What was the military strategy used by the union to win the war called the Anaconda Plan? The Anaconda Plan was the very first action of naval warfare in the civil war. It was a long term strategy proposed by General Winfield Scott. It was aptly named after the exotic south american snake which kills its prey by slowly constricting and suffocating it. The Anaconda Plan was put into effect in order to divide the southern states in half, starve the Confederacy of precious war materials, and help the Union win the civil war. The Anaconda Plan was put into effect in order to divide the southern states in half. They were to capture any and all ports along the Mississippi river and use it to ship some 60,000 soldiers down south. If they blockaded