My name is Kyle Gilmore and I am currently double majoring in Secondary Education and History as a Junior here at Keene State College.  I was born, raised, and continue to live in a small town called Lyndeborough in southern New Hampshire.  When I am not in school you can either find me working (I work as a camp counselor in the summer and as staff at an after-school program), reading a book, at the beach, watching sports, or spending time with family and friends.  Once I graduate from Keene State, I hope to stay in New England where I will teach history at a high school and coach basketball on the side.  I will work towards my master’s degree in history while teaching because I want to “get my foot in the door” and get more experience as a teacher so that someday I can teach history at a college/university.

When one talks about the Civil War, they probably go over land battles, politics, and the freedom of slaves.  But little is talked about the maritime aspects, or the naval side of the war.  My Civil War research project will explore, the lesser talked about and unknown facts of the Union Navy.  I will specifically focus on General Winfield Scott’s idea called the “Anaconda Plan” and its emphasis on the use of the Union Navy.  The Union Navy had four main objectives during the Civil War: a). to maintain the blockade for the 3,500 miles of coast; b). combat vessels of the Confederate Navy; c). to carry the war to the south in the way of transporting troops and supplies; d). and lastly provided fire support for land troops.  Many historians criticize the effectiveness of the navy.  My research in the end will conclude that the Union Navy deserves more credit than it is given in the Union victory over the Confederate South.