Squall Across the Atlantic: American Civil War Prize Cases and Diplomacy by Stuart L. Bernath traces the fraught intersection of international law, naval power, and diplomacy during the Civil War. Focusing on the Union Navy’s seizures of neutral vessels, Bernath reconstructs the “prize cases” that tested the limits of blockade enforcement, contraband trade, and the rights of neutral shipping. From incidents like the Peterhoff and Springbok cases to disputes over continuous voyage and violations of neutral waters, the book demonstrates how these maritime controversies strained Anglo-American relations and brought Britain and the United States perilously close to open conflict.

Meticulously researched from American and British archives, Bernath situates courtroom rulings and diplomatic correspondence within the larger stakes of Union strategy and international law. His analysis highlights the paradox of the United States, long a defender of neutral rights, now pressing belligerent claims against Britain, the “Mistress of the Seas.” By showing how the prize cases forced courts, naval officers, and statesmen to balance military necessity with diplomatic restraint, Squall Across the Atlantic illuminates both the international dimensions of the Civil War and the evolution of maritime law in the modern era.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1970.