Here’s Wikipedia’s tidbit and I’ll give a link to the book I think I got it out of.
The book I read went into more detail about how Napoleon 3 wanted to have a treaty but the sticking point was the slaves. He knew that if they weren’t able to get over that point Britain would never accept it. I looked for about 15 minutes for the book but came up dry. One of the harsh realities of having actual printed books to go through.
As for using the South, well after the slaves were freed the South didn’t have much to exploit. The main drivers of money moved into the new West, gold, silver, timber, and other textiles. If they’d wanted to actually bleed the South dry they would have had to keep slavery intact. Then they could of made a mint by occupying the states and raising draconian war taxes.
I’m not saying they were angels, no one is or was an angel. I think that there was no way they could let them go. If they did other states would follow and the country would be cut up into little pieces. The Civil War was the making of the Federal Government and a standing army. In many ways it was when the country decided how far they’d go to be a country.
I do know that LOTS of people made a fortune in the North off the war. Grant rails endlessly about smuggling and graft. Going so far as to institute a shot on sight order for smugglers until he’s told by the government he can’t do that. The Civil War moved massive swaths of money to the North, crippled the South’s ability to support itself, instituted the Federal Government, and paved the way for the North to take economic superiority. How much of that was planned and how much just greedy rats ready to take what was offered, I don’t know.
I do know that Lincoln never say it that way. I know that Grant never wanted it. And I know that Lee was never for slavery. I can also say with some confidence that the rank and file were fighting for their country, way of life, and future.
I tend to measure past humanity by today’s humanity. Some are evil, a few are good, most fall into that gray area between. I look on what I’d fight and kill for. Would I fight for my country to stay a country? Yep. Would I fight for my right to live the life my family had lived for generations if I was born Southern? Yep. Do I think that there are some that conspired to make fortunes off of Southern backs and the Civil War? Yep. But I don’t think it was the leaders or the rank and file that died for it. It was senators, business men, traders and smugglers. By and large I think they were the minority.
Good discussion tho, very thought provoking.