Game of the Week, Oct 6-12
This week’s Game of the Week takes us into the grim twilight of the Confederacy, with one of the most brutal and tragic episodes of the American Civil War - Civil War Battles: Campaign Franklin. On sale now through October 12th, this title immerses players in the desperate Franklin–Nashville Campaign of late 1864 — a bold gamble by General John Bell Hood that would end in disaster for the Army of Tennessee.
By the fall of 1864, Confederate hopes were dimming. Sherman had taken Atlanta, and Lincoln had just been re-elected. But General Hood, now in command of the Army of Tennessee, believed he could reverse the course of the war in the West. His plan was audacious: march north through Tennessee, cut Union supply lines, and threaten Nashville — perhaps even Kentucky — drawing Sherman away from Georgia or forcing a political crisis in Washington.
Hood’s strategy depended on speed and surprise. His battered army surged northward, fighting a series of sharp actions at Columbia and Spring Hill, attempting to isolate and destroy Union General John Schofield’s forces before they could link up with George Thomas at Nashville. But poor coordination and night-time confusion at Spring Hill allowed the Federals to slip away, leading directly to the fateful confrontation at Franklin on November 30th, 1864.
What followed was one of the bloodiest assaults of the war. Hood, furious at having missed his chance at Spring Hill, ordered a frontal attack on entrenched Union positions across open ground — a charge that resulted in staggering losses. In less than five hours, the Confederates suffered over 6,000 casualties, including 14 generals killed, wounded, or captured. Entire brigades were shattered, and the leadership of the Army of Tennessee was gutted. Veterans would later call it a “slaughter pen” and “the death of the Army of Tennessee.”
The tragedy did not end there. Hood continued north, only to be crushed two weeks later at Nashville, one of the most decisive Union victories of the war.
Campaign Franklin covers these major battles of the campaign, as well as a large number of other, smaller and What-If scenarios:
- Spring Hill
- Columbia
- Franklin
- Nashville
Campaign Franklin includes 305 Scenarios – covering all sizes and situations, including a solo tutorial scenario plus specialized versions for both head to head play and vs. the computer AI.
The master map (30,935 hexes) includes all the significant locations fought over in the Franklin campaign.
The order of battle file covers the Union and Confederate forces that participated in the campaign with other formations added in for hypothetical situations.
Campaign and Scenario Editors which allow players to customize the game.
Design notes which cover or include the production of the game, campaign notes and a bibliography that includes the sources used by the designer team to produce this simulation game.
Campaign Franklin provides multiple play options including play against the computer AI, Play by E-mail (PBEM), LAN & Internet "live" play as well as two player hot seat.
Want to learn more?
Looking to dive deeper into the history? These books provide outstanding background and battlefield insight:
For Cause and For Country: A Study of the Affair at Spring Hill and the Battle of Franklin by Eric A. Jacobson
The Confederacy’s Last Hurrah: Spring Hill, Franklin, and Nashville by Wiley Sword
Shrouds of Glory: From Atlanta to Nashville by Winston Groom
Last, but not least, below you find some screenshots of the game. As with the entire Civil War Battles series, this title has three 2D views and two 3D views to choose from. Then you have options to select from 2 different 2D icon sets, and finally, you can have either colorized or black & white unit and leader images. There are also some free alternative 3D maps that can be loaded from the Support page if you wish.
Whether you’re a veteran of the series or exploring the Western Theater for the first time, Campaign Franklin offers one of the most intense and poignant chapters of the Civil War — a perfect blend of strategic complexity and historical drama.
Available now for 25% off through October 12th.
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