The US never declared war on the Confederacy. But there were still legal problems. Lincoln declared a blockade on the Confederacy, thereby gaining "for the Confederacy the rights of a belligerent in all the courts of Europe, since a nation did not blockade its own ports".

Lincoln's reply, when asked about this: "Yes, that's a fact. I see the point now, but I don't know anything about the Law of Nations....I'm a good enough lawyer in a western law court, I suppose, but we don't practice the Law of Nations out there, and I supposed Seward knew all about it and I left it to him",

This quote is not footnoted, but has the ring of truth.

From: The Civil War: A Narrative, by Shelby Foote. Volume I, page 159.


As usual, unfortunately no more time for other aspects of the topic. There's a lot more to say.