6. The railroads were an essential element of the blockade running system
Blockade runners departing the British port at Nassau usually made for Wilmington or Charleston. Their cargoes were offloaded in the ports and transferred to the Southern railway system. Arms and munitions were then transferred to Atlanta or Richmond, the supply centers for the western and eastern Armies of the Confederacy respectively. The Union fleet made numerous attacks and raids along the coast throughout 1862, which made running in and out of the major ports more dangerous. By 1862 Wilmington, North Carolina was the primary port for Southern blockade runners, though ships still managed to get in and out of several ports and other coastal towns.
With smaller, faster ships, the blockade runners took advantage of the numerous inlets and barrier islands along the American southeast coast to elude their pursuers. They often attempted to enter or leave port under the cover of darkness, and in foul weather. Anthracite coal was burned to heat their boilers when near the coast, since it produced less dark smoke. Turpentine infused cotton was also burned, providing hotter fires which gave the ship a burst of speed when necessary. Throughout the war, blockade runners achieved a success rate of over 80% of voyages successfully completed. Once they made it to the open sea, they nearly always reached their destination.