What was the purpose of the anaconda plan?

The Anaconda Plan was the name given to a strategy of the Union during the American Civil War. This was designed by Union General Winfield Scott, and it focused on a blockade of Southern ports and an advance down the Mississippi River to divide the South. The main purpose of this plan was to defeat the Confederacy early on. It was also a relatively "passive" way of dealing with the South and avoid the complications of a larger and more violent war.