The Virginius Affair was a diplomatic dispute which took place from October 1873 to February 1875 between the United States, United Kingdom and Spain (then in control of Cuba) during the Ten Years' War.
The Virginius was a fast American ship hired by Cuban insurrectionists seeking to break away from Spanish control with the intention of landing men and supplies in Ciba. It was captured by the Spanish who wanted to try the men on board (many of whom were Americans) as pirates and execute them.
And, that is what they did and 53 met their deaths before the British intervened and stopped the executions.
Throughout the situation, there was talk of the United States declaring war on Spain. Finally the U.S. consul to Spain, Caleb Cushing (January 6, 1874 to April 9, 1877), defused the tensions by negotiating $80,000 in reparations to be paid to the executed Americans' families.
The incident prevented a possible war between the two countries and started a resurgence in the U.S. Navy whose fleet was actually inferior to that of Spain at the time.
--Old B-Runner
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