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Anaconda Plan
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T i m e P e r i o d : 1862- 1865
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A r e a : Coastline from Virginia to Texas
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E x p l a n a t i o n : 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.
The first military strategy offered to Pres. Abraham Lincoln for crushing the rebellion of
Southern states was devised by Union General-in-Chief Winfield Scott. From April 1 through
early May 1861 Scott briefed the president daily, often in person, on the national military
situation; the results of these briefings were used by Scott to work out Union military aims.
About May 3rd, Scott told his protégé, Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, that he believed an
effective "Blockade" of Southern ports, a strong thrust down the Mississippi Valley with a
large force, and the establishment of a line of strong Federal positions there would isolate the
disorganized Confederate nation "and bring it to terms."
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:
1.
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.
2.
Divide the South by controlling the Mississippi River to cut the South off from the west.
3.
Divide the South by capturing the Tennessee River Valley and marching through Georgia to the coast.
4.
Capture Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederate States of America.
Although the plan was devised early in the war, it was derided by several newspapers and
was reluctantly adopted by the Union's leaders. The plan as originally conceived by Scott also
advised passivity, in that it suggested that once the Southern states were effectively cut off
from their resources, the Union should wait for capitulation. Nonetheless, the particulars of
the Plan were all carried through, the first 3 proving indeed to be the most decisive factors of
the war: