 When war came , Davis , against Benjamin 's advice , imposed an embargo on exports of cotton to nations that had not recognized the Confederate government , hoping to force such relations , especially with Britain and France . As the Union was attempting to prevent cotton from being exported from Confederate ports by a blockade and other means , this played to a certain extent into the hands of Lincoln and his Secretary of State , William H. Seward . Additionally , when the war began , Britain had a large surplus of cotton in warehouses , enough to keep the mills running at least part @-@ time for a year or so . Although many prominent Britons believed the South would prevail , there was a reluctance to recognize Richmond until it had gained the military victories to put its foe at bay . Much of this was due to hatred of slavery , though part of it stemmed from a desire to remain on good terms with the U.S. government — due to a drought in 1862 , Britain was forced to import large quantities of wheat and flour from the United States . Also , Britain feared the expansionist Americans might invade the vulnerable Canadian colonies , as Seward hinted they might . 
