THE RECOGNITION AND CABINET CRISES, 1862

This chapter focuses on Lincoln’s decision to reject calls for Seward’s replacement as secretary of state and on the two partners’ successful efforts to block European diplomatic recognition of the Confederacy and intervention in the American war. Seward skillfully managed maritime issues associated with the blockade, and Lincoln shifted the primary stated emphasis of US diplomacy from preserving the Union to freeing the slaves. This shift was embodied in the Emancipation Proclamation and linked northern victory to abolishing slavery. When combined with the Confederate retreat following the battle of Antietam and Seward’s ongoing threats, the North’s stand on the side of liberty ultimately convinced British leaders not to intervene or to recognize the South—making 1862 the war’s pivotal foreign policy year.