Making full use of the archival resources now available to scholars, Professor Jenkins has produced the most comprehensive account yet to appear of Britain's role in the American Civil War. Four diverse but related strands are woven together in this first volume which takes the story to the early summer of 1862. The author discusses the Southern attitude toward Britain and Confederate attempts to influence British policy; Union attitudes and the Union government;s policy toward Britain; the Canadian response to the crisis and its effect upon the imperial connection; and Britain's relations with the United States on the eve of secession , the reaction of her government and people to the outbreak of war, and the enforcement of the policy of neutrality. He shows the full extent of diplomatic pressure and economic strain upon Britain, and the increasing difficulty of her position as the struggle develops into a war of attrition. The result is a fresh perspective on a staple theme and a new awareness of the scope and dimension of British and Canadian involvement in the War for the Union.