The Confederate Settlements in British Honduras are a cultural and ethnic sub-group in

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

, formerly known as the colony of

British Honduras British Honduras was a British Crown colony on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony, renamed Belize in June 1973,

. They are the descendants of Confederates who fled to

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Honduras with their families during and after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. As the American Civil War erupted, British colonial leaders saw an opportunity to profit from the sale of arms and weapons to the Confederate States. Soon a profitable trade in arms to Americans boosted the colonial economy and British Honduras became sympathetic to the Confederate cause. The colonial governor and other officials were also interested in recruiting American Southerners who were knowledgeable in the cultivation of

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

and sugar. Confederate immigrants were offered substantial subsidies and tax breaks. General Robert E. Lee and former

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

Governor John J. McRae advised Southerners not to flee to

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

but many ignored their advice and attempted to establish a new plantation economy in the English speaking colony. Many Southerners who took the governor's offers of land at a reduced price were fugitives from the American government, and many had simply lost everything during the war. Evidence suggests that more Confederates fled to British Honduras than any other destination, in part because they could easily acclimate to the English-speaking colony. This is also the reason they have not maintained a distinct cultural identity like those who went to places like Brazil. In many cases the Confederates attempted to cultivate cotton, but the inhospitable climate and ravenous insects stifled the effort. Well-known Confederates who went to British Honduras included Colin J. McRae (former Confederate Financial Agent in Europe) and Joseph Benjamin (brother of Confederate Secretary of War

Judah P. Benjamin Judah Philip Benjamin, QC (August 6, 1811 – May 6, 1884) was a United States senator from Louisiana, a Cabinet officer of the Confederate States and, after his escape to the United Kingdom at the end of the American Civil War, an English ba ...

). Historian and author Donald C. Simmons, Jr. published a book in 2001 entitled ''Confederate Settlements in British Honduras'' about this episode in American and British Honduran history.Simmons, Donald C. ''Confederate Settlements in British Honduras'', McFarland and Company Publishers, 2001.

References

{{Ethnic groups in Belize American diaspora in North America American expatriates in Belize Aftermath of the American Civil War History of the Southern United States American Civil War veterans and descendants organizations Social history of the American Civil War History of British Honduras Belize–United States relations European Belizean American emigrants to Belize Settlement schemes in the British Empire Confederate expatriates Settlement schemes in Central America and the Caribbean

See also

References