Final answer:
The initial Northern strategy in the Civil War was known as the 'Anaconda Plan', involving a naval blockade and control of the Mississippi River to split and weaken the Confederacy.
Step-by-step explanation:
The initial Northern strategy during the Civil War was derided by critics as the 'Anaconda Plan'. This strategy was developed by Union General Winfield Scott, who aimed to squeeze the life out of the South the way an anaconda snake would suffocate its prey. The plan focused on a naval blockade to restrict the Confederacy's trade and reinforcements, combined with a push down the Mississippi River to effectively split the Confederacy in two, severely limiting its ability to communicate and resupply.
At the beginning of the war, the North hoped that a demonstration of strength would encourage compromise, but as tensions grew, the possibility of a total war seemed inevitable, reflecting William H. Seward's notion of an irrepressible conflict.
Unlike the strategies of later conflicts such as the Southern Strategy in American politics or Vietnamization during the Vietnam War, the Anaconda Plan was military in nature and squarely focused on victory through attrition and control of key strategic locations.