The main purpose of the Union blockade was to prevent Southern exports and imports.

Initiated by President Abraham Lincoln in 1861, the blockade aimed to suffocate the Confederacy's economy by cutting off trade routes. By restricting the export of cotton and the import of essential goods, the blockade sought to weaken the Southern war effort and undermine its ability to sustain itself. This strategy, part of the Anaconda Plan, aimed to isolate the Confederacy, diminish morale, and hasten its defeat, ultimately contributing to the Union's victory in the Civil War.