e two countries, one simple fact remains: they were each other’s biggest customers when it came to trade. The fact that the British had fought two wars with America yet depended on it a great deal for economic prosperity created the dual sentiment we see in the British press with respect to the Civil War. One of the most influential International papers and one of the most influential British journalists, The London Times and William Howard Russell respectively, had already demonstrated the “power of the press” during the Crimean War. Russell’s reports contributed to the downfall of Lord Aberdeen’s government in that conflict. Lord Palmerston led the British Government during the American Civil War and his stance regarding the war influenced the reporting in The Times as well as complicating matters between Britain and the U.S. While America and Britain had much in common (trading partners, a common heritage, etc.), the biggest facto
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