On defense, a Player is advised to keep his units on alternating hexes. A line of units which abut together on adjacent hexes gives the Attacking Player [who has the initiative in deciding what order to execute combats] the ability to penetrate the line with units advancing after combat, thereby enveloping other defending units.
Each Player is given only three artillery units. To belabor the obvious, these must be conserved for bombardment roles and should never be placed in positions where Enemy units can force them into normal combat. The Union Player particularly should stack each of his artillery units with an infantry unit when he places them in a bombarding position to prevent the Confederate Player from bombarding in concentration at 3-1 or 4-1.
The Union Player has fewer, but on average, stronger units. He should look for situations where his 4 and 5 strength units can attack Confederate 3 and 4 strength units at 1-1, hoping to force the Confederate units in their turn to attack at 1-2.
The Confederate Player can use his weaker units to advance after combat, hoping to precipitate a profitable exchange.
The Union Player is the First Player. He moves first and may set the early tempo of the game by attacking the Confederates on Game-Turn One. The Confederates are compacted against Chickamauga Creek and, with any luck, the Union can lock up large Confederate forces, preventing them from deploying freely in the early going. Implementation of this plan requires the division at Kelly Field to be thrown at Alexander's Bridge. The Union Player should not expect to see it return.
The confederate Player has two options open in the first turns. He can drive on Wither's and contain the Union 20th Corps. Or he can take everybody north of the Reed's Bridge and drive hellbent for leather on Rossville Gap. This second option was one usually adopted by play testers. If executed in response to a first turn Union offense, it can produce utter chaos, with two isolated main battles raging. While the prospect of seizing Rossville Gap early in the game may seem inviting to the Confederate, it will backfire if he fails to hurt the Union Army before it has a chance to concentrate. Personally, I feel the Confederate Player must direct his main effort the first day to force the Union Army to battle in the Wither's, Vinyard's. Poe Field area.
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