- Joined
- Aug 25, 2012
Today I read that when Lincoln appointed Carl Schurz as minister to Spain in 1861 he convinced Spain not to support the Confedercy. I guess this thread might fall under the what if category but I am in hopes that it is more of a practical question.
To start, was there any real chance that Spain would have supported the Confedercy? I am not sure there was any plus side to Spain for doing so. Did Spain need cotton? Perhaps if Spain would have recognized the Confedercy, other European nations would have followed Spain's lead. In return an independent Confederate States of America would then support Spanish interests in the Americas.
But on a more practical side, what would Spanish support for the Confedercy involve? Spain did have an army and navy but had commitments in other parts of the world, so I am not sure how much military support Spain could offer. Could the Spanish navy have made a difference? The Spanish navy probably could have disrupted Union shipping. I am not sure any army units Spain could spare to send to the South would have greatly changed the outcome of the war. How powerful and how efficient was the Spanish army in 1861?
I guess Spain could have provided monetary support. How much money Spain would/could provide is open to question. As is how much that money would have helped the Confedercy.
Still one would think that the Confedercy would have appreciated any international support. But the cost of Spanish support may well have came at a great cost to the Confedercy. I am not sure Great Britain or France would have been happy with increased Spanish influence in the Americas and to be honest the Confedercy needed the support of Great Britain and France more than any aid Spain could provide
To start, was there any real chance that Spain would have supported the Confedercy? I am not sure there was any plus side to Spain for doing so. Did Spain need cotton? Perhaps if Spain would have recognized the Confedercy, other European nations would have followed Spain's lead. In return an independent Confederate States of America would then support Spanish interests in the Americas.
But on a more practical side, what would Spanish support for the Confedercy involve? Spain did have an army and navy but had commitments in other parts of the world, so I am not sure how much military support Spain could offer. Could the Spanish navy have made a difference? The Spanish navy probably could have disrupted Union shipping. I am not sure any army units Spain could spare to send to the South would have greatly changed the outcome of the war. How powerful and how efficient was the Spanish army in 1861?
I guess Spain could have provided monetary support. How much money Spain would/could provide is open to question. As is how much that money would have helped the Confedercy.
Still one would think that the Confedercy would have appreciated any international support. But the cost of Spanish support may well have came at a great cost to the Confedercy. I am not sure Great Britain or France would have been happy with increased Spanish influence in the Americas and to be honest the Confedercy needed the support of Great Britain and France more than any aid Spain could provide