civil wars begins union navy and texas civil war in october 1862

Their hope was that British industries dependence on Southern cotton would force the hands of the British government. Of those ships in American waters, ten were destroyed (or partially destroyed) to prevent them falling into Confederate hands when Virginian seceded, taking the Norfolk naval base with it.Ĭonfederate diplomats spent much of their time attempting to convince European powers, especially Great Britain, to declare the blockade illegal. This was fortunate for the Union, as when war broke out the United States navy was just as small as the army, and its ships were scattered around the world. To be a legal blockade (under the terms of an international treaty that the United States had not signed!), this blockade simply had to present a risk to shipping trying to enter those ports. President Lincoln very quickly declared a blockade against the main Confederate ports.

Now it was the United States that wanted to impose a blockade. The issue had even played a part in the outbreak of the War of 1812. In previous conflicts, the United States had stood firmly against the right of belligerent parties to impose a blockade on neutral shipping. One of the great ironies of the American Civil War was the Union blockade of Southern ports. Back: Sherman's March through the Confederacy The Blockage

Civil wars begins union navy and texas civil war in october 1862