On the other hand, the south decided to prepare and wait for the north to attack. Their plan was to weaken the northern army, but this backfired. They tried to cut off Europe's supply of cotton, thinking that Europe would help them in exchange for goods, but instead Europe chose to get their cotton from India and Egypt. As a result, they didn't have money to pay for guns and maintain their armies. The northern states tried to prevent southerners from getting the goods they needed during the war. They shut down the ports along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico to prevent the south from shipping their cotton to Europe. Also, they took over the Mississippi River with the plan to cut the confederacy in half, and strived to seize Richmond, the southern capitol.
