Union naval blockade

Question 1

When did Lincoln proclaim the blockade of Southern ports?

Answer 1

19th April 1861

Question 2

What were the initial challenges facing the Union blockade?

Answer 2

The US Navy only had 90 vessels and needed to patrol 3500 miles of coastline

Question 3

When did the Union blockade actually become effective?

Answer 3

1863

Question 4

How many blockade runners were intercepted 1861 vs 1864?

Answer 4

10% vs 33%

Question 5

What technique did the Union navy develop beyond blocking Southern ports?

Answer 5

A ‘cruising blockade’ along international sea-lanes and in waters off neutral ports in Mexico

Question 6

What were the two main Confederate naval countermeasures to the blockade?

Answer 6

Raiders like the Alabama attacked Northern commerce

Ironclad ships attacked wooden blockading vessels

Question 7

How many Confederate ironclad vessels were built and why was this number significant?

Answer 7

21 ironclads, no where near enough to defend all the ports and navigable rivers

Question 8

How did the blockade affect Southern trade volume?

Answer 8

Southern trade was reduced by over 50%

Question 9

What happened to Southern cotton exports during the blockade?

Answer 9

They fell from a pre-war average of 10 million bales yearly to just 0.5 million bales in total shipped to Europe between 1862 and 1865

Question 10

What were the economic consequences of the blockade for the Confederacy?

Answer 10

High inflation and shortages of key imported war supplies