The Anaconda Plan - 1761 Words

In 1861, the United States was no longer united and its people were at war, in what is commonly known as the American Civil War. This left President Abraham Lincoln in a tight spot on how to go about dealing with the Southern states that had seceded, the Confederacy, who were now at war with the Northern states, the Union. Lincoln met with his generals to devise a strategy by which the Confederate states could be brought back into the Union. General Winfield Scott, commanding general of the Union army, proposed one plan of battle that he had earlier proposed to Major-General George B. McClellan. His plan came to be known as the Anaconda plan. This plan, although it was never technically adopted, ended up being extremely successful and†¦show more content†¦This was to prevent them from exporting cotton, tobacco, and other cash crops and to keep them from importing much needed war supplies. Since cotton was the South’s staple product and what they relied on for economic success, if the trade of this were to be shut down then they would run out of funds and lose all financial power. The Confederate government was able to purchase a pound of cotton for as low as 8 ¢, and sell it to Europe for as much as 54 ¢. This sale was often above 300% profit while considering the costs of transport.[4] Therefore, if they were to lose this major source of income, they would begin to crumble and lose any financial power they could possibly have over the Union. This plan was never adopted mainly due to Winfield Scott’s lack of planning. His proposal for the blockade was not properly a strategy, despite the fact that it is often referred to by historians as one. It did not estimate the forces that would be needed to guard the 3000 or more miles of coastline in the seceded states.[5] Nor did it consider an allocation of resources, set out a time line, or even name points of particular concern. Due to this lack of planning, Lincoln was extremely skeptical of the plan’s possible success. It was because his doubt of the plan’s success that he chose to battle with the Confederacy in ground campaigns, rather than waiting for a slow strangulation of the Confederacy to occur. In theShow MoreRelatedThe Plan Of The Anaconda Plan1295 Words   |  6 PagesThe anaconda plan At the beginning of the war the Union thought it would be an easy, quick war. The Union leaders at this time had no actual plan for the war. General Scott saw this and came up with the Anaconda plan. Scott considered the war a strategy game, and would attack and penetrate the enemy s forces without destroying all of their troops; focusing mainly on victory. At the beginning of the war Scott, unlike others, thought that the war would be over in more than two years. The war endedRead More The Anaconda Plan Essay616 Words   |  3 Pages The Anaconda Plan At the onset of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln met with his generals to devise a strategy by which the rebellious states of the Confederacy could be brought back into the Union. General Winfield Scott, commanding general of the Union army, proposed a plan of battle that became known as the Anaconda Plan. General Winfield Scott, commanding general of the Union Army From the Collections of The Mariners Museum General Scott, a native Virginian, believed that the majorityRead MoreThe Anaconda Plan s Effect On The Civil War1227 Words   |  5 PagesMeyme Nakash Ms. Gulnac US History 9G 15 May 2015 The Anaconda Plan s Effect on The Civil War From 1861-1865 the Civil War was fought to determine the survival of the independent Confederacy. 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US forces had to replan the battle at a moments notice. The mission of Operation Anaconda was to bring down the Taliban government and to destroy al Qaeda. Operation Anaconda followedRead MoreOperation Anaconda Operation Anaconda took place as a part of the War in Afghanistan in early1500 Words   |  6 PagesOperation Anaconda Operation Anaconda took place as a part of the War in Afghanistan in early March of 2002. It happened in the Shahikot valley of eastern Afghanistan. The purpose of the operation was to take out enemy Taliban and al Qaeda forces that were gathered in the area. U.S. forces built a complex plan to achieve this end state. They planned to use a â€Å"hammer and anvil† attack that used U.S. forces as well as friendly Afghani armed forces to quickly kill or capture the enemy. Intel told commandersRead MoreEssay on The American Civil War783 Words   |  4 Pages The North used a strategy known as the Anaconda Plan. 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