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In January, the Cincinnati Civil War Round Table was proud to have Gary Johnson, a veteran speaker before our group, make a presentation entitled, The Squeeze of the Anaconda Plan – America’s First 600 Ship Navy. A veteran of the United States Navy, Mr. Johnson has always had a fascination with the naval forces during the Civil War and the major part it played in the Anaconda Plan. The USN was the “Squeeze” in the Anaconda Plan.
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LTG Winfield Scott
(Civil War Treasures from the New York Historical Society, nhnycw/ad ad09042.)
The USN started the war with 50 ships, most which were not of the right kind, and by the end of the war, it had 600. The term “Anaconda Plan” was not a term used by Winfield Scott; it was coined by the press somewhat tongue in check. Despite Lincoln never formally adopting the plan, splitting the Confederacy in two was one of the principal tools used to win the war. Further, Lincoln was forced early in war to recognize it as a blockade. Doing so allowed him to pursue ships into international waters, a necessary ability to keep Great Britain and France at arm’s length. This decision however required giving belligerent status to the Confederacy.
.jpg) The challenges to the USN at the outset of the war were many. There were 3500 miles of coastline, 189 harbors and rivers, and only 50 ships, mostly deep water ships unsuitable for navigation along the shallow coastline and rivers. A further challenge was to keep the British and French out of the war and from re-supplying the Confederacy. The USN wanted to recapture the coastal fortifications seized by the Confederacy and to support coastal army operations.
Recruiting posed a problem. Army recruiting was localized. Naval recruiting was carried out at rendez-vous stations in mostly eastern coastal cities. Recruits were enticed to share prize money. Instead of keeping recruits enlisting together in the same command, recruits who knew one another were split up. The average age was 26 years old, as opposed to the army, which was much younger. Also, the number of sailors reached 55,000, as opposed to 2.2 million soldiers. 15% were African- American. 45% were foreign born. 78% of sailors came from East Coast states. Most were looking to escape poverty with a perceived degree of safety.
Basic training was conducted on a “receiving ship” for a few weeks. Real training happened after their first assignment. This was a different world for the sailors. They had to become used to sea sickness, a wet environment, little sleep, smells, and a small area to live and sleep, mostly cutoff from the rest of the world for long periods. It took four years to become the sailor and learn the ropes. They had to learn new skills and a new vocabulary. Pay generally ranged from $8 - $18 per month, with specialists getting more. African-Americans were paid equal to their white counterparts. Daily life was a strict routine. It consisted of watch, eating, cleaning, maintenance, sleeping, and drills. Leave was granted, usually not favored by the captains, but occurring when the grumbling among the crew stopped. Although Annapolis existed, officers received mostly on the job training after a few weeks of indoctrination.
In addition to the challenges faced in building and equipping the USN, a strategy had to be formed to carry out the blockade. Four blockading squadrons were created: North Atlantic, South Atlantic, East Gulf and West Gulf. Four ports had to be re-captured to provide forward bases. Ships had to be fitted from merchant use, such as ferry boats, that were used to operate in shallow water. Naval battles were rare; the strategy was primarily to close ports, Heavy ships to carry guns were very important. Coastal campaigns were effective, but were not frequent. The principal counter weapon was a torpedo. 18 Union ships were sunk with torpedoes. Torpedo boats were deemed to be more cost effective than ironclads.
Certain ships were required to fight blockade runners. These ships were usually not heavily armed, and had a shallow draft. A blockade strategy was developed to place ships in layers. Close in ships with a shallow draft were stationed near the coast. Chasers comprised the second layer. The third layer used faster ships, The farthest ships out were cruisers designed to intercept the runners.
The economics of the blockade wreaked havoc on the Confederacy. In 1862, the price of cotton soared. The cotton embargo, in the first year of the war when the blockade was at its weakest, hampered rather then helped the Confederate war effort. The blockade created an incentive to ship lighter luxury goods, not essential for the war effort, as opposed to war materiel. Eventually, the foreign markets for US cotton dried up and were replaced by other producers such as India. The blockade’ success can be measured by the effectiveness. In 1861, 1 in 10 runners were captured. In 1862, 1 in 8; 1863, 1 in 4 and by 1864, only 1 in 3 runners made it through the blockade.
The blockade had a serious impact. In 1861, southern ports had 20,000 landings and by 1864, there were only 8,000. Exports were reduced and the price of imports skyrocketed. Overall this crippled the economy of the Confederacy and contributed to runaway inflation. Closing the southern ports created a relentless squeeze. The Anaconda Plan in hindsight was extremely effective. Combined with similar army strategies of Grant and Sherman, the Confederacy was split in two and ultimately brought to its knees.
In recognition of General Robert E. Lee's birthday, Texas native Larry Southwick presented CCWRT with a beautifully decorated birthday cake. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
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