NF The War on Confederate Salt

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

The History Guy's latest episode looks at the importance of salt to the Confederacy and Union efforts to reduce the supply.

Has there ever been a book written on this subject?

I know the topic is touched as part of other books, such as in Blockaders, Refugees, and Contrabands: Civil War on Florida's Gulf Coast, 1861-1865 by George Buker.

 

[wausaubob]

Its only a theory, but salt may have been a common ballast carried by ships from NYC and Liverpool, destined for southern ports. If the merchant was short on outbound cargo, but wanted to pick a ship full of cotton, salt would be a cheap ballast and easy to unload and sell at a southern port. Its easy to imagine the Confederacy having to scramble for salt once it was cut off from direct trade with NYC.