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Trent Affair

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
incident in the diplomatic relations between the United States and Great Britain, which occurred during the American Civil War. On Nov. 8, 1861, the British mail packet Trent , carrying James M. Mason and John Slidell , Confederate commissioners to London and Paris respectively, was halted in the Bahama Channel by the U.S. warship San Jacinto , commanded by Capt. Charles Wilkes . The commissioners and their secretaries were forcibly removed from the Trent and taken to Boston, where they were interned in Fort Warren. This act was strictly opposed to the laws of the sea as they had been previously upheld by the United States, since Wilkes did not seize the vessel and bring it in for admiralty adjudication but merely exercised search and seizure of the men. Nevertheless, Wilkes's action was greeted with wild acclaim and he was thanked by the U.S. House of Representatives. In Great Britain the act aroused popular indignation. The British drafted a sharp note to the U.S. government, the…
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Full text Article Trent Affair

From The Great American History Fact-Finder
( November–December 1861 ), naval incident between Great Britain and the United States during the Civil War . Two Confederate diplomats, James Mason and John Slidell , were sent to Europe to enlist the aid of neutral France and England for the Southern cause. Sailing on the British ship Trent, they…
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Full text Article Trent Affair

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
(1861) Incident in the American Civil War involving freedom of the seas. On Nov. 8, 1861, the Union frigate San Jacinto stopped the neutral British steamer Trent to seize Confederate commissioners John Slidell and James Murray Mason , who were en route to England and France to seek support for the…
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Full text Article Trent Affair

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
incident in the diplomatic relations between the United States and Great Britain, which occurred during the American Civil War. On Nov. 8, 1861, the British mail packet Trent , carrying James M. Mason and John Slidell , Confederate commissioners to London and Paris respectively, was halted in the…
| 315 words
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Full text Article Trent Affair

From Philip's Encyclopedia
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Full text Article Trent Affair

From Chambers Dictionary of World History
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Full text Article Mason, James Murray

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
(born Nov. 3, 1798, Fairfax county, Va., U.S.—died April 28, 1871, Alexandria, Va.) U.S. politician. A grandson of George Mason , he practiced law in his native Virginia from 1820. He served in the state legislature (1826, 1828–32), the U.S. House of Representatives (1837–39), and the U.S. Senate…
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Full text Article Seward, William H(enry)

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
(born May 16, 1801, Florida, N.Y., U.S.—died Oct. 10, 1872, Auburn, N.Y.) U.S. politician. He served in the New York state senate (1830–34) and as governor (1839–43). In the U.S. Senate (1849–61), he was an antislavery leader in the Whig and Republican parties. A close adviser to Pres. Abraham…
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Full text Article Slidell, John

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(slīdĕl', slī'dӘl), 1793–1871, American political leader and diplomat, b. New York City. He became a prominent lawyer and political figure in New Orleans and served as a Democrat in Congress (1843–45). In 1845, Slidell was appointed special U.S. envoy to Mexico to adjust the Texas boundary and to…
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Full text Article Slidell, John

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
(born 1793, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died July 29, 1871, London, Eng.) U.S. and Confederate diplomat. He practiced law in New Orleans from 1819, then served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1843–45) and Senate (1853–61). In the American Civil War he joined the Confederate foreign service. En route…
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The "San Jacinto" Stopping the "Trent", 8 November 1861 (engraving)
Artist: American School, (19th century) Location: Private Collection Credit: The "San Jacinto" Stopping the "Trent", 8 November 1861 (engraving), American School, (19th century) / Private Collection / Peter Newark Military Pictures / The Bridgeman Art Library Date: 19th c. Medium: engraving…
| 112 words , 1 image
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