29 Aug 2016

History:

Lost Capitol Hill: The Visit of the Gassendi

tn ReynaudGiven that France was the first ally that the United States had, it is remarkable that it was not until the Civil War that a French warship visited the capital of the United States. However, this is exactly what the newspapers of the time insisted was the case when the Gassendi visited the Washington Navy Yard in April, 1862.

The small ship was already in a unique position, having been the only neutral observer of the Battle of Hampton Roads a month and a half previously. Her procession up the Potomac was followed closely by the newspapers of the time; even the fact that she ran aground a number of times along the way in no way dampened the enthusiasm for her visit.

On Thursday, April 24, the ship arrived at the Navy Yard, and Secretary of State Seward was there to greet her. Seward – and the rest of the government – were anxious to give the ship a grand welcome, as on board was Henri Mercier, French ambassador to the United States. France had yet to recognize the Confederacy as a nation, something the United States was most anxious to avoid. Making the situation even dicier, Mercier had been visiting Richmond just previously: this was seen as a possible first step to award such a recognition.

Thus, according to David Carroll’s Henri Mercier and the American Civil War, “Seward bustled about and fussed over Mercier with great ostentation.” That afternoon, Mercier visited Seward, and gave him good news and bad – the French were unlikely to recognize the Confederacy; however, the war was unlikely to be over soon, as the southern states showed no signs of giving up at that point.

With this business out of the way, it was time for a more formal ceremony. Thus, on Saturday the 26th, Seward returned to the Navy Yard and to the Gassed –this time along with his wife and son, Frederick W. Seward, who was also his father’s Assistant Secretary of State. Rounding out the party was none other than the President, who showed up with his wife and her sister.

As the President arrived, the Gassendi fired a salute of twenty-two guns to greet him, after which, “the masts were quickly manned, and in a twinkling more than a score of beautiful signal flags fluttered in the evening breeze,” according to the following Monday’s Washington Evening Star.

Detail of an 1862 print "The Naval Engagement Between the Merrimac and the Monitor at Hampton Roads on the 9th of March 1862" showing the Gassendi watching the battle (LOC)

Detail of an 1862 print “The Naval Engagement Between the Merrimac and the Monitor at Hampton Roads on the 9th of March 1862” showing the Gassendi watching the battle (LOC)

Lincoln, along with all three Sewards, were led down by Commander Dahlgren to a small cutter, and with this they were rowed over to the Gassendi. Onboard the French ship, they were greeted by Mercier, Captain Gautier and Vice Admiral Aimé Félix Saint-Elme Reynaud (pic) of the French Navy, as well as a cheer of “Vive le President” from the sailors.

After a brief – but momentous, it being the first time a President boarded a French warship – visit, Lincoln and his party returned to the cutter, and after a brief tour of the Anacostia, during which further shots were fired, returned to the safety of the wharf. There, they were greeted by Mrs. Lincoln, who had chosen to remain in the carriage the whole time.

The Gassendi remained a few more days before returning to her station off the coast of Confederacy. Mercier himself would return to Washington shortly thereafter to continue his position as ambassador. The following year, after his offer to attempt to mediate between the North and South was rejected, he left his post and continued to serve France in Spain.

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