In 1861 Confederates believed, as an article of faith, that if cotton did not flow across the Atlantic then Great Britain would rush to their aid. As it turned out, the British government disagreed. Confederate envoys could get no more than brief, private hearings. While William Seward and Lord Palmerston fumed at one another, the Confederacy ultimately gained little from its diplomatic efforts. Even the Trent Affair turned barren.
