(This page discusses supply rules as they apply for the campaign games. For the individual scenarios, there are simpler rules. See the scenario section for those.)

Supply in the game is used for both "supply maintenance" and "combat supply". Every strategic turn, every hex occupied by troops may or may not require the expenditure of supply. For every regular combat, supply may need to be expended by one or both sides.

Supply Creation

You get more supply points during each strategic phase. The Union player gets the amount listed on the turn chart. For the Confederates, its more complicated. They get a "multiple" number listed for supply cities/towns, and a multiple for seaports. For each city/town (but not "dot" towns) that can reach one of the 5 major Confederate supply cities (Atlanta, Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, and Richmond) by rail or river transport, you count that in the total of qualifying city/towns that get to be multiplied by the multiple. The 5 major Confederate supply cities automatically add supply as supply cities, unless they are completely cut off by rail and river. For rail-connected supply cities, you need to have a functioning and friendly rail line, for river-connected, you need to have a empty river transport plying the stretch of river you are using. You can use a combination of rail line/river line connections. For the seaports, they must be able to reach one of the 5 major Confederate cities by rail or river transport, and also not be currently blockaded.

There is a special case for towns in the south-west. The ports of Galveston and Sabine City, and the town of Beaumont, connect to the west via rail. These are also counted as supply sources.

Do not expend rail transport points for any supply points the Supply Cities/Towns and ports generate. You do, however, need to have unladed river transports plying any stretch of navigable river that you are tracing a connection along.

If the Union player captures any of the Confederate supply cities/towns, then the Union player can get the supply multiple for those - if the Union player can trace along a Union-controlled rail line leading off the northern edge of the map.

Do not go by the "Confederate Supply/Seaport" chart for the supply cities/towns/ports. Its incomplete, and even the errata seems to leave some towns off. Every city and town (but not towns depicted by dots) that is on a rail line and/or navigable river that connects to a Major City functions as either a "supply city" or port. Each Major City also counts as a supply city, unless its rail and river access out is cut off. Any Confederate town on a sea-accessable coast, which is in Confederate control, and is not currently blockaded, acts as a port, not a "supply city" (except for New Orleans, which is both). You can use the following image as a guide.

Although the Union gained considerable control of the seas around the Confederacy, their blockade was only a partial one. Most items were declared contraband, but food was allowed through (more or less), and "blockade running" became a Confederate specialty. Some ports, like New Orleans, are especially difficult to blockade effectively.

(8 1/2 x 11 printable version)

Supply Maintenance

Every strategic turn, every hex occupied by troops may or may not require the expenditure of supply. During the supply maintenance phase, you will roll on a supply consumption table for each hex where you have troops. The more troops you have, the higher the chance they may require supply in order to stay in supply. If unit(s) are on a chain of supply, you can simply deduct any needed supply points from your general supply pool. If the unit(s) are not on a chain of supply, then if they require supply, you must expend supply from supply points that are in the same hex or an adjacent hex. The supplies can come from Army Hqs that have supply on their roster.

If the unit(s) in question require supply, but can't get any, then they suffer the attrition indicated on the supply attrition table. The number on the supply attrition table is the number of strength points lost.

Naval units, HQs, leaders, siege trains and railway repair units do undergo this consumption supply phase. However, combat units on a HQ's roster, or on a naval transport, do.

Combat Supply

When units engage in combat, for both attacker and defender, you need to roll on the Combat Supply table to see if your units require the expenditure of supply for the combat. If they do, then on-board supply is required. It either needs to be in the same hex or and adjacent hex. It cannot come from general supply or from a Department. Combat supply, if available, cannot be withheld from your units if they need it. If your units needed combat supply, but none was available, then you must continue with the combat. You units will be halved in strength, rounded down, and your losses are doubled, and you cannot advance after combat.

Here we have a situation where the Union is attacking the Confederates. We can see that both sides have supply on hand. So if the Union attacks as indicated, then both sides will need to roll on the supply consumption table to see if they require the expenditure of supply. By cross referencing the combat intensity chit you drew, with the number of combat factors you have, you will find the row that you will roll a 6-sided die on. If you get a number, then thats the number of supply points you must expend. The supply must be on hand in the hex you are in, or in an adjacent hex. Note that supply that is carried within an Army HQ *can* be distributed to units fighting that are not on the Army roster. So if the Union player must expend supply for his attack, then its expenditure is good for the troops in the Army roster, and the adjacent Corps. Similarly, for the Confederates, if they have to expend a supply point, then the supply point expended from the supply wagon is good for both the Corps and the unattached 6-3 infantry division.

Chain of Supply

A chain of supply is a series of qualifying connecting hexes that leads back to a military department. The hexes that make up this chain of supply must be any combination of functioning friendly rail hexes, navigable river hexsides, coastal hexes, and all sea hexsides, plus a maximum of 3 movement points according to infantry costs.

To trace along river hexsides, you must have a friendly river or naval transport operating on one of the hexsides in the chain you are claiming. The transport must be empty to be used for supply trace. Naval transports can only operate on tidal river hexsides.

Only the Union player can trace along open sea hexes. The Union player must have an empty naval transport at sea.

Any supply points using the rail net to provide supply must be counted against the player's available railroad transport points. It is, therefore, preferable to use water routes as much as possible as part of your chain of supply.

Resupply of Depots, Supply Trains, and Army HQs

During the Strategic Turn, players can broadcast supply to their depots, supply trains, and Army HQs from their Military Departments, through their chains of supply. However, for this procedure, the chain of supply can consist only of rail and/or water routes. You do not get the "3 infantry movement points". Therefore, the depot or supply train or Army HQ must be on a railroad hex, or on a coastal or riverside hex.

Supply points broadcast along a railroad counts against the player's railroad transport points.

No more than 10 supply points can be broadcast during a strategic turn to each depot.

Supply cannot be broadcast to open hexes, or to just combat units. Supply can only be "broadcasted" to depots, supply trains, and Army HQs, up to the maximum of supply they can hold (except for depots which can hold more than 10 supply points, but to which you can only broadcast up to 10 supply points each strategic turn). Supply trains, however, can deposit supply points in any hex they are in, and continue on, leaving the supply points behind. These supply points are "non-partisan" however, and can be captured by the enemy simply by moving onto them. They have no intrinsic garrison.