where it became the first to fly the Confederate flag in English waters.

That did not end its naval career, however.

Perhaps Mason and Slidell Should Have Taken the Nashville Anyway. then There Would Not Have Been the Trent Affair. --Old B-Runner

In the Meantime, Looking for the Confederate Commissioners

When Confederate commissioners Slidell and Mason arrived in Havana, the USS San Jacinto, commanded by Captain Charles Wilkes, put into the Cuban town of Cienfuegos while searching for the Confederate cruiser Sumter.

When he learned of the Theodora's arrival, he hurried around Cuba to capture the ship, but arrived a day after the ship left. But, Slidell and Mason were still there and awaiting transportation to England on the Trent.

His wait paid off and he stopped the Trent and seized the two on November 8th, setting off quite an international incident.

Not Nice of Wilkes. --Old B-R'er

Blockade-Runner Theodora-- Part 1

From wowway.com.

The Theodora was a 175-foot long, 7-foot draft steamer capable of 16 knots and carrying a crew of 50. It was originally named the Carolina, then became the Gordon, then the Theodora and finally the Nassau. (I found it mentioned in another source as being a sister ship of the Carolina.)

It had a mixed career as a blockade-runner along with stints in Confederate service as a transport and armed picket ship.

It was built at Greenpoint, NY, in 1852, and worked as a coastal packet out of Charleston, SC, occasionally crossing to Havana.

At the outbreak of the war, it was strengthened and refitted as the Gordon and given a Letter of Marque to operate as a privateer under the command of Captain T.J. Lockwood.

On July 15, 1861, it was disarmed and operated as the Theodora and carried Confederate envoys James Mason and John Slidell Oct. 12, 1861. (The Civil War Gazette said the name was changed after Mason and Slidell chartered it.)

More to Come. --Old B-R'er

Mason and Slidell Run the Blockade-- Part 2

James Mason and John Slidell now even considered journeying to Mexico to embark on their trans-Atlantic journey. But then, they found the Gordon, a 500-ton sidewheel steamer, which had already run the blockade several times and was under the capable command of Captain Thomas J. Lockwood.

It was not, however, big enough to go directly to England, so the two men who have to go to Havana, Cuba, and get another ship to get across the Atlantic. At least, this part of the trip would be on a neutral ship.

Should a neutral ship be stopped by the US Navy and mason and Slidell taken off, this would cause an international incident.

On October 9th, the Gordon was chartered for $10,000 and its name changed to Theodora (probably because it had also previously been a privateer). The Confederate envoys boarded it on the night of October 11th. Slidell also had his wife and four children with him and his secretary had his whole family along as well.

At 1 am, the following morning, the Theodora exited Charleston Harbor in the rain and clouds and passed within a mile and a half of one Union ship and was on its way to Havana. mason and Slidell were on their way to a date with history when they were stopped on the British ship Trent.

Really Running the Blockade. --Old B-Runner

Mason and Slidell Run the Blockade-- Part 1

From the October 12th Civil War Daily Gazette.

October 12, 1861, Saturday.

One day ago, 150 years ago, Confederate commissioners James Mason and John Slidell, aboard the blockade-runner, former privateer, Theodora, ran through the blockade of Charleston, SC, headed for Havana and an eventual date with destiny aboard the British ship Trent.

This was another one of those stories that started off with an initial source and then grew and grew.

Britain had classified the Confederacy as a belligerent. As such, the country could buy arms and seize ships. however, the Confederacy was looking for something more along the way of recognition as a sovereign nation.

Three steamers and one sloop-of-war were blockading Charleston at the time. Slidell and Mason were looking for a vessel to leave Charleston in. The steamer Nashville was available and was fast and large enough to go all the way to England. However, word of their intention got out and the Nashville was dropped.

Finding Another Ship. --Old B-Runner