(Fortunately, later historians have at their disposal Wells’ diary, published in three volumes in 1909).Īs the Civil War was not the brief conflict that General Scott’s critics believed, the blockade of the South certainly weakened the Confederacy’s prospects. Although Wells strongly disagreed with the plan, he unflinchingly carried out the President’s orders. Lincoln referred to Wells as his “Neptune”, and charged him with carrying out the naval portion of the Anaconda Plan. A strong supporter of Lincoln’s candidacy, he was an obvious choice for Lincoln’s cabinet. He became an attorney, grew bored, was the founding editor of the Hartford Times, was elected to serve in the Connecticut General Assembly (1827-1835), and held a variety of positions including State Controller (1835), Postmaster of Hartford (1836-1841) and Chief of Provisions and Clothing for the US Navy (1846-1849).Ī Jacksonian Democrat who held strong anti-slavery views, Wells joined the newly established Republican Party in 1854, and was the founding editor that same year of the Hartford Evening Press, a newspaper with strong Republican ties. A New Englander, Wells was a graduate of the American Literary, Scientific, and Military Academy at Norwich, Vermont. The chief architect of the growth of the US Navy was Gideon Wells, who was appointed by President Lincoln to serve as Secretary of the Navy. In just four short years, the United States’ pygmy navy had become the world’s largest. By December 1862, the Navy had a strength of 467 ships, by December 1863, the number had grown to 588, and the following year, to 671 ships. By Christmas 1861, the number of commissioned ships had grown to 264. By July 4, 1861, the number had nearly doubled to 82. In March 1861, all commissioned ships under both steam and sail numbered 42. The war-time growth of the US Navy surprised and shocked foreign military observers. ![]() With the opening of hostilities, efforts were immediately put in place to greatly increase the size of the navy. They knew that for the Anaconda Plan to be effective, it would take at least three years, and no one, including the President, wanted the war to last that long.ĭespite the fact that Scott, who had served in the US Army since 1814, resigned November 1, 1861, Lincoln valued the plan, would refer to it often, and it ultimately became the plan that won the war. Most military leaders disparaged the plan, as popular thinking held that the war would not last more than a couple of months. The “Anaconda Plan” called for a blockade of Southern seaports, something the Commander in Chief knew would be impossible with a navy numbering so few ships. Lieutenant-General Winfield Scott, who had been the commanding general of the Army since 1841, presented President Abraham Lincoln with the grand strategy for the war shortly before the Battle of First Bull Run. The Department of the Navy had a couple of particularly arduous and seemingly impossible tasks: 1) protect 3,600 miles of shoreline against a foe that had support from the two most powerful navies in the world at the time, England and France and, 2) to recruit and train officers who by necessity, had to have experience and a high degree of technical training. While the sailors remained faithful to the cause of the Union, no less than 259 naval officers resigned or were dismissed, a staggering 43% of the Navy’s officer corps. Finally, there were three side-wheel steamers including the Michigan, Saginaw, and Water-Witch.Īt the outbreak of hostilities, the US Navy numbered just 7,600 men of all ranks. Four were first-class side-wheel sloops, including the Mississippi, Powhattan, Saranac, and Susquehanna. Two were third-class sloops, including the Narragansett and Seminole. Five were second-class sloops, including the Dakota, Iroquois, Mohican, Pawnee, and Wyoming. Six were first-class sloops (later known as corvettes), including the Brooklyn, Hartford, Lancaster, Pensacola, and Richmond. ![]() Six were frigates, including the Colorado, Niagara, Merrimac, Wabash, Minnesota, and Roanoke. Although commercial vessels had been powered by steam for more than four decades, only twenty-six of the American naval vessels were steam-powered. At the outbreak of hostilities in the Civil War, the US Navy consisted of approximately 90 ships, of which fewer than half were combat-capable.
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