Replying to a message of Allen Prunty to God Dan:

 >> That's what I stated im my original message.  The 100 day deal was an
 >> incentive for for Southern States to re-enter the Union and not lose
 >> their slaves.  The Proclamation had the added effect of framing the
 >> conflict as a war against slavery for the British.  It was shortly
 >> after it was penned that Britain withdrew its support for the
 >> Confederacy.

 AP> It was never over British Support... Britain had no interest in our
 AP> war... there was a battle between several Union Ironclads and the CSS
 AP> Kersage off the coast of Britain.  The CSS Kersage was obliverated...
 AP> and britain took no sides.

Look up the "Trent Affair."

 AP> Britain traded openly with both the Union and the Confederacy.

 AP> What they were primarily worried with was the border states that
 AP> supported the union and still had slaves.  If they were to lose
 AP> -those- states to the Confederacy the war would have been lost.

And had Britain recognized the Confederate government it would have legitimized
the southern cause on the world stage.  And, of course, the Brits could have used
the Royal Navy to break the union blockade of southern ports, or sold the south 
enough warships to do it themselves - and the British textile mills desperately
needed the cotton raw materials.  Note that the matter was under consideration by
the British government at the time.  Lincoln's proclamation forestalled any action by
the British in that regard, and that was the purpose of it.

--- FleetStreet 1.19+