<P> The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the British Empire remained officially neutral throughout the American Civil War (1861--1865). It legally recognised the status of Confederate States of America but never recognised it as a nation and neither signed a treaty with it nor exchanged ambassadors . However, top British officials debated intervention in the first 18 months . The elite tended to support the Confederacy, but ordinary people tended to support the United States of America . Large - scale trade continued in both directions, with the Union shipping grain to Britain, and Britain sent manufactured items and munitions . Immigration continued into the US, with Britons volunteering for its army . British trade with the Confederacy fell over 90% from the prewar period, with a small amount of cotton going to Britain and some munitions slipped in by numerous small blockade runners . They were operated and funded by British private interests, were legal under international law, caused no dispute between the US and the UK . </P> <P> The Confederate strategy for securing independence was based largely on the hope of military intervention by Britain and France, which never happened, as it probably would have caused war with the US . A serious diplomatic dispute erupted over the "Trent Affair" in late 1861 but was resolved peacefully after a few months . British intervention was likely only in co-operation with France, which had an imperialistic venture underway in Mexico . By early 1863, intervention was no longer seriously considered, as Britain turned its attention elsewhere, especially toward Russia and Greece . </P>

Who did the british support during the civil war
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