Quote:
Originally Posted by ShadoWarrior
Why so unbelievable? This is the same empire that had already fought two wars with Americans in the past 90 years.
It's not so much about slavery as other things. The Empire was undisputed master of the seas at the time. it could easily have inflicted some more punishment upon their upstart former colonials, which doesn't seem so far a stretch. It would weaken a rapidly industrializing rival and put Americans "in their proper place".
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And don't forget the San Jacinto affair in which a US warship bordered a British flagged merchant vessel and removed two Confederate diplomats. The US position that the Confederates were not diplomats but rebels was weak at beast. But even more damning was that the merchant was in international waters. It was only the personal intervention of Prince Albert that prevented hot heads from ordering the Royal Navy to teach the Americans a lesson.
So yes, I can see such an incident putting the Royal Navy in the position of smashing the blockade, and considering that most of the USN warships were smaller gunboats, the odds were excellent that the RN would succeed in their mission. With one or more Southern ports open to export cotton and tobacco and import military supplies.......