The Anaconda Plan was the initial Civil War strategy devised by General Winfield Scott of the U.S. Army to put down the rebellion by the Confederacy in 1861.
Scott came up with the plan in early 1861, intending it as a way to end the rebellion predominantly through economic measures. The goal was to remove the Confederacy's ability to wage war by depriving it of foreign trade and the ability to import or manufacture necessary materials including weapons and military supplies.
The basic plan was toblockade the saltwater ports of the South and to stop all commerce on the Mississippi River so no cotton could be exported and no war material (such as rifles or ammunition from Europe) could be imported.
The assumption was that the states that allowed enslavement, feeling considerableeconomic punishment if they continued the rebellion, would return to the Union before any major battles would be fought.
The strategywas nicknamed the Anaconda Plan in the newspapers because it would strangle the Confederacy the way the anaconda snake constricts its victims.
Lincoln's Skepticism
President Abraham Lincoln had doubts about the plan and, rather than wait for slow strangulation of the Confederacy to occur, he chose to do battle in ground campaigns. Lincoln was also spurred on by supporters in the North who aggressively urged fast action against the states in rebellion.
Horace Greeley, the influential editor of the New-York Tribune, advocated a policy summed up as "On to Richmond." The idea that federal troops could quickly move on the Confederate capital and end the war was taken seriously, and led to the first real battle of the war, at Bull Run.
When Bull Run turned into a disaster, theslow strangulation of the South became more appealing. Though Lincoln did not totally abandon the idea of land campaigns, elements of the Anaconda Plan, such as the naval blockade, did become part of Union strategy.
One aspect of Scott's original plan was for federal troops to secure the Mississippi River. The strategic goal was to isolate Confederate states to the west of the river and make the transportation of cotton impossible. That goal was accomplished fairly early in the war, and the Union Army's control of the Mississippi dictated other strategic decisions in the West.
A drawback of Scott's plan was that the naval blockade, which was declared essentially at the outset of the war, in April 1861, was very difficult to enforce. There were countless inlets through which blockade runners and Confederate privateers could evade detection and capture by the U.S. Navy.
Ultimate, Though Partial, Success
However, over time, the blockade of the Confederacy was successful. The South, during the war, was consistently starved for supplies. And that circ*mstance dictated many decisions that would be made on the battlefield. For instance, one reason for Robert E. Lee's two invasions of the North, which ended at Antietam in September 1862 and Gettysburg in July 1863, was to gather food and supplies.
In actual practice, Winfield Scott's Anaconda Plan did not bring an early end to the war as he had hoped. However, it did seriously weaken the ability of the states in rebellion to fight and, in combination with Lincoln's plan to pursue a land war, led to the defeat of the South.
FAQs
It is sometimes called the "Anaconda Plan." This map somewhat humorously depicts Winfield Scott's “Anaconda Plan” which resulted in an overall blockade (beginning in 1862) of southern ports and not only targeted the major points of entry for slave/slave trade but also crippled cotton exports.
Which Union civil war strategy is represented by the large body of the snake? ›
Scott's Great Snake, published at the outset of the Civil War, humorously portrays General Winfield Scott's “Anaconda Plan” to strangle the southern states by cutting off any imported supplies and halting cotton exports.
What Civil War strategy was named after a snake plant? ›
Anaconda plan, military strategy proposed by Union General Winfield Scott early in the American Civil War. The plan called for a naval blockade of the Confederate littoral, a thrust down the Mississippi, and the strangulation of the South by Union land and naval forces.
Whose strategy of the Civil War is being depicted by the snake in document A? ›
- Cartoon map illustrating Gen. Winfield Scott's plan to crush the Confederacy, economically. It is sometimes called the "Anaconda plan."
Why was the Anaconda Plan a turning point in the Civil War? ›
The main goal of the Anaconda Plan was to cut off supplies to Confederate forces and divide and conquer their fighting force. Lastly, the end goal was to ambush and surround the Confederacy, leading to a Union victory.
Why was it called the Anaconda Plan? ›
Union General Winfield Scott proposed a plan to achieve a Northern victory. It was called the “Anaconda Plan” as it would strangle the Confederacy by cutting it off from external markets and sources of material. It included blockading Southern coasts and securing control of the Mississippi River.
What was Scott's great snake in the Civil War? ›
After a popular newspaper cartoon (pictured here), Scott's scheme was called 'Scott's Great Snake', or the 'Anaconda Plan', after the giant snake that throttles its victims.
How would the Anaconda Plan hurt the South? ›
Fully blockade all Southern coasts. This strategy, known as the Anaconda Plan, would eliminate the possibility of Confederate help from abroad. Control the Mississippi River. The river was the South's major inland waterway.
What was the South's strategy to counter the Anaconda Plan? ›
The South's strategy was to outlast the North, while the North aimed to economically squeeze the South with the Anaconda Plan. The North had more resources, but the South had superior military leadership.
Was the Anaconda Plan successful civil war? ›
Ridiculed in the press as the "Anaconda Plan," after the South American snake that crushes its prey to death, this strategy ultimately proved successful. Although about 90 percent of Confederate ships were able to break through the blockade in 1861, this figure was cut to less than 15 percent a year later.
23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after twelve hours of savage combat on September 17, 1862. The Battle of Antietam ended the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia's first invasion into the North and led Abraham Lincoln to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
Which advantage did the Anaconda Plan give the North? ›
Expert-Verified Answer. The advantage the Anaconda Plan gave the North was a method to cut off supplies to the Confederacy. This is best represented by option D. In the Civil War, the North came up with a military strategy famously known as the Anaconda Plan.
How does the Anaconda Plan relate to the Civil War? ›
The so-called Anaconda Plan was Gen. Winfield Scott's strategic concept for ending the war without an invasion of the South. By controlling the Mississippi River and blockading Southern ports, he reasoned that the South would die on the vine without an overland invasion by Northern armies.
Why were people who opposed the Civil War called Copperheads? ›
Republicans started labeling anti-war Democrats "Copperheads" after the eastern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix), a species of venomous snake.
Who won the snake war? ›
Why did Copperheads call for an end of the Civil War? ›
Agenda. During the American Civil War (1861–1865), the Copperheads nominally favored the Union and strongly opposed the war, about which they faulted abolitionists. They demanded immediate peace and resisted draft laws.
Why was the Anaconda Plan unpopular? ›
Newspapers ridiculed the so-called Anaconda Plan as too slow, editor Horace Greeley writing, “Forward to Richmond!” Two weeks earlier, Robert E. Lee had declined Scott's offer to assume command of the Union army, which no doubt underscored Scott's unpopular belief that the war would not end quickly.
What Battle was the Anaconda Plan used for? ›
With the Siege of Vicksburg, Scott's Anaconda Plan, designed at the beginning of the Civil War with the goal to blockade the southern ports and to cut the South in two by advancing down the Mississippi River, was complete.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/capture-of-new-orleans-large-56a61c2f5f9b58b7d0dff6bf.jpg "The Civil War Strategy That Was Likened to a Gigantic Snake (1)")
