Following the American Civil War Sesquicentennial with day by day writings of the time, currently 1863.

Post image for “The cotton problem in England is becoming more and more serious.”–Adams Family Letters, Charles Francis Adams, U.S. Minister to the U.K., to his son, Charles.

“The cotton problem in England is becoming more and more serious.”–Adams Family Letters, Charles Francis Adams, U.S. Minister to the U.K., to his son, Charles.

June 27, 2012

Adams Family Civil War letters; US Minister to the UK and his sons.

London, June 27, 1862

But the main thing is now the issue at Richmond. At the latest dates things were getting uncomfortably close. McClellan was making his movements steadily and slowly until the choice only remained to attack at disadvantage or to move. In this case my impression is strong that the rebels will move. They did so at Manassas, and at Yorktown, at Williamsburg and at Corinth. Why not do so again? The only question is to know where to go to. Money is scarce, and confederate promises have lost what little credit they had. The means to feed and support great bodies of men are not so easily to be had from a country already pretty heavily drawn upon. My conclusion is that before long the attempt to keep a large army in the field must be abandoned, and that from that time hostilities will be continued by small bands who will sustain themselves by levies on the country. Such is the policy sketched out by Mr. Yancey in a letter to somebody here of which I have heard. The effect of this will doubtless be to complete the devastation and ruin which seems to be the fate of the slaveholding region. I scarcely see the good it will do to anybody. If cotton be not grown here, it will come from Surat and Bombay. In the meanwhile what are the slaves to do?

The cotton problem in England is becoming more and more serious. The stock has got down to about two hundred and fifty thousand bales, and there is a demand for export which is reducing it faster than was anticipated. At present it is calculated that by November there will be none left. Provided always that the slaveholders should be so foolish as to persevere in destroying it and themselves. It has seemed to me all along that they were mere suicides, and I believe it more firmly every day.

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