Despertaferres Blog
One hundred sixty years ago this month, one of the most terrible conflicts in American history began with a cannonade aimed at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. One hundred fifty-six years ago, after some of the worst bloodletting in American history, the conflict came to a merciful end at Appomattox Court House with the surrender of the Confederacy’s Army of Northern Virginia.
During those years, a war raged that was unlike many wars past, yet had elements of wars that had gone before it. Linear tactics were still used throughout the war, but small arms fire, once a prelude to shock action, had now become effective with every soldier having in his hands a percussion cap rifled musket. Add in rifled artillery able to shoot over the horizon, and you had a recipe for carnage. And carnage was one thing to describe the Civil War from a tactical and operational standpoint, at least in the East. In the west, the armies moved, fought battles, then moved and fought again. Railroads became the lifeblood of armies, both in strategic movement and in supporting armies in ways they had never been before. Add in the telegraph, and these armies could be, to some extent, controlled far from home. It was, as many described, the first modern war.
But wargaming this war has its own challenges. In this war, the defender often has an advantage, especially if he has rifled muskets, more so if he has repeating rifles and is mobile. A good example is Buford at Gettysburg and the delaying action he fought against the leading elements on the first day of Gettysburg. The fact his command had Sharps rifles played a huge part in his ability to fight that delaying action.
Confessedly, most of my own experience gaming the Civil War is on the miniatures side, but as a period, the American Civil War (ACW) is third only to World War II and Napoleonics. There are dozens of games and rules sets out there for aficionados of the period. I am just taking the time to recommend my personal favorites.
So, without further ado:
Board Wargames
Board Game Geek
Personally, I think this is one of the best strategic treatments out there on the Civil War. It’s since taken a back seat to GMT’s For the People (an outgrowth of the original AH design), which I have also played and enjoyed the hell out of. I don’t think you could go wrong with either game if you want to play out the strategic level of the war. I think For the People is a better game, having played both, but A House Divided came out first (from GDW), so I played it a lot more. Happily, A House Divided is fairly affordable on-Board Game Geek as is For The People. Neither one is a bad investment of your time and money.
Board Game Geek
I’ve played a lot of Gettysburg games, but this one was my fave. I had a subscription to Command Magazine back in the day, and this was one of the games I received. I really liked it, and having seen the movie Gettysburg at the same time, it was a great chance to learn more about the engagement (Not to mention I was working my way through Bruce Catton’s three-volume series on the Army of the Potomac at the time). I liked the unique system and the way it handled the battle at the brigade level, which kept the counter density low (you don’t need 500+ counters to make a good game, in my opinion). This was one of Command’s better efforts, and it’s also affordable on Board Game Geek if you want to give it a try.
Board Game Geek
I played this little game with some friends in NYC and also enjoyed the hell out of it. It was a pivotal battle in the West that I’d never heard of. (Yes, the Civil War isn’t my wargaming period, ok?) But that said, it was a solid game about a unique but pivotal subject. (The Union victory here historically kept Missouri in the Union!) Gameplay itself was bog-standard SPI in the 70s, but again, it was a small, fun game that did a fine job of portraying the Civil War at the brigade/regimental level. It was part of a series put out by SPI and later TSR (yes, that TSR) called the Great Battles of the American Civil War series, which eventually the following battles:
- 1st Bull Run - July 21, 1861, First Blood: The 1st and 2nd Battles of Manassas / Red Badge of Courage
- Wilson’s Creek - August 10, 1861, Wilson’s Creek: The West’s First Fight, August 10, 1861
- Pea Ridge - March 7-8, 1862, Pea Ridge: The Gettysburg of the West March 7-8 1862
- Kernstown - March 23, 1862, Stonewall: The Battle of Kernstown / Death Valley: Battles for the Shenandoah
- Shiloh - April 6-7, 1862, Bloody April: The Battle of Shiloh, 1862 / Into the Woods: The Battle of Shiloh
- Winchester - May 25, 1862, Death Valley: Battles for the Shenandoah
- Cross Keys - June 8, 1862, Jackson at the Crossroads: Cross Keys & Port Republic, June 8-9, 1862 / Death Valley: Battles for the Shenandoah
- Port Republic - June 9, 1862, Jackson at the Crossroads: Cross Keys & Port Republic, June 8-9, 1862 / Death Valley: Battles for the Shenandoah
- Cedar Mountain - August 9, 1862, Twin Peaks / Cedar Mountain
- 2nd Bull Run - August 28–30, 1862, First Blood: The 1st and 2nd Battles of Manassas / Red Badge of Courage
