Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
other, they could not allow a major US enterprise involving the na-
tional honour to be sullied in the eyes of the world. There was an in-
evitable compromise: Wilkes was found guilty on seventeen counts
of illegal punishment and was sentenced to the mild punishment of
a public reprimand.
He was little chastened by his experience. Wilkes and contro-
versy remained frequent bedfellows. In 1861 he almost started
single-handed a war between Britain and the USA. The incident oc-
curred during the American Civil War and is known to history as
the
Trent
affair. Wilkes stopped and boarded the British mail packet
Trent
in order to arrest two Confederate envoys travelling from New
Orleans to Paris. The British government were furious at this flag-
rant violation of their neutrality and President Lincoln was obliged
to apologise and release the two Southern representatives. Wilkes
was no respecter of diplomatic niceties nor did he find it easy to
submit to authority. Another incident in 1864 led to his being court-
martialled again - for disobedience, disrespect, insubordination and
conduct unbecoming an officer. He was publicly reprimanded and
suspended from active duty.
