Britain Declares War - How to Avoid?

[Leeds]

As the Federal player, I think I'm doing pretty well.

It is autumn 1862; Kentucky is on my side, The Rebs have not invaded the north at any point, I have blockaded all the southern ports and hold most of Tennessee.

I have had no distastrous defeats even close to the historical.

VP situation is South 4, North -1.

Then GB declares war!!!!

To me this is ahistorical - unless I am missing something?

Can someone provide some insight into this? Or as to how I can mod the game to make European intervention harder to happen?

Thanks

[terje439]

GB/France DoW is influenced only by diplomacy level. Lvl 9 (is it not) and they will join the Confederate cause.

Ahistorical?! Yes and no, GB would have been reluctant at best as history played out, to join the war, but in a game? Guess you might say that your opponent/AI have sent all his top diplomats abroad to seek help.

[GIJim]

Not ahistorical. When Union ships boarded a British vessel and took prisoner two Southern diplomats, Mason and Slidell, Britian threatened war and even sent 15,000 troops to Canada. Lincoln, the shrewd politician that he was, released the prisoners to Britian. We declared the War of 1812 over such conduct. War could easily have happened. That early in the war, Britian would have liked nothing better than a USA divided into two countries.

[cerosenberg]

As more historian than gamer, I always turn off the option of direct Birtish intervention.  The likelyhood was very low that Britian would actually send its land forces into battle.  The US fear was that the British Navy would becove involved.  The result would be: 1) Support of the Confederate economy, access to civilvan manufactured goods and a stable Confederate currency, 2) Elimination of the US merchant fleet and 3) Allow the transport of bulk goods along the coastline to bring supplies from the hinterland to the armies (recall that southern railroads we built to move cotton to the coast for export.)  The final outcome would have been enforced mediation and Confederate independence.  The Confederacy was quite capable of supplying its forces with arms and ammunition until the very end.
 
Furthermore, American railroads were financed with British capital.  By 1860 railroad supply had outstripped demand.  The Civil War returned these lines to profitability.  British intervention would have caused the British to lose both the profitability and investments.  The cotton shortage was not a problem until 1863, too late to consider true intervention.

[Leeds]

So you turn off Europeam Diplomacy?

[terje439]

You do not have to turn off diplomacy.
There is an option underneath "European diplomacy" that says something like "no European war" or something like that. Selecting that option will allow European diplomacy (to be able to buy new weapons and as the South to be able to get more from your runners), but it prevents the European powers from declaring war.

[Leeds]

Got it - thanks!

[ptan54]

Though I would love to see an AAR where the Union player fights a two front war against the CSA and the Brits, and still end up winning. That would be quite an achievement.

[GShock]

Forget about turning it off, give CSA a chance and USE those coins on diplomacy to counter their investments. [;)]