I seem to remember that quinine was high on the list of items requested of blockade runners (think the primary source is South America) and I'd suspect that as the blockade tightened it became worth its weight in gold, as were other critical imported medical supplies.

Anyone out there who might be focused on blockade runners and their activities...especially along the Texas coast? Would like to hear their comments...particularly if they might have access to cargo manifests that would show medical supply items....