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| Civil War Union Naval Blockade Map |
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Blockade of the Carolina Coast [August 1861]
The Blockade of the Carolina Coast, which
included the Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries, was an objective in General Winfield Scott’s Anaconda Plan. The Union Blockade refers to the U.S. naval actions between 1861 and 1865, during the American Civil War, in which the Union Navy maintained
a massive effort on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts
of the Confederate States of America (The Civil War Blockade Organization). The blockade was designed to prevent the passage of trade goods, supplies,
and arms to and from the Confederacy.
North Carolina's "State Troops,"
however, especially her best-armed and best-trained regiments, were nearly all in Virginia, and all her coast defenses were,
like Hatteras, poorly armed and insufficiently manned. Governor Henry Toole Clark, of North Carolina, in a letter to the Confederate Secretary of War,
thus states the affairs in his State:
| North Carolina Civil War Battles |
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"We feel defenseless here without
arms... We see just over our lines in Virginia, near Suffolk, two or three North Carolina regiments, well armed and well drilled,
who are not allowed to come to the defense of their homes... We are threatened with an expedition of 15,000 men. That is the
amount of our seaboard army, extending along four-hundred miles of territory, and at no point can we spare a man, and without
arms, we can not increase it... We have now collected in camps about three regiments without arms, and our only reliance is
the slow collection of shotguns and hunting rifles, and it is difficult to buy, for the people are now hugging their arms
for their own defense."
Blockade of the Carolina Coast
[August 1861]
Recommended Reading:
Lifeline of the Confederacy: Blockade Running
During the Civil War (Studies in Maritime
History Series). From Library Journal: From the profusion of books about Confederate blockade running, this one will stand
out for a long time as the most complete and exhaustively researched. …Wise sets out to provide a detailed study, giving
particular attention to the blockade runners' effects on the Confederate war effort. It was, he finds, tapping hitherto unused
sources, absolutely essential, affording the South a virtual lifeline of military necessities until the war's last days. This
book covers it all: from cargoes to ship outfitting, from individuals and companies to financing at both ends. An indispensable
addition to Civil War literature.
Recommended
Reading: Naval Campaigns of the Civil War.
Description: This analysis of naval engagements during the War Between the States presents the action from the efforts at
Fort Sumter during the secession of South Carolina in 1860, through the battles in the Gulf of Mexico, on the Mississippi
River, and along the eastern seaboard, to the final attack at Fort Fisher on the coast of North Carolina in January 1865.
This work provides an understanding of the maritime problems facing both sides at the beginning of the war, their efforts
to overcome these problems, and their attempts, both triumphant and tragic, to control the waterways of the South. The Union
blockade, Confederate privateers and commerce raiders are discussed, as is the famous battle between the Monitor and the Merrimack. Continued below…
An overview
of the events in the early months preceding the outbreak of the war is presented. The chronological arrangement of the campaigns
allows for ready reference regarding a single event or an entire series of campaigns. Maps and an index are also included.
About the Author: Paul Calore, a graduate of Johnson and Wales University,
was the Operations Branch Chief with the Defense Logistics Agency of the Department of Defense before retiring. He is a supporting
member of the U.S. Civil War Center and the Civil War Preservation Trust and has also written Land Campaigns of the Civil
War (2000). He lives in Seekonk, Massachusetts.
Recommended
Reading: Confederate Blockade Runner 1861-65
(New Vanguard). Description: The lifeblood of the Confederacy, the blockade runners of the Civil War usually began life as
regular fast steam-powered merchant ships. They were adapted for the high-speed dashes through the Union blockade which closed
off all the major Southern ports, and for much of the war they brought much-needed food, clothing and weaponry to the Confederacy.
This book traces their operational history, including the development of purpose-built blockade running ships, and examines
their engines, crews and tactics. It describes their wartime exploits, demonstrating their operational and mechanical performance,
whilst examining what life was like on these vessels through accounts of conditions on board when they sailed into action.
Recommended
Reading:
Civil War Navies, 1855-1883 (The U.S. Navy Warship Series) (Hardcover). Description: Civil War Warships, 1855-1883
is the second in the five-volume US Navy Warships encyclopedia set. This valuable reference lists the ships of the U.S. Navy
and Confederate Navy during the Civil War and the years immediately following - a significant period in the evolution of warships,
the use of steam propulsion, and the development of ordnance. Civil War Warships provides a wealth and variety of material
not found in other books on the subject and will save the reader the effort needed to track down information in multiple sources.
Continued below…
Each
ship's size and time and place of construction are listed along with particulars of naval service. The author provides historical
details that include actions fought, damage sustained, prizes taken, ships sunk, and dates in and out of commission as well
as information about when the ship left the Navy, names used in other services, and its ultimate fate. 140 photographs, including
one of the Confederate cruiser Alabama recently uncovered by the author further contribute to this
indispensable volume. This definitive record of Civil War ships updates the author's previous work and will find a lasting
place among naval reference works.
Recommended Reading:
Rebels and Yankees: Naval Battles of the Civil War (Hardcover). Description:
Naval Battles of the Civil War, written by acclaimed Civil War historian Chester G. Hearn, focuses on the maritime battles
fought between the Confederate Rebels and the Union forces in waters off the eastern seaboard and the great rivers of the
United States during the Civil War. Since
very few books have been written on this subject, this volume provides a fascinating and vital portrayal of the one of the
most important conflicts in United States
history. Naval Battles of the Civil War is lavishly illustrated with rare contemporary photographs, detailed artworks, and
explanatory maps, and the text is a wonderful blend of technical information, fast-flowing narrative, and informed commentary.
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