Ultimate General: Civil War

Ultimate General: Civil War is a real-time tactical strategy game set during the American Civil War of 1861–1865. As a general, you command armies through a campaign shaped by your actions and battle results, managing troops and supplies as you fight engagements ranging from small skirmishes to battles spanning hundreds of square miles and several days.

The campaign

The campaign includes more than 50 battles, from small engagements to large historical battles. You can also play historical battles separately. The campaign includes:

• Battle of Aquia Creek
• Battle of Philippi
• 1st Battle of Bull Run
• Battle of Shiloh
• Battle of Gaines' Mill
• Battle of Malvern Hill
• 2nd Battle of Bull Run
• Battle of Antietam
• Battle of Fredericksburg
• Battle of Stones River
• Battle of Chancellorsville
• Battle of Gettysburg
• Battle of Chickamauga
• Battle of Cold Harbor
• Battle of Richmond
• Battle of Washington
• 48 smaller scale battles

Command your army

You control the army’s composition, and success and reputation can give you access to more corps, divisions and brigades. Keep soldiers alive and they gain experience, progressing from rookies to veterans. Heavy losses can leave you short of reinforcements; your reputation may suffer, army morale may fall, and you may be forced to resign.

Choose how closely to direct your forces: command each unit individually or assign a main objective with one click. Division commanders can make decisions on their own to help manage large armies. You can draw defensive lines for assigned brigades or mark a flanking route with an arrow for the army to follow. Generals try to carry out your orders, though plans can change once battle begins.

Units and officers

You can detach skirmishers to scout hills, merge brigades into larger divisions, and dismount cavalry to make it less visible or mount up for fast flanking charges and supply raids. Supplies are vital, so you must plan and protect provisions to avoid an early end to a battle.

Historical unit commanders improve alongside the player. Officers rank up based on their units’ performance, but can be wounded or killed in action. Higher ranks let them lead larger units without losing efficiency. Winning battles also opens new opportunities for your general, including skills such as reconnaissance and political influence.

Weapons and terrain

The game features Civil War weapons ranging from mass-produced Enfield pattern rifles to rare Whitworths. Historical availability applies: some weapons can only be obtained by raiding supplies or capturing them from the enemy on the battlefield.

Terrain plays a strategic role. Trenches, lines, fences, houses and fields can all be used to gain an advantage. Hills improve visibility, while rivers and bridges can serve as natural defensive obstacles. Forests can conceal movement and help you flank the enemy. The AI uses terrain, takes cover and retreats when overwhelmed; it can also flank your forces, target weak points and undefended high ground, cut your supplies, and attack unguarded artillery batteries.

Historical battlefields

Each historical battle has a hand-drawn landscape based on satellite and historical maps. The maps’ topography shapes how battles can be fought and helps show how the historical engagements unfolded.