The slave information both on the ship found with them way south of the US, the abolishionist meetings and the insurrection are all a big help in putting together a picture of what they were seeing in their news reports. Given the amount of coverage and the number of events it almost made it easy if Lincoln were to want to push some buttons to start a war. Take the way we react to constant barrages of news we don't like it's easy to see why they were quick to judgement and ready to sign up to fight.
These are also helping me try to solve a mystery in my own family tree. The reports from Prussia and the area around it are sort of gelling with the reason I suspected my GGrandparents left Prussia in 1886. I thought it was the political climate but never was able to do more than assume it. I'm still not going to be able to prove it but I think I am on the right track.
Pam