As French ambassador to the United States from July 1860 through December 1863, Henri Mercier was in an excellent position to observe, report, and influence the events of those crucial years. Through a description of Mercier's diplomacy, Professor Carroll gives a new account of the Civil War—the tenacious nationalism of the Lincoln-Seward government, the French economic distress caused by the loss of the cotton trade, the continental perspective on the War, the men and society of Washington and Richmond. He shows, in particular, that while maintaining friendly relations in Washington, Mercier seriously considered French recognition of the South, and intervention if necessary. Professor Carroll outlines the French peace proposals of 1862 and 1863, and also Mercier's ingenious plan for a North-South common market. Originally published in 1971. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.