By Swords and Bayonets

About this board game

By Swords and Bayonets is a two-player American Civil War battle game for 1–2 players, with games lasting about 360 minutes. It is the ninth title in GMT Games’ Great Battles of the American Civil War series.

Designed as an introduction to the series, the game keeps its battles compact by limiting both the playing area and the number of combatants. Each battle uses a 22″ x 17″ half-size map, while opposing forces contain no more than one division per side and 50 or fewer combat units each.

The game supports the full GBACW rulebook, so new players can learn the same system used across the wider series without needing to unlearn a simplified rules set. Experienced players receive four short, sharp battles designed to be completed in an afternoon.

The included scenarios cover a range of early and mid-war Civil War engagements:

• Big Bethel — On June 10, 1861, Gen. Benjamin Butler launches an overconfident assault against John Magruder’s Confederate forces.
• Rappahannock Station — On November 7, 1863, elements of Sedgwick’s VI Union Corps attempt to isolate and disperse part of Early’s Confederate division. This battle also includes a one-turn learning scenario.
• New Bern — On March 14, 1862, Maj. General Ambrose Burnside attacks dug-in but inexperienced Confederates near Fort Thompson.
• Mill Springs — On January 19, 1862, Confederate Gen. G. Crittenden races to surprise a large Union contingent before reinforcements arrive.

With four focused scenarios and the complete series rules, By Swords and Bayonets offers a compact way to experience the operational challenges of the Great Battles of the American Civil War system.