John
Grave found of UK man who bankrolled Confederates During American Civil War
August 17, 2009 12:00 AM
There was a very interesting article in the August 11th edition of the UK paper The Guardian about a US scholar who has tracked down the grave of a long-lost British merchantman who supported the South during the American Civil War.
According to the article, Charles Kuhn Prioleau purchased the CSS Alabama and two other privateers through agents, to help protect his interest in the cotton trade, which was threatened by the US blockade of Southern ports.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/aug/10/grave-of-confederate-backer-found
I am fascinated by the role that global trade played in warfare, even back then.
COMMENTS
You should read up on Ouvrard, who factored the Spanish gold trapped in the New World by the British in 1804-5. He saved the Bank of France from going bust, but as per usual, Napoleon later had him condemned as ana embezzler. There is a good case to be made for N's two worst decisions, taking over Spain and invading Russia, being primarily down to cash and trade.
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