Jefferson Davis' speech to the Mississippi Democratic Convention, 1859

[DudleySmith]

As I understand it they wanted to conquer a bunch of territory in Central America

Spain was still very much an existential threat to the U.S. the entire 19th Century; southerners weren't the only ones who wanted Cuba and Central America neutralized. European powers immediately exploited the Civil War to make raids on the western hemisphere; France installed a Hapsburg prince to rule Mexico, for instance.

 

[DudleySmith]

Van Zandt County, Texas - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"Van Zandt County tried on two distinct occasions to separate itself from Texas. The first was in 1861 when Texas seceded from the United States. About 350 citizens of Van Zandt County met to protest the secession.[5] The practice of slavery was infrequent in the county. Slave owners, worried about losing their slaves in the Civil War, refused to bring their slaves to Van Zandt, because slavery was so uncommon there.[5][8] The majority of Van Zandt wanted to stay with the Union,[9] and reasoned that if Texas could secede from the United States, they could secede from Texas, and began organizing a government until they were threatened with military intervention.[10] Although the secession was unsuccessful, the title of "Free State" stuck.

After Texas re-entered the Union after the Civil War, Van Zandt County again tried to secede from Texas, the Confederate States of America, and the United States.[10] A convention was held in 1867 in which the citizens elected delegates, and the delegates voted for secession, and penned a Declaration of Independence modeled after the United States Declaration of Independence.[11] The event was seen as a rebellion by the nation, and when word reached General Sheridan, he dispatched a cavalry unit to quell it.[10] The citizens of Van Zandt called an emergency meeting that ended with the delegates declaring war on the United States.[11] The wooded landscape at the time made moving difficult for horses,[6] so the citizens of Van Zandt, familiar with the area, were able to ambush the unit, until they retreated.[10] The citizens, elated with their victory, celebrated with an excess of alcohol.[6][10] During their celebration, they were surrounded by Sheridan's troops, and were put in anklets and in a rough prison of wooden posts.[11] Two ex-Confederate soldiers, W.A. Allen and Hardy Allen,[6] were in the group, and W.A. Allen used a hidden knife to wear down the anklets.[10] A combination of the beginning of the rainy season [10] and a decreasing of the guard to one man [6] allowed the prisoners to easily escape. After that, not much action on the part of Van Zandt or the United States was taken in the issue. Arrest warrants were sent, but none was carried out, and none of the prisoners went to trial.[6]"

lol