![]() At the onset on the war, they stood as relatively equal combatants. ![]() Balance Sheet: The Union and the ConfederacyĪs it became clearer that the Union would not be dealing with an easily quashed rebellion, the two sides assessed their strengths and weaknesses. Instead, the war would drag on for four long, deadly years. The retreat destroyed Union hopes of a quick, decisive victory. The Confederate forces then carried the day, sending the Union soldiers and onlookers scrambling back from Virginia. The Union forces attacked first, only to be pushed back. Each side sent eighteen thousand into the fray. At the First Battle of Bull Run, also known as First Manassas, some sixty thousand troops assembled, most of whom had never seen combat. So great was the belief that this would be a climactic Union victory that many Washington socialites and politicians brought picnic lunches to a nearby area, hoping to witness history unfolding before them. On July 21, 1861, the two armies met near Manassas, Virginia, along Bull Run Creek, only thirty miles from Washington, DC. Meanwhile, Lincoln and military leaders in the North were optimistic a quick blow to the South, especially if they could capture the Confederacy’s new capital of Richmond, Virginia, would end the rebellion before it went any further. Northerners hoped that most Southerners would not actually fire on the American flag. Some questioned how committed Southerners really were to their cause. Many believed that a single, heroic battle would decide the contest. Men rushed to enlist, and the Confederacy welcomed tens of thousands who hoped to defend the new nation. This official pronouncement confirmed the beginning of the Civil War. The Confederacy responded to the blockade by declaring that a state of war existed with the United States. Also in April, Lincoln put in place a naval blockade of the South, a move that gave tacit recognition of the Confederacy while providing a legal excuse for the British and the French to trade with Southerners. The response from state militias was overwhelming, and the number of Northern troops exceeded the requisition. His goal was a ninety-day campaign to put down the Southern rebellion. The First Battle of Bull RunĪfter the fall of Fort Sumter on April 15, 1861, Lincoln called for seventy-five thousand volunteers from state militias to join federal forces. This was a good plan but it was never given the opportunity to be put into action.Figure 1. The First Battle of Bull Run, which many Northerners thought would put a quick and decisive end to the South’s rebellion, ended with a Confederate victory. It would not be a quick victory but given enough time it had a chance of being successful. Capturing the Mississippi river would also cut the Confederacy in half. They would secure the Mississippi river down to the Gulf of Mexico which would link up with and keep their lines of communication open with the naval blockade. They would capture and hold forts and towns along the way. The second objective of the plan was to transport roughly 60,000 Union troops in 40 steam transports escorted by upwards of 20 steam gunboats down the Mississippi river. This would cut off all trade to and from the rebellious states. The first objective was to set up a naval blockade of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico ports that were controlled by the Confederacy. The Anaconda Plan consisted of two main objectives. The other generals wanted to crush the rebellion quickly and permanently as soon as possible. General Scott’s plan would require patience and time. They wanted to attack the south and defeat them with the Union’s overwhelming military and industrial might. Pretty much all of the Union commanders disliked this plan and referred to it as being too complacent. His problem was convincing fellow Union commanders that this was a good idea. The problem General Scott had with his idea wasn’t the rebels. General Scott’s Anaconda Plan was a very passive way of defeating the Confederacy. It was a humanitarian way of defeating the rebellion as opposed to invading the south with massive numbers of troops, killing, burning and capturing everything in sight. ![]() The strategic plan would have eventually ended the Civil War, ideally with minimal casualties on both sides. The plan was developed by General Winfield Scott at the beginning of the Civil War following the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter on April 12th 1861. This would cut off and isolate the south from the outside world. The goal was to defeat the rebellion by blockading southern ports and controlling the Mississippi river. "The Anaconda Plan was the Union’s strategic plan to defeat the Confederacy at the start of the American Civil War.
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