First published 2011
Amanda Foreman examines Britain's crucial involvement in the American Civil War from 1861 to 1865. The historian reveals how Britain depended on Southern cotton while the Confederacy relied on British weapons and ships. Thousands of British citizens served as soldiers, sailors, nurses, and spies for both Union and Confederate forces. Foreman uses personal letters, diaries, and journals to trace these volunteers from Fort Sumter to Appomattox. She shows how diplomatic tensions between Britain and America nearly sparked another war. The book moves between London drawing rooms and Washington offices, from battlefields to prison camps. Foreman demonstrates how British citizens witnessed and shaped the conflict that threatened to split America permanently. Through their eyes, readers see the personal costs and political forces that determined whether the nation would survive intact.
Genres: biography, history, american-civil-war, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 19th-century, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: America, Britain, Confederacy, London, Union, Washington
Period: 1861-1865
988 pages · Hardcover · Random House