"We rely greatly on the sure operation of a complete blockade of the Atlantic and Gulf ports... as soon as the necessary vessels are at our disposal... in connection with a strong movement down the Mississippi River to the Ocean, with a view to clearing that valley of rebels and establishing a cordon of posts on the river... so as to envelope the insurgent States and bring them to submission with less destruction of life than by any other plan."
— General Winfield Scott, letter to Major General George B. McClellan, May 3, 1861
The strategy proposed in the excerpt most directly reflects which of the following aspects of Union military planning at the start of the Civil War?
- A reliance on utilizing the North's superior naval resources and economic capacity to slowly strangle the Southern economyAnswer
- BA belief that the immediate emancipation of enslaved labor would undermine the Confederacy's agricultural production
- CAn effort to secure direct military alliances with Western European powers to assist in naval operations
- DA plan to allow individual Southern states to vote on whether to rejoin the Union under popular sovereignty
Answer
A reliance on utilizing the North's superior naval resources and economic capacity to slowly strangle the Southern economy
The strategy outlined by Winfield Scott, known as the Anaconda Plan, aimed to exploit the Union's substantial advantages in naval power and industrial capacity. By blockading Confederate ports along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts and taking control of the Mississippi River, the Union could restrict the South's ability to trade cotton internationally, starve its economy of supplies, and split the Confederacy in two.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
The Anaconda Plan and Union Military Strategy
Estimated Time:1m 0s