Download Union Strategy: Anaconda Plan Time Period: 1862

Union Strategy: Anaconda Plan
Time Period: 1862- 1865
Explanation: At the start of the war, General-in-Chief Winfield Scott developed a plan that would use a
Union naval blockade of the Confederate coastline to stop any military and commercial shipments that would
aid the Confederate cause.
1. What does the snake or anaconda represent?
2. Why is the head of the snake red, white, and blue?
The Anaconda Plan:
The first military strategy offered to Pres. Abraham Lincoln for crushing the rebellion of Southern states was
created by Union General-in-Chief Winfield Scott. Scott believed an effective "Blockade" of Southern ports, a
strong push down the Mississippi Valley with a large force, and the establishment of a line of strong Union
military positions there would isolate the disorganized Confederate nation "and bring it to terms." These ideas
were the foundation for the Anaconda Plan.
The Anaconda Plan was drawn up to end the Civil War in favor of the Union. The plan was adopted in 1862,
involving 4 main parts:
a. Blockade the coast of the South to prevent the export of cotton, tobacco, and other cash crops from the
South and to keep them from importing much needed war supplies.
b. Divide the South by controlling the Mississippi River to cut the South off from the west
c. Divide the South by capturing the Tennessee River Valley and marching through Georgia to the coast,
d. Capture Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederate States of America.
3. What did Scott mean when he said his goal was to “bring [the South] to terms”?
4. What are the four main goals of the Anaconda Plan? Summarize these IN YOUR OWN WORDS!
Putting the Anaconda Plan into ACTION:
The four parts of the Anaconda Plan were all carried out:
a. President Lincoln called for a blockade of the South on April 19th, 1861, 6 days after the fall of Fort Sumter.
The blockade itself, thought to be an impossible task against 3000 miles of highly irregular coastline, was a
success within the first 6 months, and nearly indestructible within the first 2 years. The blockade prevented
the South from selling or receiving goods, seriously damaging their economy, contributing to the
Confederacy's defeat. It was the most successful naval blockade to date, and the first one carried out
exclusively by the use of a national navy.
b. Control of the Mississippi River would prove decisive in the Civil War as well; Pres. Jefferson Davis called
Vicksburg, Mississippi the "vital point" of the Confederacy. The Mississippi River represented a major
strategic resource that would, if captured by the North, allow for the movement of men and material into the
very heart of the South. As Union forces approached Vicksburg, Mississippi it was obvious invasion of this
city perched on 200 foot high cliffs would be impossible. Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his troops began
the Siege of Vicksburg cutting off the city and shelling it repeatedly until the confederates surrendered.
Grant’s successful Vicksburg campaign cemented Union control of the Mississippi River, and began the slow
defeat for the Confederacy.
c. The Tennessee River Valley was also very important to the South. Nashville, Tennessee was served by 5
railroads during the war, and the state of Tennessee was home to the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers,
making it an ideal point for compiling and distributing resources. Nashville, making it the center of
distribution and manufacture for Southern war goods of all kinds. Confederate defenses did not hold, and
after Grant's taking of the garrison confederate commander Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston knew he could no
longer hold Nashville and withdrew. The supply depot would remain in Union hands until the end of the
war. The loss of Tennessee in general and Nashville in particular dealt a crippling blow to the Confederate
cause.
William Tecumseh Sherman carried out the Union plan to march through the South all the way to the
Georgia coast destroying southern railroads and industries along the way. During Sherman’s infamous
“March to the Sea,” Sherman and his troops practiced ‘total war,’ meaning the Union destroyed civilian
and economic resources. Sherman believed that ‘total war’ would ruin the South’s economy and its ability
to fight. He ordered his troops to destroy railways, bridges, crops, livestock, and other resources. They
burned plantations and freed slaves. Sherman reached Savannah, Georgia leaving behind a path of
destruction.
d. Union troops launched the Wilderness Campaign - series of battles designed to capture the Confederate
capital at Richmond Virginia. Grant occupied Richmond, Virginia in April of 1865, shortly before the
surrender of Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army, but the city had no particular strategic value, serving only as a blow
to Confederate morale.
Without the loss of the Mississippi River and the Tennessee Valley, the supposed vast differences in resources
between the Union and the Confederate Armies would have been greatly lessened. It was Grant's successes in the
West that brought him to the attention of the Lincoln and paved his way for command of the Union forces.
Indeed, once the West was lost, Lee's defeat became a mere question of time. Had Lee not been blockaded, or at
least still held the Tennessee Valley, he would have had resources enough to drag the war on interminably; quite
possibly long enough to force a settlement with the Union.
5. Was the Union blockade of the South successful? Explain your answer.
6. Why was control of the Mississippi River important? Why was the Battle of Vicksburg significant?
7. Why was control of the Tennessee River Valley, including Nashville, important? Why was Grant’s control
in Tennessee significant?
8. After Tennessee was secure, the Union continued South. Why was William Tecumseh Sherman’s “March
to the Sea” significant?
9. What does total war mean?
10. Why was control of Richmond, Virginia significant?