Sea power against the Anaconda Plan

The Anaconda Plan depended on surrounding the Confederacy and restricting its supplies. Bermuda needed expensive improvement as a naval base, while many Canadian fortifications were stronger on paper than on the ground. The Royal Navy’s size and global deployment could still affect the land war through action at sea. British forces could secure Canada and threaten Oregon, forcing the Union to cover widely separated theatres. Both Civil War sides relied heavily on maritime transport, so weakening the Union blockade could reshape campaigns far inland.