USS ALASKA
Captain
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2016
I've been slowly collecting papers on the Blockade - thought I would post them here for reference and discussion...
A Hard Blockade: The Union Navy and the Foundation of Union Hard War Policy
Blakeney K. Hill
Texas Christian University
"Any discussion of the Union blockade during the Civil War inevitably leads to the argument of whether or not it succeeded. The traditional back-and-forth arguments have involved dissections of capture rates, successful runs, and the total amount of goods which slipped through in endless statistical form. Marcus Price argues that the blockade’s success lay in its mere existence which deterred many ships and companies from even risking a run. There is also the argument that the blockade’s success lay in its psychological impact on the Confederacy. While each of the arguments for the blockade’s success have their merits and
faults, one aspect of the blockade remains markedly absent from most discussions: the role of the blockade in the formation and implementation of the Union’s hard war policy. Certainly the object of any blockade is not just to hurt the offending nation’s economy but also to limit the entrance of military supplies. The side effect of all of this, however, is that the necessities needed by the civilian populace will also be reduced, and while it may not have been the intention of the Lincoln administration for the blockade to affect civilians in such a drastic way, that was its most lasting effect."
http://filsonhistorical.org/wp-cont...d-the-Foundation-of-Union-Hard-War-Policy.pdf
Cheers,
USS ALASKA
A Hard Blockade: The Union Navy and the Foundation of Union Hard War Policy
Blakeney K. Hill
Texas Christian University
"Any discussion of the Union blockade during the Civil War inevitably leads to the argument of whether or not it succeeded. The traditional back-and-forth arguments have involved dissections of capture rates, successful runs, and the total amount of goods which slipped through in endless statistical form. Marcus Price argues that the blockade’s success lay in its mere existence which deterred many ships and companies from even risking a run. There is also the argument that the blockade’s success lay in its psychological impact on the Confederacy. While each of the arguments for the blockade’s success have their merits and
faults, one aspect of the blockade remains markedly absent from most discussions: the role of the blockade in the formation and implementation of the Union’s hard war policy. Certainly the object of any blockade is not just to hurt the offending nation’s economy but also to limit the entrance of military supplies. The side effect of all of this, however, is that the necessities needed by the civilian populace will also be reduced, and while it may not have been the intention of the Lincoln administration for the blockade to affect civilians in such a drastic way, that was its most lasting effect."
http://filsonhistorical.org/wp-cont...d-the-Foundation-of-Union-Hard-War-Policy.pdf
Cheers,
USS ALASKA