La Guerra Civil en el Atlántico Sur o Cuando Estados Unidos y el Imperio de Brasil entraron en crisis diplomática en el siglo XIX

This article aims to present a narrative about two significant naval operations that took place in the Brazilian territorial sea between the years 1861 and 1864, carried out in the port of the city of São Luís in the province of Maranhão and in the port of the city of Salvador in the province of Bahia by ships of the Union and Confederate navies, then at war. This research is in the process of being constructed, but it allows us to observe some points beyond the conflicts, including the development of Brazil’s international policy in the face of violations of international neutrality rules; the threat to its sovereignty and the application of its naval power as an intimidating element in clashes between contending states. When the civil war in the United States of America began in 1861, few people could estimate the extent of military operations on land, but much more than that, little could be imagined about the magnitude of the theaters of operations in which the navies of the Confederate states and the Union would face each other off the Atlantic. The extent of these operations and the impact on the construction of Brazil’s international relations in relation to the contenders, is something still relatively unknown and little worked on and discussed from a South American dimension, which in itself already demonstrates great relevance. Based on a recently accessed body of documents, including the reports of presidents of the provinces involved and reports from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Empire, the source repertoire is completed by the roles of the officers of the Confederate and Union Navies. The bibliographical support that, with a set of documents related to the naval war fought at the time, has allowed us to map the actions of the forces involved.