The Trent Affair: The American Civil War

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The Trent Affair was a diplomatic incident that happened at the same time as the American Civil War, it was also known as the Mason and Slidell Affair. This was between the United States and Great Britain on November to December in 1861. This crisis was the closest the U.S. and Great Britain has ever been close to starting a war between each other. It all started when the captain of the USS San Jacinto, Captain Charles Wilkes, ordered to search the ship and ended up arresting two confederate sailors going to Europe on a British mail ship, named the Trent. The two men who were captured were James Murray Mason and John Slidell, they were seeking support from England and France for the cause of the confederacy. The first thing the United States