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The
Anaconda Plan
The Anaconda Plan As the armies of the
United States and the Confederacy organized themselves, Abraham
Lincoln met with his generals to form a plan of battle. General
Winfield Scott, commanding general of the Union army, suggested
that because the South had little industry of its own, steps
should be taken to prevent the Southern states from importing
materials that could help them fight the war. General Scott
formed a plan that he called the "Anaconda Plan." Named for
giant snakes that kill their prey by strangulation, the Anaconda
Plan was designed to "strangle" the South by cutting off its
supply lines. The plan called for the United States Navy to
form a blockade of ships to close
all the major port cities of the South. This blockade would
prevent the South from receiving guns, food, clothing, and other
supplies necessary to fight a war. Once the South ran out of
supplies, then it would have no choice but to surrender and
return to the Union. The Anaconda Plan was approved by President
Lincoln and became a major part of the strategy
that the United States used in the Civil War.
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