Although the South tried desperately to gain much-needed European support, it was largely unsuccessful. British and French shipbuilders did sell several vessels to the Confederate government. Yet this aid dropped to a thin trickle following Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Spectacular Federal victories at Vicksburg and Gettysburg forever doomed the South’s hopes for foreign aid. [Illustration: Charles Francis Adams was the son of the 6th President of the U. S. In 1860 his affiliation with the Whig Party prevented him from receiving a post in Lincoln’s cabinet.] The one man who unquestionably did most to keep Europe neutral during the Civil War was the American minister to England, Charles Francis Adams. He skillfully thwarted the efforts of Confederate emissaries, expounded the North’s cause with vigor and tact, and let it be known at opportune times that assistance to the Confederacy could occasion war with the United States. Adams fought a host of Southern agents around the diplomatic tables of Europe. “When all the facts are considered,” one author has stated, “it must be admitted that the character and ability of Charles Francis Adams were as valuable as Union military victories in contributing to ultimate success in the war.” SUGGESTED READINGS Adams, Charles Francis, _Studies Military and Diplomatic, 1775-1865_ (1911). Adams, Ephraim D., _Great Britain and the American Civil War_ (2 vols., 1925). Bulloch, James D., _The Secret Service of the Confederate States in Europe_ (2 vols., 1883, 1960). Callahan, James M., _Diplomatic History of the Southern Confederacy_ (1901). Duberman, Martin B., _Charles Francis Adams, 1807-1886_ (1961). Jordan, Donaldson and Pratt, E. J., _Europe and the American Civil War_ (1931). Meade, Robert D., _Judah P. Benjamin: Confederate Statesman_ (1943). Monaghan, Jay, _Diplomat in Carpet Slippers_ (1945). Owsley, Frank L., _King Cotton Diplomacy_ (1925, 1961). Sears, Louise B., _John Slidell_ (1925). Seward, Frederick W., _Reminiscences of a War-Time Statesman and Diplomat, 1830-1915_ (1916). ____, Ed., _Autobiography of William H. Seward_ (1877). Sideman, Belle B., and Friedman, Lillian, eds., _Europe Looks at the Civil War_ (1960). Woldman, Albert A., _Lincoln and the Russians_ (1952). [Illustration: Confederate prisoners at Camp Douglas, near Chicago, Ill. This photograph was taken soon after the camp became a compound for prisoners.] VII. PRISONS AND PRISONERS OF WAR The Civil War was the first time that the nation had to contend with large numbers of war prisoners. As might be expected, therefore, policies and treatment varied greatly—and oftentimes sadly.