The Union Blockade

Abstract

Declaring a blockade of the Confederate coast was the first important strategic decision made by the administration of Pres. Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. Though it started modestly, before the war was over it absorbed more ships and more naval personnel than all of America’s previous wars combined. By implying a recognition of the Confederacy as a belligerent, Lincoln’s declaration complicated the administration’s foreign policy, and the very size of the undertaking challenged the Union’s shipbuilding capacity. Though it never succeeded in cutting off Southern trade completely, it severely reduced the South’s exports, especially cotton; demonstrated the vulnerability of the South’s coastal defenses; and provided a safety valve for Black refugees. By exposing weaknesses in the Confederate economy, the blockade contributed to an inflationary spiral that depressed civilian morale. In the end, the cumulative impact of the blockade very likely helped shorten the war.