Abstract

The American Civil War, often described as the first modern war, unfolded at a time when European states were grappling with the legacies of the 1848 revolutions and reassessing the foundations of state power. European military and diplomatic observers, both official and unofficial, followed the American conflict with intense interest. From afar, Helmuth von Moltke dismissed the Civil War as “two armed mobs chasing each other around the country, from which nothing could be learned.” This dismissive attitude toward American volunteer soldiers resembled the report from Frenchman Marquis de Radepont, who professed to be shocked by the U.S. troops in Mexico in 1847 with their “total want of all that unity of action which is deemed indispensable for the success of military operations.” And yet an examination of European military and consular reports reveals a more complex picture. This talk explores how observers’ attitudes changed over time and varied by nationality. European commentators displayed a growing appreciation of the unprecedented scale of the American Civil War and the willingness of volunteer soldiers to sacrifice their independence and careers for military service. In an atmosphere of military and political reform at home, European impressions of American citizen armies assumed considerable significance.