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Book Review of Our Man in Charleston: Britain's Secret Agent in the Civil War South

Our Man in Charleston: Britain's Secret Agent in the Civil War South
hardtack avatar reviewed on + 2566 more book reviews


Wow! This is a fascinating book about how a somewhat minor British counsel in Charleston, South Carolina, greatly influenced British political views during the Civil War and against the southern move toward succession in the 1850s. Plus, once the southern states 'left' the Union, the counsel pretended to support the Confederacy's desire for international recognition while providing the British government reasons why this should not be given.

The basis of it was the continued trading in slaves from Africa with southern slaveholder support, despite the Confederacy's supposed opposition to it, and the British desire to bring such to an end.

One very good aspect of the book is the explanation of the economics of slavery and cotton and their effects on the South and the Confederacy.

I highly recommend this book to all those interested in the "War of the Rebellion," as it was called by Abraham Lincoln.