How Decisive Was the Naval War to Union Victory?

In my opinion, the Navy played a far more decisive role than they get credit for. First, there was the blockade which reduced the amount of critical material from offshore sources that was available to the Confederacy. The addition of Federal Ironclads, namely the USS Monitor and her sisters neutralized the very real threat from CSS Virginia and her sister ships. Add the advantage they provided in riverine operations, an important role that cannot be overstated cannot be overstated. Removal of the blockade for example, would have opened Southern ports to all manner of resupply. Even with a few successful blockade runners, the Confederacy was still deprived of much needed wartime supplies.
Some postulate the Federals would have won regardless of any naval support. I am not at all certain that would have been the case. I am convinced removing the Federal Navy from the picture would have altered the dynamic of the war and surrender a great advantage to the Confederacy.
 
The blockade was a huge part of the union navy as was the river war.

I don't think raiders added up to much, but were fine as propaganda for the south. I think the lack industry in the south, especially losing its shipyard, Gosport, and lack of things that were obvious or practical was a huge factor in the CSN not being able to win the war.

The raiders then would have been build en mass with out the help of England or France. It would have added legitimacy to Richmond. Cotton might not have rotted away.

Had the river/soon to be blue water forces had the opertunity that the CSS Virginia had there would have been a real chance of breaking the blockade. The slow builds, lack of suitable boilers and propper armor. Building ships in other places like Pensacola as well as Mobile would hand tore it up.

They also would have been able to turn out quick, fast, say the liberty ship method, of blockade runners to the point that arms, uniforms, even food could have been brought through

And lastly pilots. They needed pilots i mean those would have had to be trained. There were places even with in a channel that certain vessels would have been able to make it it where a ship would have to send out boats. They changed too. Bars and inlets changed. There were plenty if these inlets in Florida as well as everywhere in the south there could have been temporary depots.

If there were three times the pilots I think they would have benefitted.
 
Does "without the navy" mean no blockade, the Confederacy free to export cotton and other products and import all the war material, foodstuffs, railroad equipment, etc. they could afford? That would certainly make a difference.
Well as far as the NAVY navy or salt water navy if you will, it was almost non existent for most of the first 2 years of the war. Blockade runners coming and going could almost always transit safely.

Given this, one could easily say that the South's greatest enemy was Jeff Davis. He lost the gamble that withholding cotton exports to England would encourage if not force them to enter the war if not to directly force the North to back down but at least to protect the commerce to and from the South.

Unfortunately for the South during the period of the CW, England was experiencing severe agricultural failures. They needed Northern grain to eat more than they needed Southern cotton to make luxury goods.
 
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