Blue & Gray Diplomacy - (Littlefield History of the Civil War Era) by Howard Jones (Paperback)

About the Book

Blue and Gray Diplomacy: A History of Union and Confederate Foreign Relations

Book Synopsis

In this examination of Union and Confederate foreign relations during the Civil War from both European and American perspectives, Howard Jones demonstrates that the consequences of the conflict between North and South reached far beyond American soil.

Jones explores a number of themes, including the international economic and political dimensions of the war, the North's attempts to block the South from winning foreign recognition as a nation, Napoleon III's meddling in the war and his attempt to restore French power in the New World, and the inability of Europeans to understand the interrelated nature of slavery and union, resulting in their tendency to interpret the war as a senseless struggle between a South too large and populous to have its independence denied and a North too obstinate to give up on the preservation of the Union. Most of all, Jones explores the horrible nature of a war that attracted outside involvement as much as it repelled it.

Written in a narrative style that relates the story as its participants saw it play out around them, Blue and Gray Diplomacy depicts the complex set of problems faced by policy makers from Richmond and Washington to London, Paris, and St. Petersburg.

Review Quotes

"[A] thoroughly researched, engagingly written history. . . . By relating events from both the American and European points of view, Jones allows readers to understand pivotal events on both sides of the Atlantic." -- Florida Times-Union

"A thorough, highly detailed, massively researched volume. . . . No matter how much you think you know about the Civil War, there is plenty here that is new and intriguing." -- Tuscaloosa News

"A very valuable, densely researched, well-written, and thought-provoking book." -- H-Civil War

"Distinguished by its international focus, comprehensive coverage of the North and South, and highly readable form. . . . This compelling study will appeal to both scholars and a general readership." -- Civil War Book Review

"Howard Jones is one of the most prolific historians when it comes to Civil War diplomacy....[He] presents a long awaited synthesis...that relies on his twenty years of research....He has topped off a prolific decade of scholarship." -- Southern Historian

"Jones has reshaped the history of Civil War diplomacy. . . . Extensive research and clear insights [create] a thoughtful and precise study." -- Journal of American History

"Might be the best book available and one that is required reading for anyone interested in the subject [American diplomacy during the Civil War]. . . . Will be a valuable addition to your library. This is a book you will read more than once and should be an award winner." -- America's Civil War Blog

"The first inclusive history of Civil War diplomacy in more than four decades. . . An engaging, analytical, and compact assessment. . . . A laudable and most welcome account." -- American Historical Review

"Wide-ranging connections, insights, and reassessments. . . . The most comprehensive single-volume account of Civil War foreign relations." -- Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

"Written in a narrative style that relates the story as its participants saw it play out around them, Blue and Gray Diplomacy depicts the complex set of problems faced by policy makers from Richmond and Washington to London, Paris, and St. Petersburg." -- McCormick Messenger

About the Author

Howard Jones is University Research Professor of History at the University of Alabama. He is author or editor of more than a dozen books, including Abraham Lincoln and a New Birth of Freedom: The Union and Slavery in the Diplomacy of the Civil War and Union in Peril: The Crisis over British Intervention in the Civil War.