Advanced American Civil War Artillery Rules

The following optional rules are an extension of several posts that occurred on the Volley and Bayonet mailing list and they build on some of the original ideas provided by Greg Novak. They apply to the American Civil War and are not designed for other periods or wars. 

The advanced rules aim to model the extensive use of small artillery formations on the American Civil War. The optional rules provide for:

  • Mixed artillery stands, typical of Confederate artillery battalions which contained both smoothbore and rifled weapons. 
  • Allocation of reserve artillery during the game to counter the loss of a brigade's dedicated guns.

These optional rules are provided for play test and feedback only.


1. Mixed Artillery Battalions:

1.1. Some historic orders of battle can be modelled by the use of mixed artillery battalions. These are typically Confederate divisional level artillery formations which comprise smoothbore field, heavy and rifled weapons.

1.2. Mixed Artillery battalions have the following characteristics:

  • Close range: The first die hits on 4, 5 or 6, the second, where available, hits on a 5 or 6.
  • Long range up to 10": Normal number of hit dice.
  • Long range up to 15": One hit dice and only if stationary.
  • Mixed artillery counts as field artillery when conducting counter-battery fire.

2. Dedicated Guns:

In the American Civil War dedicated guns model a number of artillery pieces allocated to specific infantry or cavalry brigades. They can be formed from rifled or smoothbore artillery. For simplicity, regardless of type, they are treated the same. 

2.1. Artillery is typically organised in artillery battalions. A player may break down some or all of his artillery battalions prior to the game, or day if a multi-day battle, and allocate these dedicated guns to specific close order infantry or cavalry stands. In addition the pre-allocation of dedicated guns may be specified in some historical scenarios. 

2.2. An artillery battalion may be completely broken down and allocated out to close order infantry or cavalry stands. Each artillery strength point provides a dedicated gun capability for one infantry or cavalry brigade. An infantry or cavalry stand allocated dedicated guns has the strength point total increased by one if completed prior to the battle. If the artillery is provided by corps or army assets divisional exhaustion values will need to be increased. Only cavalry divisional artillery can be allocated to cavalry brigades. 

2.3. A player may detach artillery from a Corps or Army reserve out as reinforcements to close order stands of that Corps or Army during the game, or day if a multi-day battle. The artillery battalion must be broken down and allocated out completely. Such artillery may not have fired earlier in the day. It must be within a normal move of the stands it will be allocated to. The receiving stand can not fire or melee during the turn of allocation. Such in game allocations do not change the stand or divisions exhaustion value.

2.4. During a night move players may reform massed batteries in the following ratios. Only divisions within the command range of the divisional commander and within 16" of their respective corps commander may undertake such a reorganisation. The division's rating prior to the night move determines the recovery ability as follows:

  • Collapsed Divisions: May not reform artillery battalions.
  • Exhausted Divisions: Each two brigades that retain a dedicated gun capability may provide one strength point towards the formation of artillery units. Therefore four brigades are required to form an artillery battalion of two strength points.
  • Other Divisions: Each brigade that retains a dedicated gun capability may provide one strength point towards the formation of artillery units. 

The first artillery battalion formed should be considered smoothbore guns while the second as rifled guns. This is continued so that the third would be smoothbore and the fourth rifled, etc. Only two or three strength point artillery stands may be formed. The reconstitution of corps or reserve artillery divisions may impact the division exhaustion value.

3. Small Arms Fire Against Artillery:

3.1 Artillery hit by infantry small arms fire does not receive a saving throw. 


[Return to the Volley & Bayonet Page]