The US Civil War was an extremely complex political event including international relations between nations. Be careful about making assumptions about what happened without in depth study.
Many nations were initially on the fence with regard to the possible breakup of the United States of America. The quote from Robert E. Lee was interesting but the fact is that France was >this< close to not only recognizing the Confederacy, but was seriously considering military intervention on the side of the Confederacy.
The fact is that early in 1863, all was not going well for the North. The Northern front was so close to Washington DC that cannon fire could be heard at the White House. Union forces were under siege in Chattanooga, TN and Sherman himself, before he made the rank of general and was put in command of Army of the West, actually personally rowed a boat 20 miles down the Tennesse River to request rescue. Public opinion had turned against Lincoln and he was in very real danger of loosing the election to General John McClellan who wanted to sue for peace. All visible signs pointed to a Union loss and 9t wasn’t until Vicksburg, MS fell on July 4, 1863 that the Union effectively cut off the supply lines of the Confederacy, the Mississipi River, and the tides turned.
The issue was very complex, no less so than geopolitics today.
-Tim-
