Blue & Gray: Four American Civil War Battles

About this board game

Blue & Gray: Four American Civil War Battles is a two-player tactical-level board wargame with an approximately 240-minute play time, first released in 1975. Players maneuver colorful cardboard counters across maps of actual Civil War battle sites.

A hexagonal grid regulates the deployment, movement, and engagement of each unit. Counters represent the infantry, cavalry, and artillery formations that fought in the featured battles, while dice rolls and simple probability charts determine combat outcomes.

The updated and revised rules booklet combines clear playing instructions with a short history of each battle and the information needed to recreate these major campaigns. The scenarios highlight different moments in the American Civil War:

• Shiloh: a forerunner of costly Civil War tactics.
• Antietam: a setback for Lee after a string of victories.
• Chickamauga: the Confederate attempt to avenge the Union capture of Chattanooga.
• Cemetery Hill: the Gettysburg position that determined Confederates could not capture in three days.

The Decision Games edition replaces the Antietam scenario with scenarios for the 1st and 2nd Battles of Bull Run. This gives the edition a distinct selection of battles while preserving the game’s focus on historical battlefield maneuver and combat.

Blue & Gray: Four American Civil War Battles includes a 16-page rules booklet, a 20-page player reference, a one- or two-sided map sheet, and 400 counters. The package also includes an errata sheet in the form of a printed email and a storage box.