The American Civil War cut a bloody swath across most of the United States from 1861 through 1865. Over those years, almost 10,000 battles occurred; however, the National Park Service recognizes 391 of them as the most significant.

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In American Civil War, players are given the opportunity to command the Union or Confederacy in both battle and infrastructure. Since the game is very fluid, the chances that any players’ battles would perfectly emulate the thousands of conflicts (major and minor) that occurred in history would be remote. However, American Civil War does give the player a chance to partake of three major battles over a short period of time and a limited play area, instead of controlling a larger area.

Seeing the Elephant (Bull Run 1861 Battle Scenario)

Union Troops: 35,000
Union Casualties: 2,896
Confederate Troops: 32,500
Confederate Casualties: 1,982
Historical Result: Confederate Victory

The First Battle of Bull Run occurred on July 21, 1861, and was the first significant land battle to occur during the Civil War. (About eleven battles, including the bombardment of Fort Sumter, occurred before this.) The Union initially put heavy pressure on the Confederate’s left flank, nearly turning their line. With some Confederate units rallying and poor organization on the Union side, the battle managed to turn in favor of the Southerners, sending the Union troops back towards Washington, D.C. in a dispirited state. The Confederacy’s own disorganization, barely better than that of the North, prevented any pursuit and ended the battle.

The First Battle of Bull Run ended any hope on either side that this would be a quick, simple war to be ended before the summer closed. The few thousand casualties suffered up to this day would pale in comparison to the nearly one million casualties (about 3% of the U.S. population at the time) to be suffered by 1865.

Bloody April (Shiloh1862 Battle Scenario)

Union Troops: 49,000, later augmented by an additional 18,000
Union Casualties: 13,047
Confederate Troops: 44,699
Confederate Casualties: 10,699
Historical Result: Union Victory

After spending the night undetected less than two miles from the Union’s lines near Shiloh Church in far western Kentucky, Confederate troops attacked at dawn on April 6, 1862. The Union troops were caught with their pants down, having virtually no patrols out around their camps. The Union troops were pressed hard and fell back to the north towards Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River. However, the Confederates were unable to organize well enough for a final blow (many soldiers straggled to loot the riches from the Union camp) before night fell. The next day, April 7, nearly 18,000 Union reinforcements arrived and turned the battle firmly into the North’s favor.

Thunder at the Crossroads (Gettysburg 1863 Battle Scenario)

Union Troops: 82,000
Union Casualties: 23,055
Confederate Troops: 75,000
Confederate Casualties: 23,231
Historical Result: Union Victory

The Battle of Gettysburg was the historical turning point of the Civil War. Up to this point, the Union was unable to decisively beat General Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia, who deftly blocked every move the North made for the Confederate capitol in Virginia. After the Battle of Fredericksburg, where Lee inflicted grievous losses on Northern soldiers, he decided to move his army northward to seek a decisive end to the War, and hopefully recognition from England and France, an important war aim for the South.

The battle took place over three days, from July 1-3, 1863. The first day was the Confederates’, as they pushed the Union south through Gettysburg and into the hills beyond. Their failure to follow up allowed the North time to fortify the hills and repel the Southerner’s attacks on them on the second day. On the third day, Pickett’s Charge, with 12,500 Confederate soldiers present, aimed themselves at the center of the Union fortifications, but failed to break them. The next day, July 4, only light skirmishing occurred and Lee eventually ordered his army into retreat when the Union troops showed no interest in pursuit.

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