- South Mountain - September 14, 1862, Twin Peaks
- Antietam/Sharpsburg - September 17, 1862, A Gleam of Bayonets: The Battle of Antietam
- Corinth - October 3-4, 1862, The Battle of Corinth: Standoff at the Tennessee, October 3-4, 1862
- Stones river - December 31, 1862, to January 3, 1863, Dead of Winter: The Battle of Stones River / Dead of Winter: The Battle of Stones River (Second Edition)
- Kelly’s Ford - March 17, 1863, Rebel Sabers: Civil War Cavalry Battles
- Brandy Station - June 9, 1863, Rebel Sabers: Civil War Cavalry Battles
- Trevillians Station - June 11-12, 1863, Rebel Sabers: Civil War Cavalry Battles
- Dutch Roads (side Battle during Gettysburg) - July 3, 1863, Rebel Sabers: Civil War Cavalry Battles
- Gettysburg - July 1–3, 1863, Terrible Swift Sword: Battle of Gettysburg Game / The Three Days Of Gettysburg / The Three Days of Gettysburg (Second Edition) / Three Days of Gettysburg (Third Edition)
- Chickamauga - September 19-20, 1863, River of Death: Battle of Chickamauga, September 19-20, 1863
- Pleasant Hill - April 9, 1864, Pleasant Hill: The Red River Campaign
- New Market - May 15, 1864, Death Valley: Battles for the Shenandoah
- Brice’s Crossroads - June 10, 1864, The Horse Soldiers: Forrest at Bay
- Tupelo - July 14, 1864, The Horse Soldiers: Forrest at Bay
- Monocacy Junction - July 9, 1864, Drive on Washington: The Battle of Monocacy Junction, July 9, 1864
- 2nd Kernstown - July 24, 1864, Death Valley: Battles for the Shenandoah
- 3rd Winchester - September 19, 1864, Death Valley: Battles for the Shenandoah
- Fisher’s Hill - September 22, 1864, Death Valley: Battles for the Shenandoah
- Cedar Creek - October 19, 1864, The Guns of Cedar Creek / Death Valley: Battles for the Shenandoah
The series also covered some of the Mexican American War, which was fought with similar weapons and tactics, If with some Napoleonic set-dressing. In fact, GMT is taking many of the games in the series and is republishing them after sprucing up the rules a bit. I’ve played Three Days at Gettysburg, and I liked it, though be warned, it’s a huge game! As for Wilson’s Creek? It’s available from Board Game Geek for a pretty reasonable price, and I, for one, recommend it as a way to get your feet wet in the series.
Miniatures Games
Board Game Geek
I’ve played just about every incarnation of these rules you can imagine. I’ve played them for Civil War, Napoleonic, Mexican-American War, yep. I’ve done it. To me, these are the best Brigade/Regimental 19th Century rules on the market. These rules handle the subject matter well, are easy to learn, and reflect the realities of command at the level portrayed very well. I’ve played these rules dozens of times and been in games with up to a corps in contact (in the Brigade version) and actually finished the game in four hours. Yep, not a lot of rules sets that can say that. Some aren’t nuts about the command system and don’t like its unpredictability, but it forces leaders to be active on the table and not to force march your troops all over the place (like some games allow you to do with near-impunity). And, the rules are perfect for the new 15mm plastics coming from Warlord! The rules are still available for a pretty reasonable price from Fire and Fury Games.com.
To me, Sharp Practice is one of the best 19th Century Skirmish rules there. I’ve played Civil War, Napoleonic, and even medievals, and a western gunfight with these rules. The command system and turn sequence take some getting used to, but once you do, you’ll find a good set of skirmish rules with a roleplaying element that can handle any part of the 18th and 19th Centuries with little modification no matter what the book says. In fact, Too Fat Lardies published a supplement just for the Civil War:
To me, these are some great skirmish
rules for the period. If you want to wargame Civil War at this level, these are
the rules set to get. Trust me. You’ll get a great game out of it.
Conclusion
This has been just a survey course about wargaming the American Civil War, and I’ll be writing more articles about the period as time goes on (and my wargaming knowledge improves!) But that said, I hope this has inspired you to take your own trip “across 5 Aprils” and explore the wargaming possibilities.
Good Gaming out there everyone!
Further Reading
- The Army of the Potomac Trilogy by Bruce Catton – If you can only read one trilogy on the Civil War, read this one. It’s a great series that stands up well today. It’s formed much of the basis of my limited understanding of the ACW as a conflict.
- A Savage War by Williamson Murray – This is more a study of how the Industrial Revolution influenced the war and was a surprisingly easy ready, considering the breadth of the material covered.
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(This article is credited to Jason Weiser. Jason is a long-time wargamer with published works in the Journal of the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers; Miniature Wargames Magazine; and Wargames, Strategy, and Soldier.)