Editing Confederate States of America (section)

===Anaconda: 1863–1864===
{{Main|Anaconda Plan}}

The failed Middle [[Tennessee in the Civil War|Tennessee]] campaign was ended January 2, 1863, at the inconclusive Battle of Stones River ([[Battle of Stones River|Murfreesboro]]), both sides losing the largest percentage of casualties suffered during the war. It was followed by another strategic withdrawal by Confederate forces.<ref>Coulter, ''The Confederate States of America'', p. 357</ref> The Confederacy won a significant victory April 1863, repulsing the Federal advance on Richmond at [[Battle of Chancellorsville|Chancellorsville]], but the Union consolidated positions along the Virginia coast and the Chesapeake Bay.

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| image1 = Vicksburg h76557k.jpg
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| caption1 = Bombardment of Vicksburg, Mississippi. [[David Dixon Porter#Civil War|Federal gunboats]] controlled rivers.
| image2 = Bataille de la baie de Mobile par Louis Prang (1824-1909).jpg
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| caption2 = Closing of Mobile Bay, Alabama. The [[Union blockade]] ended trade with the Confederate states.
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Without an effective answer to Federal gunboats, river transport and supply, the Confederacy lost the Mississippi River following the capture of [[Siege of Vicksburg|Vicksburg]], Mississippi, and [[Siege of Port Hudson|Port Hudson]] in July, ending Southern access to the trans-Mississippi West. July brought short-lived counters, [[Morgan's Raid]] into Ohio and the [[New York City draft riots]]. Robert E. Lee's strike into Pennsylvania was repulsed at [[Battle of Gettysburg|Gettysburg]], Pennsylvania despite Pickett's famous charge and other acts of valor. Southern newspapers assessed the campaign as "The Confederates did not gain a victory, neither did the enemy."

September and November left Confederates yielding [[Chattanooga Campaign|Chattanooga]], Tennessee, the gateway to the lower south.<ref>Coulter, ''The Confederate States of America'', p. 356</ref> For the remainder of the war fighting was restricted inside the South, resulting in a slow but continuous loss of territory. In early 1864, the Confederacy still controlled 53% of its population, but it withdrew further to reestablish defensive positions. Union offensives continued with [[Sherman's March to the Sea]] to take Savannah and Grant's [[Overland Campaign|Wilderness Campaign]] to encircle Richmond and besiege Lee's army at [[Siege of Petersburg|Petersburg]].<ref name="Martis28"/>

In April 1863, the C.S. Congress authorized a uniformed Volunteer Navy, many of whom were British.<ref>Coulter, ''The Confederate States of America'', pp. 297–298. They were required to supply their own ships and equipment, but they received 90% of their captures at auction, 25% of any U.S. warships or transports captured or destroyed. Confederate cruisers raided merchant ship commerce but for one exception in 1864.</ref> The Confederacy had altogether eighteen commerce-destroying cruisers, which seriously disrupted Federal commerce at sea and increased shipping insurance rates 900%.<ref>Coulter, ''The Confederate States of America'', pp. 305–306. The most successful Confederate merchant raider 1863–1864, [[CSS Alabama|CSS ''Alabama'']] had ranged the Atlantic for two years, sinking 58 vessels worth {{sic|?|$6,54,000}}, but she was trapped and sunk in June by the chain-clad {{USS|Kearsarge|1861|6}} off Cherbourg, France.</ref> Commodore Tattnall again unsuccessfully attempted to break the Union blockade on the Savannah River in Georgia with an ironclad in 1863.<ref>Coulter, ''The Confederate States of America'', in 1862, [http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/org11-2.htm CSS Atlanta, USS Atlanta. Navy Heritage] {{Webarchive|url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20100407154442/http%3A//www%2Ehistory%2Enavy%2Emil/branches/org11%2D2%2Ehtm |date=April 7, 2010 }}, in 1863 the ironclad [[CSS Savannah (ironclad)|CSS ''Savannah'']]</ref> Beginning in April 1864 the ironclad [[CSS Albemarle|CSS ''Albemarle'']] engaged Union gunboats for six months on the Roanoke River in North Carolina.<ref>Coulter, ''The Confederate States of America'', p. 305</ref> The Federals closed [[Battle of Mobile Bay|Mobile Bay]] by sea-based amphibious assault in August, ending Gulf coast trade east of the Mississippi River. In December, the [[Battle of Nashville]] ended Confederate operations in the western theater.

Large numbers of families relocated to safer places, usually remote rural areas, bringing along household slaves if they had any. Mary Massey argues these elite exiles introduced an element of defeatism into the southern outlook.<ref>Mary Elizabeth Massey, ''Refugee Life in the Confederacy'' (1964)</ref>