Battle of Port Royal

956 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Winner and loser of the battle of bull run

In terms of war-making resources, the Union marginally outnumbered the Confederacy; the Union had more soldiers, bank capital, manufacturing output, iron, coal, fire arm production, warships, and naval officers. The Civil War thus looked as if it would be a joke because the many predicted that the war would only last one month due to the marginal differences in resources. However, after the First Battle at Bull Run, it was quickly discovered that the Confederacy would not submit so easily. In fact, they showed that they were very capable of victory, by successfully countering on the Union flank and giving them the upper hand in the battle . The Union was forced to retreat and at the same time, change up their strategy. Prior to the start of the war, the Secretary of the Navy felt that the best approach to the war was a blockade of Confederate ports. The Union defeat at Bull Run made his previous skeptics his supporters. Thus, the Anaconda Plan, to “suffocate Southern imports” was put into effect. One of the battles to establish the blockade was the Battle at Port Royal. Port Royal is the most significant battle of the war because it served as a moral victory, it changed the Confederate strategy, and it ultimately gave the Union control of the Atlantic coast which had a tremendous effect on the war.

The Battle of Port Royal took place on November 7 1861 in South Carolina, with the sole purpose of establishing a Union blockade, as shown in the quotation “the attack had been to obtain a southern harbor of refuge where the blockading ships could be coaled, supplied, and repaired.” The main reason for this is because of its size and location; the port sits between Charleston and Savannah, Georgia and it has a large enough harbor t...

... middle of paper ...

...iety, 1961.

"Battle Summary: Manassas, First, VA." U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America. http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/va005.htm (accessed February 11, 2012).

Coker, Mike. The Battle of Port Royal. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2009.

"Port Royal, SC." Civil War Today. http://civilwartoday.net/PortRoyal.aspx (accessed February 11, 2012).

Rickard, J.. "Battle of Port Royal, 7 November 1861." Military History Encyclopedia on the Web. http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_port_royal.html (accessed February 11, 2012).

"Robert E. Lee (by Freeman) Vol II Chap.18." Sir Thomas Browne. http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/People/Robert_E_Lee/FREREL/2/18*.html (accessed February 11, 2012).

"The Anaconda Plan." The American Civil War Home Page. http://www.civilwarhome.com/anacondaplan.htm (accessed February 11, 2012).

Show More
Related

  • What Role Did New Bedford Play In The Civil War

    487 Words  | 1 Pages

    Privateers were already decimating our fleet in the open waters and the harbor was a sitting duck. Consequently, New Bedford stopped waiting for the federal government to complete construction at the fort, and about 1 month after the war had begun, New Bedford completed construction. Fort Taber protected Clarks Cove and the Acushnet River access to the Harbor, and Fort Phoenix protected the east side of the bay. Both were manned by Coast Guard personnel. The forts were an effective deterrent to keep enemy fire away from the bay, and a not a single shot was fired, unless you count the gun salutes during the patriotic rallies

    Read More

  • Dialectic of the Union Blockade during the Civil War

    1869 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Civil War in the United States from 1861 to 1865 serves as a dark reminder of how disjointed a nation can become over issues that persistently cause heated debate among party factions. Most students that have taken courses in American history understand the disadvantage possessed by the Confederate States of America as they fought against the powerful Union army for what they perceived as a necessary institution of slavery. Historians have debated over the effectiveness of the blockade and if it was important in creating the failures faced by the Confederate States of America. This debate has generated the contested question of “Did the Union blockade succeed in the American Civil War?” The blockade, whether considered a success or an absolute failure on the part of the Union, holds grand significance in the history of the United States. The increased development in the Union’s naval department correlates directly with the necessity of possessing ships that could withstand the threat of blockade running.

    Read More

  • BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS

    470 Words  | 1 Pages

    The battle of New Orleans was a significant battle in the war of 1812. It was a crushing defeat for the British, increased patriotism, and Andrew Jackson emerged an American hero.

    Read More

  • The Battle of Fredricksburg

    1164 Words  | 3 Pages

    It all started in the year 1862. General George McCellen currently controls the army of the Potomac. When it was determined that McCellen was a bad general, in December of 1862 he was replaced with General Ambrose Burnside. Within a week, Burnside decided on a campaign to the Southern capitol, Richmond. He told his plans to Lincoln and Lincoln approved, but told Burnside the only way for a win was to move quickly. Burnside split his group into three grand divisions, each with two corps. Burnside’s division arrives first at Fredericksburg; when he arrived there weren’t many Confederates. After Burnside’s arrival there was a swarm of Confederates who arrived. The problem was, that while the Confederates moved into position, General Burnside had to wait for pontoon builders so they could cross the Rappahannock River. (See Map1) He had requested pontoons from Harper’s Ferry but they hadn’t arrived yet and came two weeks later. This gave the Confederates time to get an advantageous position over the Union. While Burnside waited he looked at the town from on top of a ridge.

    Read More

  • Comparing Neat People Vs. Sloppy People, By Suzanne Britt

    720 Words  | 2 Pages

    Grant and Robert E. Lee. Catton states, “Lee was tidewater Virginia, and in his background were family, culture, and tradition…the age of chivalry transplanted to a New World which was making its own legends and its own myths” (par.5). Here, Catton uses historical facts to describe the type of person Lee was, explaining that he was a traditional kind of man. Then Catton states, “Grant, the son of a tanner on the Western frontier, was everything Lee was not. He had come up the hard way, and embodied nothing in particular except the eternal toughness and sinewy fiber of the men who grew up beyond the mountains” (par. 7). The author describes the type of man Grant was; a tough man who had to earn everything himself. Bruce Catton uses historical facts about Lee and Grant so the reader can have a better insight about the variations between the two

    Read More

  • The Battle of Sullivan’s Island

    1263 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... historians regard the Battle of Sullivan’s Island as the first significant American victory over the British during the Revolutionary War . This American victory was perilous to South Carolina and the American Revolutionary cause. Defeat would have given British troops control over the vital port of Charleston and access to the entire state of South Carolina.

