Trent Affair I

Intro: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts.

Content: The incident, known as “The Trent Affair,” began when a Union warship, U.S.S. San Jacinto, intercepted a British mail steamer, Trent, on route from Havana, Cuba to England. Aboard the Trent were two Confederate emissaries, from Virginia, James Murray Mason and from Louisiana, John Slidell. After slipping through the Union naval blockade on the Gulf coast, they made it to Cuba, where they boarded the British vessel Trent. Mason and Slidell were bound for England and France, respectively, seeking diplomatic support for the Confederacy.