John Adams Knight

John Adams Knight, a Northern American, lived in the British capital before the war and in May 1860 created the weekly London American, for which he served as editor.  The newspaper focused on transatlantic trade, industrial patents and inventions, as well as providing US news for Americans living in London.  Not until the Confederates opened fire on Fort Sumter did Knight’s journal adopt a hostile, anti-Southern tone, and The London American was from that point strictly a medium for Northern propaganda.

Surprisingly, the newspaper frequently attacked the British monarchy, established church, system of government, and the aristocracy.

Unlike its Confederate counterpart Index’s ties to Richmond, Knight’s journal was not a tool of the Washington government and received no financial backing from the Lincoln administration, although his staff consisted entirely of Americans.