Confederate warship departs Lisbon and confusion involving following U.S. ships almost sparks an international incident

The French-built Confederate C.S.S. Stonewall had arrived in the neutral port of Lisbon several days before. When she sailed, the commander of the Portugese harbor forts spotted the shadowing U.S. Navy ships shifting anchorage in the port. Assuming they were weighing anchor to pursue, contrary to international law, he fired warning shots before discovering his mistake.  Portugal made official apologies. (By John Osborne)   
Source Citation
James M. McPherson, War on the Waters: The Union and Confederate Navies, 1861-1865 (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2013), 223. 
Chronicles of the Great Rebellion Against the United States of America (Philadelphia, PA: A. Winch, 1867), 99.
How to Cite This Page: "Confederate warship departs Lisbon and confusion involving following U.S. ships almost sparks an international incident," House Divided: The Civil War Research Engine at Dickinson College, https://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/index.php/node/43795.