Emperor Norton I was quite concerned about the war, and did his best to bring about its end. The war came about quite early in his reign, which is roughly dated to 1859, when he first is known to have extended his Imperial rule of California to extend over the entire United States, and thus a conflict which tore his empire in two was an unwelcome threat to the stability of the realm.

Still early in his reign, and not yet consolidated in his power, he knew that improved international legitimacy was necessary, and as such he issued a decree calling upon the Pope, and Protestant leaders to recognize his claim to the throne and thus better empower him to intercede in the conflict, a call which went unanswered, no doubt due to the caution international figures generally exercised in potentially becoming involved in a domestic dispute.

Domestically, although conscious of the conflict, he was also cautious in approach. Although he declared a blockade to be put into effect, and as we all know the Union blockade was maintained through the war, he remained mostly hands off for the day-to-day affairs of running the military, allowing the functionaries of his empire such as Lincoln to handle the day-to-day matters. It must be said that delegation was one of his strongest talents as a leader!

Finally, in 1864 though, matters came to a head when Jefferson Davis telegrammed him, concerned about his apparently increasing partiality:

To His Excellency, Emperor Norton: it is with pain and regret that I learn you are in communication with that arch-traitor, Abe Lincoln, the so-called President of the United States. Is this true? If so, I cannot longer count you among my friends. The South has long looked to you as their guiding star to finally settle the present war. Please answer at once.

Norton I finally felt he must act. Telegrams were sent to both Davis and Lincoln, instructing them to come to the Imperial Court in San Francisco to find a final resolution to the conflict. Lincoln outright deferred, as he felt he could not take time from his duties in the East, while Davis, hard up for funds and the proper attire for an Imperial audience, replied that:

if you wish me to appear before you in appropriate costume, you must send me at least five hundred dollars ($500), gold or greenbacks, as I have but one pair of breeches left, and they, I am sorry to say, are minus a seat.

The Imperial summit thus never came to pass. It must be noted that while Norton was concerned about the conflict and the damage to his realm, while it perhaps threatened instability, it was the direct threat to his his throne by the pretender D. Stellifer Moulton, who in 1865 claimed himself to be "Stellifer the King, Reigning Prince of the House of David, and Guardian of Mexico", that put him into action. He soon issued a decree:

Down with usurpers and imposters! Off with his head! So much for cooking other people's goose ! The legitimate authorities of New York are hereby commanded to seize upon the person of one Stellifer, styling himself King or Prince of the House of David, and send him in chains to San Francisco, Cal., for trial before our Imperial Court, on various charges of fraud alleged against him in the public prints.

Stellifer was soon arrested and tried, and although spared beheading, soon found himself held on Blackwell's Island. This would be the greatest threat to his reign, and resolved quite satisfactorily.

Sources

Cowan, Robert Ernest. "Norton I: Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico (Joshua A. Norton, 1819-1880)." California Historical Society Quarterly 2, no. 3 (1923): 237-45.

Drury, William. Norton the First: Emperor of the United States. Dodd Mead, 1986.