page_title: France and the American Civil War
hierarchical_section_title: France and the American Civil War
caption_attribution_description: A picture of the Battle of Cherbourg, between the Kearsarge and the Alabama, june 19th, 1864. The battle is a part of the American Civil War.
context_page_description: The Second French Empire remained officially neutral throughout the American Civil War and never recognized the Confederate States of America. The United States warned that recognition would mean war. France was reluctant to act without British collaboration, and the British government rejected intervention.
  Emperor Napoleon III realized that a war with the United States without allies "would spell disaster" for France. However, the textile industry used cotton, and Napoleon had sent an army to control Mexico, which could be greatly aided by the Confederacy. At the same time, other French political leaders, such as Foreign Minister Édouard Thouvenel, supported the United States.
context_section_description: The Second French Empire remained officially neutral throughout the American Civil War and never recognized the Confederate States of America. The United States  warned that recognition would mean war. France was reluctant to act without British collaboration, and the British government rejected intervention.
  Emperor Napoleon III realized that a war with the United States without allies "would spell disaster" for France. However, the textile industry used cotton, and Napoleon had sent an army to control Mexico, which could be greatly aided by the Confederacy. At the same time, other French political leaders, such as Foreign Minister Édouard Thouvenel, supported the United States.
caption: The Battle of the Kearsarge and the Alabama, by Édouard Manet, depicting the Union victory at the Battle of Cherbourg (1864)
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