Unlike other games produced by Avalon Hill during this period such as Gettysburg, Civil War did not sell well and was dropped from production two years later.

Like other wargames produced by Avalon Hill, Civil War uses a hex grid map and a Combat Results Table to adjudicate battles.

Critic Joe Scoleri noted that "Victory generally depends on the control of replacement centers located at the north and south ends of the mapboard.

The game failed to find an audience, possibly because it was too simple for wargamers but too complex for social gamers,[1] and it was dropped from the Avalon Hill line in 1963.

"[2] Writing in the inaugural issue of The General, Carl Knabe admitted that he disliked Civil War because it was unbalanced, saying, "If he plays his cards right, the North can always win.