48 Chapter 2
on no official US policy) that tried to wrest Cuba from Spain. The Black Warrior was
carrying cotton from Mobile, Alabama, en route to New York City when it arrived
at port in Havana for passengers and mail. Informally, port authorities allowed
American merchant ships to arrive “in ballast,” and thus US ships came in and out
of Havana with little hassle. However, on February 28, 1854, port officials on hand
demanded a cargo manifest, contrary to the informal agreements but in accordance
with the letter of the law. No manifest was given, the ship was seized, and cargo—
apparently US$100,000 worth of cotton—was detained. The captain of the ship was
also fined US$6,000. The United States was mired in the Kansas-Nebraska situation
at the time but still sent an official response to Spain demanding indemnity for those
wronged (a demand of about US$300,000) and that all parties involved in Havana
should be dismissed from their posts. Spain wisely deduced that the United States
had overreached but also recognized that England and France, normally sympa-
thetic to Spain regarding the United States, would provide no assistance because of
their involvement in the Crimean War. As diplomatic exchanges took their course,
the Black Warrior was eventually released (around late April to early May 1854).
Further, northern interests in Congress—unsympathetic with southern interests in
Cuba—refused to consider any declaration of war against Spain as a result of the
incident. Official US policy called for America to wait for another inquiry from
Spain. The United States and Spain closed the dispute when Spain agreed to remit
the US$6,000 fine on the captain and agreed to an indemnity charged by the United
States.
MID#1564
Dispute Number: 1564
Date(s): March 6, 1855 to March 19, 1855
Participants: 230 Spain/2 United States of America
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (None)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: In the buildup to the American Civil War, the southern states were becom-
ing increasingly concerned that a possible African revolution in Cuba could foment
one within the United States. For this reason the United States wanted to acquire Cuba
from Spain. In October 1854, the United States issued a statement called the “Ostend
Manifesto” in which President James Buchanan made it clear that the United States
wished to purchase Cuba from Spain, and, if it could not, it wished to acquire Cuba by
other means. This tension continued to rise into 1855. On March 6, 1855, a Spanish
warship detained an American vessel off the coast of Cuba for 45 minutes in order
to check its papers. This incident came on the heels of another like it and enraged
the American government. In a meeting that took place on March 19, the secretary
of state told the Spanish envoy that incidents like the one on March 6 would make
it “impossible to preserve peace between Spain and the United States.” The Spanish
minister mentioned in a report of the meeting that the secretary of state had made
“warlike threats.”
Coding changes: Start Date changed from March 7, 1855. End Date changed from
March 9, 1855.