Detailed Notes on Civil War Navy and Strategy 4/1

  • Prayer and Opening

    • The session began with a prayer focusing on gratitude for the day and seeking blessings for focus and energy in studies.

  • Exam Schedule Update

    • Reminder that the exam was rescheduled from Thursday to the next Thursday.
    • Possible reduction in chapters covered will be communicated by the end of the week.

  • Discussion of Wells and Military Contributions

    • Who is Wells?: Secretary of the Navy for the Union.
    • His task involved building up the U.S. Navy to effectively implement a blockade against the Confederacy.
    • Strategy was based on Winfield Scott’s Anaconda Plan:
    • Proposed a naval blockade to constrict the Confederacy and control the Mississippi River to cut off supplies.
    • The term 'Anaconda' likens the blockade to the snake that constricts its prey.

  • Restrictions and Challenges of Blockade

    • At the start of the war, U.S. Navy only had about 40 ships, primarily frigates.
    • Wells and Gustavus Fox initiated the purchase and construction of steam-powered warships for effective blockading.
    • Over 600 ships were engaged in the blockade, but thousands of miles of coastline made complete effectiveness difficult.
    • Capture of key ports was essential, providing fuel and resupply for Union ships.
    • Examples of captured ports include Port Royal and Cape Hatteras.

  • Ineffectiveness of Initial Blockade

    • Initially, blockade runners, often smaller vessels, could avoid detection, and by the end of the war, more than 8,000 blockade runners operated with low success against the Union efforts.
    • By war's end, shortages in the South slowed to a trickle, influential in the Confederate defeat.

  • Commerce Raiders

    • These were Confederate ships functioning as privateers.
    • They attacked union merchant ships to disrupt supplies and cause insurance rates to rise, hurting Northern merchant interests.
    • Significant effect was to draw Union naval forces away from blockading duties.
    • Notable commerce raider: CSS Alabama, which had a successful record of capturing ships.

  • The CSS Alabama and Outcome

    • The CSS Alabama engaged in commerce raiding until the Confederacy's downline, being one of the last ships to operate.
    • Its destruction was pivotal for Union maritime losses and diplomatic issues with Britain regarding arms support to the Confederacy.

  • Innovations by the Confederacy

    • Confederate Navy innovated with Torpedoes (naval mines) and submarines (CSS Hunley).
    • Civil War 'torpedoes' were aerial mines that sank several ships.
    • The CSS Hunley became the first submarine to successfully sink a warship but was lost shortly after its mission.

  • Ironclad Ships

    • The CSS Virginia (formerly USS Merrimack) was repurposed and became an effective ironclad ship.
    • The Monitor (Union) was designed in response to the Virginia and marked the first naval battle of ironclad ships.
    • The battle was inconclusive but demonstrated the evolution of warship design.

  • Battle Results and Aftermath

    • The Virginia became ineffective after the Monitor's emergence, leading to the destruction of the Virginia when it was abandoned.
    • Union's blockade tactics evolved, leading to diminishing success for the Confederacy.

  • Final Notes

    • Discussion emphasized the technological innovations and strategic implications for both sides.
    • Review of the blockade and confrontations in upcoming classes, significant for understanding military tactics in the Civil War.