The main reasons blockade runners were used during the Civil War were to bring needed supplies to the Confederacy and to protect Southern ports. Blockade runners were fast and shallow-draft ships that could evade the Union Navy's blockade along the Southern coast. They were primarily used to transport essential goods such as munitions, clothing, medicines, and food to support the Confederate war effort. These supplies were of great importance since the South faced severe shortages due to the naval blockade imposed by the Union. Additionally, blockade runners occasionally engaged in battles with the Union Navy to protect the Southern ports they used for trade, such as Savannah.
