What was overall naval strategy of the Confederacy during the US Civil War?

Answer 1

The Confederacy developed also a wide range offensive activity led by means of cruisers operating against the US merchant marine, aiming to harm the Union foreign trade. It was successful and, at the end of the war, the Union merchant fleet had virtually disappeared from the seas. Many overseas

markets were lost forever for the Union, mainly to the advantage of the British whose merchant fleet subsituted the American's in exploitation of the relevant trade routes.

Answer 2

The overall naval strategy of the Confederacy was to thwart the Union's attempts to blockade Southern ports. This would enable cargo ships laden with cotton bales to reach buyers in England and other European buyers. The Confederacy strategy also had to find ways for foreign ships to bring into Souther ports the much needed supplies to conduct the war against the Union. There were specific steps to this overall efforts, however, they all worked to accomplish the overall strategy.