![]() “Here’s to the Confederates that grow the cotton, the Yanks that keep the price up by the blockade, the Limeys that pay the high prices for it – to all three and a long war.” Skippers of blockade-running ships made huge profits, especially the British skippers, and often made this toast: Huge quantities of arms were shipped to the South. Although the English textile mills may have seen some difficult times due to the inflated price of cotton, the armsmakers of England flourished. However, not only was cotton smuggled out, just as much in the way of goods were smuggled into southern ports, including meat, coffee, luxury items and a lot of firearms. It is estimated that as much as 540,000 bales of cotton were smuggled from the South to England. Throughout the duration of the war, on average only one out of every six blockade-running ships was caught. The blockade was effective, but only to a point. Deprived of the cotton, the allegiance of Great Britain swung to the Confederacy, which should be no great surprise given the relationship between America and England from 1776 to the 1860s. ![]() The textile mills in England were dependent upon the cotton produced by the South to keep their factories running. The blockade, ordered by Abraham Lincoln and carried out by Secretary of State Seward, had an immediate effect upon countries across the Atlantic Ocean, especially England. The Navy Arms Parker-Hale Volunteer rifle.One of the most interesting aspects of the Civil War involves the blockade of Confederate ports along the southern coastline of the United States. ![]()
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