La Victoire Du Nord Aux États-Unis (The Victory of the North in the United States), by Charles de Montalembert

I saw and heard references to Montalembert in various books and lectures as one of the prominent liberal thinkers of the 19th century so I decided to look him up on Google books. When I saw this title I was immediately interested. As an American residing in the South I learned quite a bit about the reasons behind the Civil War in school from the perspective of Northerners & Southerners but almost nothing about how the war was perceived abroad. If you are curious about this subject, this slim little book is a great read.  The original French text available here, and an English translation is available here.

Montalembert wrote this after Lincoln's assassination and apparently there were many in Europe who mourned him as a great man. The author saw the Civil War and the resolution of the issue of slavery as a test to see if the American people deserved to be ranked among the great peoples of the world. The outcome of the war and resulting abolition of slavery led him to conclude that we passed with flying colors.

Montalembert includes a detailed refutation of the idea that any other issue besides slavery was the main cause of the war. Living in the South I have certainly heard this idea before--that the Confederate states seceded over of tariffs, protectionism for Northern industries, states' rights and other political issues. Montalembert makes a good case that even when disputes arose about those other issues, the dispute could in the end be traced back to slavery. Despite this, he does not demonize Southerners, notes that the valor and moral character they displayed in wartime were equal to those of Northerners, and acknowledges that many probably did go to war for reasons other than the maintenance of slavery. But they put their gifts in the service of a bad cause.

Another part I found interesting is when he contrasts how victorious American (and British) generals use their influence--that is, with humility, to help preserve the peace and stability of their countries rather than to seize as much power as they can for themselves. He compares Grant and Wellington favorably to Napoleon.