What Was The Anaconda Plan In The American Civil War?

The anaconda plan was the north's strategy during the american Civil war. It consisted of three main parts:
- a naval blockade on the south's southern boarder
- to control the Mississippi river
- to capture Richmond, virginia(the confederacy's capitol)

One great advantage that the Southern states (the Confederate States of America) had over the Northern States (the United States of America) were their excellent generals whose phenomenal leadership led the Confederate army to win many battles of the American Civil War against the Union army.  Nevertheless the North was not willing to give up at any cost and had started formulating various strategies that would enervate the Confederate army and would make them surrender.  

One of the most important of these strategies was the Anaconda Plan, which was named after the South American anaconda snake, which does not give a single chance for its prey to escape and crushes it to death.  The Anaconda Plan involved the strategy to capture the Mississippi River, which would divide the Confederacy.  Moreover it also contained the purpose to capture the Confederate capital Richmond.  This would not only preclude the South (the Confederacy from selling cotton to foreign countries (mostly European) but would also close down the way for their war supplies and soldiers to be delivered.

Why did the name of the Plan in the American Civil War have to be Anaconda