Prior to the American Civil War, US accounted for 77% of the cotton consumed in Great Britain. Since majority of this was produced in the Southern states, The Confederacy tried to use this to their advantage. The plan was to blockage cotton shipments to get Britain to side with the Southern states in the war.
However, the plan backfired when Britain turn to another country for their supplies, developing railway lines, industries and uplifting the fortune of a particular port city in the country (which is now known for its ‘mills’).
Guess the country which supplied cotton to Britain. Bonus points for guessing the port city.