Jagee --
I could not pin down which French attaché might have evaluated the
American Confederacy, but Prince Napoleon himself visited the United
States during that period. He visited Washington, DC and the
Manassas, VA (Bull Run) battleground during August, leaving the
Capital on Aug. 16.
Upon his return to Paris on Sunday, Oct. 13, the Prince's views were
sought out by Napoleon III, then emperor. France at the time was
being courted by both the north and south -- the Confederacy wanting
diplomatic recognition and the Union seeking supplies and consent to
the blockade of ports. At the same time, Napoleon III was attempting
to put in place a puppet government in Mexico headed by his allies.
Napoleon III, also known as Louis Napoleon, had lived briefly in the
U.S. in 1838. Eventually his government would sell arms to both sides
of the American conflict. It agreed to a $15 million loan to build 4
ironclad warships for the Confederacy, but none were delivered in time
to aid the south. The story of those negotiations and counter-moves
by John Bigelow and American ambassador Charles Francis Adams are
contained in Bigelow's oft-quoted book:
Bigelow, John. France and the Confederate Navy, 1862-1868: An
International Episode. New York: Harper & Bros., 1888. (Reprinted
1968 by Bergman Pubs.; 1973 by Books for Libraries; 1980 by Library
Resources as LAC Microbook).
For a quick look at Bigelow, see this online version of the 1911
Encyclopedia Britannica:
1911 Edition Encyclopedia
"John Bigelow"
http://57.1911encyclopedia.org/B/BI/BIGELOW_JOHN.htm
Note too that France blocked officers from joining the Union military.
That didn't stop two sons of the Duc d'Orleans -- the Count o f Paris
and the Duke of Chartres -- from enlisting and serving as
aides-de-camp for Gen. McClellan. They joined the general's staff in
October, 1861.
Google search strategy:
France + "American confederacy" + 1861
"France and the Confederate Navy"
"Charles Francis Adams"
Best regards,
Omnivorous-GA |
