At one point near the end of the war Belmont "brokered" a deal that allowed Adelicia Acklen to ship her cotton crop (in danger of rotting) through Confederate and Union lines and down the Mississippi to New Orleans and then on through the Union Naval Blockade to England, where the British Rothschild bank bought the lot. Nice to have friends in high places in the middle of a Civil War.
Short Answer...
The British Rothschild's backed the south.
The French Rothschild's backed the north.
It was a win-win proposition for the bankers.
August Belmont played referee.
At one point near the end of the war Belmont "brokered" a deal that allowed Adelicia Acklen to ship her cotton crop (in danger of rotting) through Confederate and Union lines and down the Mississippi to New Orleans and then on through the Union Naval Blockade to England, where the British Rothschild bank bought the lot. Nice to have friends in high places in the middle of a Civil War.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adelicia_Acklen
If you have read my comment history you know why I have a soft spot for Adelicia (22 October 2020 Presidential Debate).
Planning a trip in the spring to go see this...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fallingwater123/3598971511/
cc: u/MAGAdeburger u/v8power
Belmont was quite the influential busy bee! The two newspaper cartoons on the wiki page for him appear to be the perfect illustration of his life.