Objectives of the Union Military Plan

A first objective was for the Union Navy to set up a naval blockade around the South to prevent them from exporting (trading) its cash crop, cotton. This would prevent the South from earning revenue ($$$) to fight the war. The South would also find it hard to get the supplies they needed from Europe. Over time, this would deplete the South of resources/money and eventually force them to surrender.

A second objective was to gain control of the Mississippi River. If the Union gained control of the Mississippi River, the Confederacy would be divided and could no longer use the river to transport men and supplies.

Lastly, capturing Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederate States of America would be another objective. Richmond was the main political location of the South as well as a primary source of weapons and supplies for the war along with a station for five railroads. The capital was to be protected at all costs by Confederate forces.

The North and South fought over 50 major battles and more than 100 smaller engagements during the Civil War. Union generals such as George McClellan, Ulysses S. Grant, and William Sherman led troops in ground combat, using their military strength to challenge the Confederacy. Meanwhile, the Confederacy remained determined and motivated in their fight for secession. Unfortunately, the war’s outcome would be both costly and deadly in the years that followed.