Free Britannia's Fist: From Civil War to World War: An Alternate History by Peter G. Tsouras

each in twin turrets in 10 inches of armor. They had a speed of 10.5 knots and a cruising range of 3,000 miles. Most ominously, though, were the 7-foot steel rams jutting from the prows, an innovation reintroduced from ancient times.
    “Those are facts, gentlemen, of the ships themselves. The ships are Numbers 294 and 295, and are being built in the same slip as the
Alabama
. Mr. Dudley’s quick fingers have acquired for us the intent of the rebels. Their chief agent in Britain, James Bulloch, has written, ‘I designedthese ships for something more than harbour or even coast defence, and I confidently believe, if ready for sea now, they could sweep away the entire blockading fleet of the enemy.’”
    Lincoln calmly broke the silence that followed that announcement. “Gus, when do we expect the first ship to be finished?”
    “Our best estimate is late September, sir.”
    Lincoln turned to Seward. “Mr. Secretary, have we exhausted every means to persuade the British government to intervene and block the delivery of these ships?”
    “Mr. President, we face the subtle but no less malevolent hostility of Palmerston. The Prime Minister works his hostility out like a puppeteer. Russell can do nothing to block him. His Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Gladstone, is his ally. Is there anyone in this room that forgets his open endorsement of British recognition of the Confederacy last October?” Seward snorted in disgust. “He openly stated that the rebels had made a government and an army, and infamously ‘what is more than either, they have made a nation.’ 12 He publicly announced that the Confederacy would win its independence. The announcement caused a sensation in Europe and a case of delirium in the South.”
    Lincoln seemed lost in thought once Seward finished speaking, and no one else wanted to break into it. The clicking of the clock filled the room. The President leaned back in his chair, crossed his gangly legs, and put his long hands on the armrests. “Since the early days of this administration, I have done everything in my power to avoid being dragged into a second war, firm in the belief that the Union can bear only one war at a time. That is why during the Trent Affair I chose to suffer the public outrage and return the Confederate commissioners. The British were serious about war, and we were not.” 13
    Turning to look at John Bright’s picture on the wall, he said, “There are times when a policy simply can no longer be sustained. Our foreign trade is in a shambles, our merchant fleet in ruins or fled to foreign flags, economic ruin spreads along the East Coast. There may come a time when I can no longer ignore these injuries.” Looking at Seward, he said, “Mr. Secretary, we must prepare a message for Mr. Adams to present to Lord Russell, a message that his government cannot ignore, that there is a line that cannot be crossed.”
    Fox saw his opening. “Mr. President,” then remembering Welles, he added, “Mr. Secretary,” and nodded. Navy Secretary Welles was a man who could be ruffled, if the proprieties were ignored. “May Isuggest another measure that could prevent a war even if the British look the other way while the ships escape into international waters?”
    Lincoln was intrigued, “Go on, Gus.”
    “As you know, the Foreign Enlistment Act was passed some years ago ostensibly to prevent British subjects from violating British neutrality by providing overt military assistance to a belligerent. Unfortunately, for us, the law was written so loosely that the Confederates have been able to sail the equivalent of a commerce-raiding fleet through it.
    “The law forbids British subjects and firms from supplying ships of war to a belligerent, that is, ships outfitted with guns, ammunition, and military fittings in general. It also forbids the recruitment of British subjects as crews for belligerent warships. Our rebel friends get around this by building what are obviously commerce raiders