Did foreign powers exploit the American Civil War?

Did any foreign government consider invading the United States while the Union and Confederacy were fighting?

France exploited the distraction to invade Mexico. Britain avoided intervention despite serious tensions, and no direct invasion of the Union or Confederacy followed.

No major power attempted a direct invasion of the Union or Confederacy. France used the United States' preoccupation to intervene in Mexico. Britain faced dangerous diplomatic confrontations, including the Trent Affair, but did not want to enter the conflict.