True,first the union planned to use it's navy to blockade southern ports. This would cut off the south's supply of manufactured goods from Europe. In the east, union generals aimed to seize Richmond, Virginia, the confederate capital. They thought that they might end the war quickly by capturing the confederate government . In the west, the union planned to seize control of the Mississippi river . This would prevent the south from using the river to supply it's troops . It would also separate Arkansas, Texas,and Louisiana from the rest of the confederacy.