The Anaconda Plan was a strategy developed by the Union during the American Civil War to defeat the Confederacy. The plan was based on the idea of blockading the Southern coast and controlling the Mississippi River, thus cutting off the Confederacy from supplies and reinforcements. The plan was also intended to capture Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital.
The Anaconda Plan was developed by General Winfield Scott, the commanding general of the Union Army. Scott believed that the Confederacy could not win the war without access to supplies from Europe and the western states. He therefore proposed a strategy of blockading the Southern coast and controlling the Mississippi River. This would prevent the Confederacy from importing goods from Europe and from transporting supplies from the West.
Scott's plan also called for the capture of Richmond. Richmond was the Confederate capital and was considered to be the heart of the Confederacy. Scott believed that if Richmond could be captured, the Confederacy would collapse.
The Anaconda Plan was a complex and ambitious strategy, but it was ultimately successful. The Union Navy was able to blockade the Southern coast and control the Mississippi River. The Union Army was also able to capture Richmond in 1865. The Anaconda Plan played a major role in the Union victory in the Civil War.
Here are the three main parts of the Anaconda Plan:
1. Blockade the Southern coast. The Union Navy would blockade the Southern coast, preventing the Confederacy from importing goods from Europe.
2. Control the Mississippi River. The Union Army would control the Mississippi River, preventing the Confederacy from transporting supplies from the West.
3. Capture Richmond. The Union Army would capture Richmond, the Confederate capital.