Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:22:35-2:26:20

A surviving Confederacy and its hypothetical navy

A wider war involving Britain and France could keep Confederate armies supplied, though a surviving Confederacy is expected to have only a tiny navy.

Alternate HistoryAmerican Civil WarConfederate States Of AmericaMilitary LogisticsNaval BlockadeWilliam H. Seward
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Question

What navy might the Confederacy have by 1910 if it won the Civil War?

Short answer

Probably a very small one. In the wider-war scenario, British and French intervention could enable Confederate survival by breaking the blockade and supplying arms.

Notes

A surviving Confederacy is expected to have only a tiny navy by 1910. One route to survival would be a simultaneous Union war with Britain and France. Breaking the blockade and sustaining foreign arms supplies would improve Confederate logistics and make its army harder to defeat. Britain's opposition to slavery and France's reluctance to intervene make that wider war difficult to bring about. Considerable Union provocation would be needed. The Union could then face blockade itself while fighting a better-supplied Confederate army.