
Hundreds of civilian ships were pressed into service as well. Old ships were filled with stones and sunk in blocking positions around Southern harbors to buy time for the engineers rushing to lay down a new fleet of warships. The central demand of Scott’s Anaconda Plan-a blockade roughly 3000 miles in length-was far beyond what the navy was able to provide. Although the slow and relentless squeeze of the plan was disparaged by critics who thought the conflict would be over in a matter of months, Lincoln stuck by Scott’s blueprint throughout the war.įact #2: The Union navy grew by 600% to meet the demands of the war.Īt the outset of the Civil War, the Federal navy was composed of around ninety ships, only around forty of which were close to combat-capable. These operations would strangle the Confederate economy, based so heavily on the international cotton trade, and split the rebellious nation apart. The “ Anaconda Plan” called for a stiff blockade of Southern seaports in conjunction with an amphibious advance along the line of the Mississippi River. Winfield Scott, brevet lieutenant-general in command of the entire Federal army, presented Abraham Lincoln with a grand strategy for the war shortly before the Battle of Bull Run.

Please use these ten facts to expand your understanding of this oft-overlooked theater of action.įact #1: The Union “Anaconda Plan” relied heavily on sea supremacy.

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