who was involved in the american civil war
American Civil War
British investors built small , fast , steam - driven blockade runners that traded arms and luxuries brought in from Britain through Bermuda , Cuba , and the Bahamas in return for high - priced cotton . Many of the ships were designed for speed and were so small that only a small amount of cotton went out . When the Union Navy seized a blockade runner , the ship and cargo were condemned as a Prize of war and sold , with the proceeds given to the Navy sailors ; the captured crewmen were mostly British and they were simply released . The Southern economy nearly collapsed during the war . There were multiple reasons for this : the severe deterioration of food supplies , especially in cities , the failure of Southern railroads , the loss of control of the main rivers , foraging by Northern armies , and the seizure of animals and crops by Confederate armies . Most historians agree that the blockade was a major factor in ruining the Confederate economy ; however , Wise argues that the blockade runners provided just enough of a lifeline to allow Lee to continue fighting for additional months , thanks to fresh supplies of 400,000 rifles , lead , blankets , and boots that the homefront economy could no longer supply . Gunline
British investors built small , fast , steam - driven blockade runners that traded arms and luxuries brought in from Britain through Bermuda , Cuba , and the Bahamas in return for high - priced cotton . Many of the ships were designed for speed and were so small that only a small amount of cotton went out . When the Union Navy seized a blockade runner , the ship and cargo were condemned as a Prize of war and sold , with the proceeds given to the Navy sailors ; the captured crewmen were mostly British and they were simply released . The Southern economy nearly collapsed during the war . There were multiple reasons for this : the severe deterioration of food supplies , especially in cities , the failure of Southern railroads , the loss of control of the main rivers , foraging by Northern armies , and the seizure of animals and crops by Confederate armies . Most historians agree that the blockade was a major factor in ruining the Confederate economy ; however , Wise argues that the blockade runners provided just enough of a lifeline to allow Lee to continue fighting for additional months , thanks to fresh supplies of 400,000 rifles , lead , blankets , and boots that the homefront economy could no longer supply . Gunline