Union Blockade
The South was a land of farms and plantations. It did not have many factories to make the supplies needed for war. The Confederates had to import these items, or bring them in from other places. South Carolina planned to send ships loaded with cotton across the ocean to Europe to trade for guns, bullets, and other war supplies. President Lincoln learned of this plan. He ordered a blockade to stop supplies from coming and going. Union ships blocked Charleston and other ports and fired at any ship trying to get in or out.
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CCS David engaging New Ironsides on October 5, 1863, during the blockade of Charleston.