Civil War: 1861

Civil War: 1861 is a strategy game about the opening battles of the American Civil War. You command Union or Confederate forces in engagements ranging from Big Bethel to Bull Run and Wilson’s Creek, using volunteer troops who are enthusiastic but inexperienced and equipment that still includes Napoleonic-era muzzle-loading, smoothbore artillery. Many commanders who would later lead the Civil War armies are still junior officers in these battles.

Battles and campaigns

The missions are based on historic events and are grouped into campaigns:

• Tutorial Campaign: 7 missions.
• Opening Shots! Campaign: 3 missions covering Boonville (June 17, 1861), Carthage (July 5, 1861) and Blackburn's Ford (July 18, 1861).
• Conflaguration! Campaign: 4 missions covering Bull Run (July 21, 1861), Wilson's Creek (August 10, 1861), Carnifex Ferry (September 10, 1861) and Lexington (September 20, 1861).
• Total Resolve Campaign: 4 missions covering Greenbrier River (October 3, 1861), Belmont (November 7, 1861), Allegheny Mountain (December 13, 1861) and Dranesville (December 20, 1861).
• Bonus Campaign: covers Big Bethel (June 10, 1861).

Troops and tactics

The game features five unique Civil War unit types: infantry with muskets, infantry with rifled muskets, artillery, generals, and mounted or dismounted cavalry. You can change unit formations and tactics, use flank attacks and strategic movement, and attach generals to units to increase their morale. Veteran units are more capable, while raw units are unreliable.

Battle tools

Three difficulty settings let you choose a challenge level. The game also includes detailed combat analysis and map zoom.