Henry and his father arrive at Liverpool on May 13, 1861, the same day that the British Ministry issues a “Proclamation of Neutrality” regarding the war in the United States. Through the editor of the New York Times, and without the knowledge of his father, Henry has arranged to be the newspaper’s London correspondent. Between June 7, 1861, and January 4, 1862, Henry publishes thirty-two unsigned letters in the daily.
The atmosphere in England startles both Henry and his father. They had expected the English to oppose slavery and support the North; on the contrary, due primarily to financial interests, there is significant support for the Confederacy. On December 16, a supposedly anonymous letter to the Boston Daily Courier is identified as Henry’s, resulting in considerable difficulty for the young writer.
