Lee vs. Grant: The Wilderness Campaign of 1864

About this board game

Lee vs. Grant: The Wilderness Campaign of 1864 is a two-player historical simulation of the decisive 1864 spring campaign in Virginia during the American Civil War. With an approximate playing time of 360 minutes, it places one player in control of the Union armies and the other in control of the Confederate armies.

The game is played in turns representing five days. Its map is a 1:200,000 representation of the area between Fredricksburg and Petersburg, providing the setting for the campaign. Each unit’s strength point represents approximately 2,500 men commanded by a leader.

Lee vs. Grant offers two levels of play. The Basic Game introduces the central concepts of movement and unit activation, giving players an accessible way to learn the system. The Advanced Game expands the experience with sea movement, supply, and additional leader rules.

• Two-player command of Union and Confederate armies
• Five-day game turns
• A 1:200,000 campaign map between Fredricksburg and Petersburg
• Basic and Advanced versions with different rules depth
• Scenario-based victory conditions

Victory conditions depend on the scenario being played, allowing the campaign’s objectives to vary with the chosen setup. The result is a focused study of a major Civil War campaign, combining movement, activation, and increasingly detailed operational rules.

Released in 1988, the game is arguably the first title in the GCACW series by the same designer, although it came from a different, related publisher and uses a different map art style. For players interested in historical campaign games, it offers a substantial look at the struggle between Lee and Grant in Virginia.