By Swords and Bayonets is a two-player, regimental level wargame and the ninth installment in the award-winning Great Battles of the American Civil War series. Its focus is on small(er)-scale battles of the ACW and will serve as an ideal introduction for players new to the series. By reducing the size of the contending forces, players can more easily learn the detailed, layered rules and subsystems of the GBACW series without fear of being overwhelmed by the size of the battles themselves.