Strategies of the North
- The Anaconda Plan
Step 1: Navy Blockade of Southern Ports
The Anaconda plan, named after the giant snake, was designed to surround the South and suffocate the South. It began by a blockade of southern ports, including all southern coastal areas (i.e. Galveston, New Orleans, Charleston, and Virginia). This step was important because it stopped the South from securing help from European countries and stopped them from importing/exporting cotton and war supplies.
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Step 2: Control the Mississippi RiverThe next phase of the North's plan to win the Civil War was to control the Mississippi River. The Mississippi was the South's primary means of sending and receiving supplies, by controlling the Mississippi the North planned to stop supplies being sent between southern army troops. The United States Army (the North) finally accomplished this by winning the Battle of Vicksburg (pictured left). In this battle, the North had to charge up a giant hill in which the Southern forces had established a fort. The north achieved victory by capturing the fort and therefore, controlling ships and supplies passing on the Mississippi River.
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Step 3: Capture the Southern CapitalThe final phase of the North's plan to win the Civil War was to capture Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the South. The North realized Richmond, Virginia was more than just a capital city; it was also the military headquarters, transportation hub, industrial heart, prison, and hospital center of the Confederacy. Richmond, Virginia was finally captured in April 1865, less than two weeks later the South surrendered at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia
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