[Non-Sequitur]

One of the major major British exports to America — if not the biggest — was machinery, and the Southern states were the biggest customer.

What machinery might that be that the South consumed in such massive quantities? And why didn't it go straight to them?

[ought-six]

“What machinery might that be that the South consumed in such massive quantities? And why didn’t it go straight to them?”

Agricultural equipment, machine tools, (hell, just about any metal tool) were very desirable because, let’s face it, British metalworks were the best in the world in those days, and were far superior to similar goods manufactured in Northern states (eventually American industrialization became pre-eminent, but that was not until the 20th century).