The Snake That Strangled the South

How a Ridiculed Strategy Turned the Tide of the Civil War

Click image to enlarge. Source ~ Library of Congress

This 1861 cartoon propaganda map depicts Union general-in-chief Winfield Scott’s plan to crush the South both economically and militarily. Scott’s plan called for a strong blockade of the Southern ports and a major offensive down the Mississippi River to divide the Confederacy and cut off supplies and assistance to its heartland.

The map likened it to a “great snake” suffocating its victim - adding illustrated details:

• South Carolina has "CONTRABANDS" (runaway slaves) fleeing for Tennessee.

• Georgia has dilapidated "COTTON FACTORY" building falling apart..

• Mississippi has sketch of "BURNING MASSA OUT".

• Louisiana shows idle men lying on barrels saying "Can't ship now" and a lynched "UNION MAN" hanging from gallows.

• Texas has sketch of "COSTLY SHOOTING $1000.00 A HEAD" (a Confederate man firing at fleeing slaves).

While Scott believed that this plan would suffocate the rebellion with less bloodshed and damage, some ridiculed Scott’s strategy as the “Anaconda Plan,” after the snake that kills by constriction.

They thought that Scott’s plan was passive, slow and lenient - and doubted that the Union navy had enough ships and manpower to enforce an effective blockade.

But Scott’s plan also had its supporters - as this cartoon illustrates:

Source ~ Library of Congress

Union ships in a circle outside Confederate cities (as well as Washington D.C.) and an inner circle showing a cat next to Washington, with mice coming from the Confederate centers, heading toward Harper's Ferry at the center.

The Anaconda Plan emerged out of Scott’s understanding that the war would be long and slow, frustrating Northerners who thought a quick capture of Richmond would bring the rebellion to a sudden end.

By 1862, however, the tenets of the “Anaconda Plan” became widely adopted, as it became clear that a more drawn-out conflict was in store. Ultimately this strategy contributed greatly to the eventual Northern victory.

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