Interesting Facts About the Union Blockade This included the army, where many of the men were nearing starvation by the end of the war. People across the South were suffering from a lack of supplies and the overall economy ground to a halt. However, by the end of the war, the blockade had a significant impact on the South. They felt that the war would be over quickly and that the blockade would have little impact on the outcome of the war. These ships were commanded by British officers from the Royal Navy who were allowed to take a leave from the British Navy in order to help the Confederate States.Īt the start of the Civil War, many people thought that the blockade was a waste of time. They were small and fast which helped them to elude the Union Navy, but they also had small cargos, so not a lot of supplies were able to get through.Ī number of the ships that made it through were operated by British sympathizers.

However, these were mostly small, fast ships called blockade runners. One estimate shows that nearly 80 percent of the attempts to get though the blockade made it safely. They focused their efforts on major ports and on keeping larger shipments of goods from making it through.Ī number of ships did make it through. The Union Navy used as many as 500 ships to patrol the East Coast all the way from Virginia south to Florida and the Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas. The Anaconda Plan was a long term approach to winning the war. If they could keep their ports open, they could trade cotton for weapons. However, the South did have cotton which many foreign countries such as Great Britain relied on. This meant they could not make enough weapons to supply its armies. The South did not have a lot of industry at the time. Then the army would split the South in two, taking control of the Mississippi River.

They would surround the southern borders, keeping out supplies. The plan was called the Anaconda Plan because, like a snake, the Union meant to constrict the South.

Union navy during civil war