The Zouave has received so many letters from people just beginning to game in the Civil War period that it seemed time to place a "basics" article in one of the issues. To play the war, one must truly understand how it was fought. Otherwise, rules sets never seem to make much sense. As a gamer, you have placed yourself in the role of a general, commanding either a brigade, division, corps, or entire army. Soldiers have, for the most part always fought the same way....either with bravery or cowardice. It is the generals and weapons that changed the way wars were fought, while the common soldier simply did as he was told (hopefully). This short article is meant to give you an accurate idea of what the real generals faced so that you can understand what your own rules are asking of you. Every general made mistakes. Some, such as Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and George Thomas simply made less of them! Contrary to popular belief, many battles were won or lost more by luck or false information than by pure skill. Some generals were far better suited for command of a brigade or division than they were when placed in charge of a corps or army. A good case in point is A.P. Hill, who was a brilliant division commander, but never seemed to grasp the concept of grand strategy when given charge of larger troop formations. The same could be said of Joseph Hooker or John Bell Hood. Then again, there were those leaders who were average as brigade or division generals, only to rise to fame when leading a much larger force (William T. Sherman comes to mind immediately). Your first problem then, is to determine whether you are more attracted to the actual movement of troops IN battle, or if your skill is in leading troops TO battle, such as in a campaign. Perhaps you are better suited to fighting with a few regiments, in which case you should use JOHNNY REB or RALLY ROUND THE FLAG, being a brigade or division leader. If your strength is in the grand tactical scheme, buy ON TO RICHMOND or STARS N BARS, playing as at least a division commander. If you don't know your preferences, begin using whatever rules set you own and learn from that what your assets and liabilities are as a general. Basically, a brigade or division commander was good at following orders and tended to be fierce in battle, striving to get the last drop of fighting ability out of his troops. He rarely had to worry about more than what was directly to his front. His goal was to destroy the enemy, not outguess him! On the other hand, a corps or army commander had to be a natural coordinator, doing many things at once with minimal confusion in his own mind. He had to determine where the enemy was and what their intentions were. A regiment mattered little to him because his focus was on whole brigades or divisions. A corps or army leader was rarely at the front because couriers would have difficulty finding him there. Army commanders, in particular, often went for an entire battle without seeing what was going on. Instead, a steady stream of staff officers came and went from his headquarters, giving information about the battle and leaving with orders for the army commander's subordinates. Obviously, keeping track of all this information in the thick of a fight was difficult. Keeping the above in mind, if you hate to see a few castings "killed" in action, and you thrill to the feel of a charge, become a brigadier general who controls a brigade or division. However, if matching wits with the enemy, trying to turn a flank, and keeping cool even when a brigade is destroyed happens to be your strength, promote yourself to major general and take a corps or so with you in battle! When playing as part of a team, be aware of each of your team members' strengths and weaknesses. It's great to be an egomaniac at times...but not when the bullets begin to fly. Be realistic about your skills. Don't bite off more than you can chew or you'll be known as the "Burnside" of your group! Back to The Zouave Vol III No. 2 Table of Contents Back to The Zouave List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1989 The American Civil War Society This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com