During the Civil War, how effective were southern Blockade Runners in breaking through the Union Blockade?

Question

Also, what were they smuggling in (weapons, resources, luxury items)? Where did they come from? Who profited from these ventures, if anyone?

Thank you!

Answer 1

In the early days of the war, while the Union blockage was in its infancy, the blockade runners were very effective. They fell into two main groups, those that ran war materials and those that brought in luxury goods, although there was always a degree of cross over since the ship that brought in new English cannon for the Army of Northern Virginia could still have a few bolts of silk secreted away in the captain's cabin.

As the war progressed and more and more of the Confederacy's coast and ports came under Union control and the Union blockage had to patrol less and less area the number of blockade runners caught or sunk skyrocketed and fewer captains were willing to run the risk. Also, early in the war cotton was usually the cargo that the runners would take out with them but by the last years of the war the Indian cotton fields had come into production and the value of cotton on the European market had fallen through the floor. With Confederate currency being valued at near worthless blockage runners expected payment in gold. The South had very low gold reserves and it was very difficult to lure captains to the few remaining open Southern ports with the promise of Confederate currency or devalued cotton.

The last year of the war saw only one serious sea port, Wilmington, still open to the runners, who mostly came from the European nations. Bermuda was the usual stagging area for blockade runners. The ships owners and crew could realize amazing profits if succesful, a single trip could be enough to pay for the entire ship, but the profits were always higher for luxury goods than war materials. To it's dismay Richmond found that well over three quarters of the goods that came in on the runners were luxury goods and of no value to the Confederacy's fight for survival.

Answer 2

Successful to a degree but obviously not enough to win the war. Items run through would have been velet and cloth from England, rum, whiskey, gunpowder...really you name it and it would probably be there. Most of the blockade runners were employed by the Confederacy and were allowed to keep a fair share of the monies received from the goods. It was a very profitable business to be in as long as your ship wasn't shot out from beneath you.

Answer 3

They were amazingly effective and were owed by the French; English, Southerners and Yankees. They smuggled in anything that sold as the war went on the Confederate Government trafficked more and more for war goods. Good Question. God Bless You and The Southern People.

Answer 4

Britain, after financing their royalty, peerage and Industrial Revolution off African chattel slavery, had gotten out of the slave trade shortly before the American Revolution. At first, it seemed that Britain would intervene on the side of the South, but they switched their cotton purchases to Egypt and left the South holding the bag. So I pick 'c' as the answer.