U.S. Navy Report for 1863-- Part 2

DECEMBER 7, 1863:

Welles also reported that the Navy had 34,000 seamen and 588 ships displacing 467,967 tons mounting 4,443 guns. More than 1,000 ships had been captured by the blockaders.

The Navy had helped sever the Confederacy along the Mississippi River, pierced ever deeper into its interior and capable of launching amphibious assaults pretty much anywhere it wanted. The increased pressure of the blockade continue to raise pressure on the Confederate economy and millitary effort.

--Old B-R'er