s which itself is an act of war. but the union blockade was declared april 1861 proposed the idea was to the federalist with position and borg ships around the airports to prevent vessels from coming in and out. running the blockade was illegal but not in the forces but of the confederacy because they did not recognize federal authority in the seceded states. it was mostly done as a private venture. anybody could be a blockade runner if you have of vessel for business interest. those involved in other aspects of business because that was a way to maintain

the business senate-house seriously did they take it? >> very. and then to devote the resources. so it was very small. for the first few months the union navy would buy a pair of reship it could find not just building new warships but purchasing every civilian ship to use it on of blockade. not just for the coast to not go into combat a lot. that is probably right so the union navy expanded the very first for with active

service to over 600. and did became much more effective simply because then they be expanded so much from uss south carolina and appearing in july 1861. and more cave after that. 8064 there're typically one does in union warships so vague to give very seriously devoting resources to blockade but the odds were still in their favor by the end of the war buddies --

but the odds got lugar as the war went on. blockade runners were private with few exceptions is late in the war for the ships but most were privately owned, the civilian ships that were under arms in general the would not put epiphyte. they would run like crazy. in to put everything to burn in the furnace to keep going to go run the blockade vessel that was after them. stick so it was not physically dangerous in the same way of a confederate warship.

there were blockade runners that were wrecked in day traveled trying to you get to and out of harbors were all they aids to navigation were removed. so is very common to rack especially coming into the confederate port and sometimes the crew members would drown. so there were dangers in that regard. as federal's were in a tight spot because they were out to stop the blockade runners to capture them. they were citizens typically or leased they had papers say they were.

and with the capture blockade runner the retake the vessel to the nearest port which in this case is new orleans or keats -- key west in the navy would file papers to have the vessel condemn and then they would present the evidence that it was running the of blockade and they would present that evidence. if the odors of the ship had a representative that person could go to court to as well saying there were now running of black a.

but to be condemned by the court it was sold at public option in with those blockade vessels to be condemned and then to put a right back into do blockade running but it is the same ship. with that last blockade runner is entering the confederate port that is more then one month after abraham lincoln was assassinated. still they had not

surrendered texas was still officially part of the confederacy that was a part of the war. >> so has the final end 1865 actually the last blockade runner to clear a confederate port. to talking in the book is a rough ending to blockade running because this is tied up in central wharf. and then doing all the things to tie a of so forth with the gangplanks and a confederate career on horseback yelling castoff.

get your ship out into the harbor away from the dock. before they could do that of a gain of 200 soldiers confederate soldiers they were fed up. they swarmed the ship to break up the cargo hold and looking for alcohol when they found that a large group of citizens had arrived then the luting the game general with women and children with a blockade runner that add arrived half with anything they could use.

also the captain managed to get enough people off the ship he could cast off and picked up the crew of another blockade runner that was left the navy for on the peninsula. then headed back out to the gulf of mexico and that was the last blockade runner to clear the confederate port. it happened right here. this is what people leave to know about. this is a part that it anyways what was typical of

what happened across the south particularly in the seaports that there is a presence offshore with regular bombardments with excitement and the blockade runner would arrive but there was a lot of hardship but it is that people need to know about the al dash zeroth gore dramatic but it is an importuned part because a represents life lived by a lot of people wondered 50 years ago.