    Read More

  • Why the Southern States Believed they Could Win the Civil War

    724 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...f wearing down the north's patience. The south's idea of northerns as "city slickers" who did not know how to ride or shoot was wrong. Many of the men who formed the Union forces came from rural backgrounds and were just as familiar with riding and shooting as their southern enemies. Finally, the south's confidence in its ability to fund through sales of export crops such as cotton did not take into consideration the northern blockade. France and Britain were not willing to become involved in a military conflict for the sake of something they had already stockpiled. The help the south had received from France and Britain turned out to be a lot less than they expected. In conclusion, while all the south's reasons for confidence were based on reality, they were too hopeful. The south's commitment to a cause was probably what caused their blindness to reality.

    Read More

  • The Battle of Cold Harbor

    1740 Words  | 4 Pages

    Thompson, Robert. "Battle of Cold Harbor." History Net: Where History Comes Alive. http://www.historynet.com/cold-harbor (accessed March 21, 2014).

    Read More

  • Why the South Could Not Win the Civil War

    518 Words  | 2 Pages

    Industrially the South couldn't keep up in output of weapons, ammunition and other supplies. That is one of the main reasons the South looked overseas for help. Jefferson Davis knew that the South was at a disadvantage so he looked to England and France. By the end of the war, the South had, more or less, plenty of weaponry still, but it just didn't have enough men to use the guns. By getting either England or France on the Confederate side, supplies would have been more plentiful and also it would have inevitably ended up doing great damage economically to England's maritime trade. However, the fact remained that foreign recognition was denied to the Confederacy in all its attempts.

    Read More

  • Key Factors That Led to Union Victory in the Civil War

    2114 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Civil War that took place in the United States from 1861 to 1865 could have easily swung either way at several points during the conflict. There is however several reasons that the North would emerge victorious from this bloody war that pit brother against brother. Some of the main contributing factors are superior industrial capabilities, more efficient logistical support, greater naval power, and a largely lopsided population in favor of the Union. Also one of the advantages the Union had was that of an experienced government, an advantage that very well might have been one of the greatest contributing factors to their success. There are many reasons factors that lead to the North's victory, and each of these elements in and amongst themselves was extremely vital to the effectiveness of the Northern military forces. Had any one of these factors not been in place the outcome of the war could have been significantly different, and the United States as we know it today could be quite a different place to live.

    Read More

  • Battle of Bunker Hill

    2023 Words  | 5 Pages

    On June 17, 1775 the Battle of Bunker Hill took place. It is one of the most important colonial victories in the U.S. War for Independence. Fought during the Siege of Boston, it lent considerable encouragement to the revolutionary cause. This battle made both sides realize that this was not going to be a matter decided on by one quick and decisive battle.

    Read More

  • A Stillness at Appomattox

    1344 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... or ending the war, because it was the only rail junction connecting Richmond to the rest of the Confederacy. Faced with the need to defend a line running continuously from north of Richmond to Petersburg, the Confederates were stretched thinner and thinner. Eventually their line broke. Within a little over a week it was over. The final year of the Civil War was something new in the history of warfare - never before had two large armies remained locked in continuous combat for such a long period of time. In the past the armies would fight, retreat, regroup, and usually meet at some later date and place but in 1864-65 even though they moved around some it was almost one continuous fight to the end.

    Read More

  • Why The North Won the Civil War

    1524 Words  | 4 Pages

    "If wars are won by riches, there can be no question why the North eventually prevailed." The North was better equipped than the South, with the resources necessary to be successful in a long term war like the Civil War was, which was fought from 1861 – 1865. Prior, and during the Civil war, the North's economy was always stronger than the South's, boasting of resources that the Confederacy had no means of attaining. Compared to the South, The North had more factories available for production of war supplies and larger amounts of land for growing crops. Its population was several times of the South's, which was a potential source for military enlistees. Although the South had better naval leadership and commanders, such as Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson, they lacked the number of factories and industries to produce needed war materials. Therefore, the North won the American Civil War due to the strength of their industrialized economy, rather than their commanders and strategies.

    Read More

  • The Battle of Antietam

    1924 Words  | 4 Pages

    September 16-18, 1862, outside of the town of Sharpsburg, Maryland, between the Potomac River and Antietam Creek, was the location of the bloodiest battle in American history. Confederate Colonel Stephen D. Lee described it as “Artillery Hell” because of the frightful toll on his gunners and horses from Federal counter battery and infantry fire. (AotW, 2014) The battle of Antietam, or the Battle of Sharpsburg, would collect an estimated 23,100 total casualties (Luvaas and Nelson, 1987). The body count far exceeded any of the other three battles waged in the Maryland Campaign (Harpers Ferry, South Mountain, and Shepherdstown). This battle was a contributing factor in the outcome of our country and the rest of the world. The Union Army desperately needed a victory at Antietam; however, a victory for the Confederate rebels may have very well gained them international recognition as a sovereign country in the eyes of the rest of the world. The Federal Army, which belonged to the Union States, consisted of an all-volunteer army and was a larger army than the Confederate States. Even though the Battle of Antietam was inconclusive, President Lincoln went on to read the Emancipation Proclamation to the country, effectively ending slavery, and ensuring that no foreign nation would intervene on the Confederates behave.

    Read More

  • The Battle of France

    2520 Words  | 6 Pages

    1. What is the difference between Introduction 2. What is the difference between History 3. What is the difference between a's Planning / Preparation 4.

    Read More

More about Battle of Port Royal

Open Document