ABSTRACT
The American Civil War is perhaps the most studied of the wars fought by the United States, and it retains a secure hold on both scholarly interest and the popular imagination. That said, rarely do students of the conflict integrate the military, naval, and diplomatic fronts into a larger narrative that reflects the multiple fronts where the Union and the Confederacy waged war. Yet military events affected diplomatic circumstances, which in turn often focused on issues related to the conduct of the naval war, especially the Union blockade. Nor could one overlook the ever-present discussion about whether Great Britain and France would recognize the Confederacy, followed by possible mediation to settle the conflict or even intervention to secure southern independence. Essential to the triumph of the United States was the cooperation of military and naval forces on the rivers in the western theater and on the coastlines and shores of the eastern theater. On land, at sea, and at the negotiating table, leaders battled to achieve their objectives in a struggle that proved most sanguinary.
