British trade and strategy in the US Civil War

Did British sales of guns and raiding ships mean Britain supported the Confederacy?

Not necessarily; private sellers traded with the South, while government and public considerations made British entry on the Confederate side unlikely.

Private commerce did not amount to British government alignment with the Confederacy. British suppliers could sell weapons and raiding ships to Confederate buyers without committing the state to their cause. Opposition to slavery and the expense of the West Africa Squadron weighed strongly against intervention for the South. Alternative cotton sources also reduced the strategic leverage on which Confederate diplomacy depended, making official British entry on its side unlikely.