What are some myths concerning the Union blockade of Southern ports?

Answer 1

There is no doubt that the Union's blockade of Southern ports hampered the South's ability to ship and receive war supples. The blockade, however, was not as effective as many people understand it to be. The Union blockade had problems and the basic ones are as follows:

1. The blockade could not be close to being 100% effective because Union ships lacked the technology to prevent blockade runners from avoiding capture by Union naval vessels;

2. There was no radar or ship to ship communications that were necessary to capture blockade runners;

3. Blockade runners used the cover of night to avoid capture and the South used Mexican ports to ship and receive supplies;

4. While captured Confederate tonnage could be measured, tonnage that escaped the blockade could not be measured with any degree of accuracy;

5. When General US Grant's siege of Vicksburg ended, he discovered over 60,000 imported rifles, many were British Enfields. Considering that Vicksburg surrendered in 1863, there are no truly accurate measures of how many rifles and other military supplies were smuggled into the South.

The amount of rifles in Vicksburg alone were enough to arm a large army;

6. Since the North needed cotton, the US Treasury authorized the distribution of licenses to traders who brokered deals between both sides in the war. At one point General Grant himself was in charge of this method of trade. It became a "political football" when Grant was charged with anti-Semitism in the license application process. Grant later apologized for this;

7. The torpedoes used by the South hampered Union blockade efforts. They were the result of Matthew Maury, and were exploded either by contact or set off by wire from hidden locations on river banks;

8. US Admiral Porter noted that torpedoes caused problems for his fleet during the attack on Fort Fisher. The US navy lost more warships due to torpedoes then from any other cause. Torpedoes sunk 31 Union warships including seven ironclads; and

9. How the blockade effected the outcome of the war is still under debate based on the lack of knowledge on tonnage smuggled into the South.