ACWGC Union Army:

Union Member Bill of Rights
and General Orders

Established March 2025

Table of Contents
1) Purpose
2) Union Member Bill of Rights
3) Union Army Organization
4) Mustering Guidelines and Procedures
5) OBD Points
6) Promotions
7) Member Responsibilities
8) Union Medals
9) General Order Alterations and End of Use
Addendum #1: Union Army Officer Guidelines

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1) Purpose
The purpose of this manual is to establish a written record of the policies, procedures and General Orders which will be followed while I, Gen. Mitch Johnson, am General-in-Chief (GinC) of the Union Armies (UA).
The orders contained herein are intended to clarify, supplement, and augment the ACWGC Club Rules. The failure to enumerate within this document a specific policy for an item(s) shall in no way impede or reduce the authority and responsibility of the GinC to determine the matter as the
final arbiter.
The policies and procedures contained in this document are not intended and do not reduce any of the powers and responsibilities of the ACWGC Cabinet to oversee the Club as a whole. Should any provisions of any policy, procedures or regulations promulgated by this document be declared by the ACWGC Cabinet to be invalid or in direct conflict with the ACWGC Club Rules then the ACWGC Club Rules shall take precedence.

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2) Union Member Bill of Rights
It is my firm belief that every Member of the Union Armies is entitled to certain rights as both a Member of the ACWGC and as a Federal Volunteer Officer. Should any of these rights be infringed upon I request that I be alerted directly and immediately.
1) Every Union Member has a right to enjoy the Club on their own terms.

a) The only action a Member is required to take to maintain their membership in the ACWGC is to muster regularly.  ACWGC Rules dictate that a mustering process must take place and the UA conducts it monthly.

b) There are no minimum gaming requirements nor role-playing requirements necessary to maintain your membership.

2) Every Union Member has a right to expect a fair and honest game from their opponent.

a) If you suspect your opponent is not conducting himself in a fair and honest manner in your game, you should first ask him to please explain his actions.

b) If his explanation does not satisfy you, please alert both the Union Cabinet Secretary and myself to review the matter more thoroughly.

3) Every Union Member has the right to play games using any Optional or House Rules that they, and their opponent, fairly agree to in writing.

a) All Optional and House Rules should be discussed before the start of any game.  The failure to establish them properly beforehand can, and usual does, lead to confusion and disagreements later in the game.

4) Every Union  Member has the right to decline playing a game against an opponent for any reason.

a) If a prospective opponent displeases you for any reason, but chiefly in the selection process of Optional or House Rules or the selection of an agreeable scenario or game, it is advisable that you respectfully decline to do battle with that officer.

b) Do not undertake games with rules or opponents which you find disagreeable - these games will usually end poorly for all parties involved.

5) Every Union Member has the right to be heard within the ACWGC.

a) If you have something on your mind that you would like to discuss, then you can email anyone in your chain of command at any time.

b) You will be listened to.  Even if we cannot solve every issue, we can always listen respectfully and patiently.

c) My email inbox is open 24/7/365 to all Union Members with concerns or comments.

3) Union Army Organization

The  Federal forces of the United States are commanded by the General-in-Chief of the Union Armies.  He will determine the organization of all forces raised to suppress the rebellion.

1) Federal forces will be divided into two armies - The Army of the Potomac (AotP) and the Army of the Tennessee (AotT).

2) Each Army will be commanded by an Army Commander (AC).

a) The AC will be appointed by the GinC and serve until he is relieved or resigns from his position.

3) Each Army will be made of of three Corps commanded by Corps Commanders (CC).

a) The Army of the Potomac's Corp designations may be from any Corps which served with the AotP during the Civil War (ex. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 11th &12th).

b) The Army of the Tennessee's Corps designations may be from any Corps which served with the AotT during the Civil War (ex. 15th, 16th & 17th).

c) CC's will be chosen by the AC.

4) Each Corps will contain Divisions led by Division Commanders (DC).

a) There will no fewer than two Divisions, and no more than four Divisions, in each Corps.

b) DC's will be chosen by the AC with input from the CC whose Corps he officer will lead a division in.

5) Each Division will contain between four and eight Brigades.

a) Brigades are commanded by Brigade Commanders (BC) and the most common position for Members to hold.

4) Mustering Guidelines and Responsibilities

The Union Army will conduct a monthly muster of all active Union Members.  All muster will take place using the Union Mustering Pages (UMPs).

1) All Union Members

a) All Union Members are expected to regularly respond to musters when called.  Please do not create extra work for your administrators by ignoring mustering calls or failing to respond for a prolonged period.

2) Division Commanders & Corps Commanders

a) Will assist the AC, if asked, to follow up with any Members who have failed to muster during the calendar month.

3) Army Commanders

a) Will call for an Army Muster within the first three days of each month.

b) Will email the army roster with the relevant link for mustering prominently placed in the email for quick reference.

c) May also include any additional information in his monthly mustering notice.

d) Will email any army member who have not yet mustered around the 15th of each month.

e) Will record all musters received in the UA's Official Records Google Sheet.

4) General-in-Chief

a) Will determine the method and frequency of mustering as stated in the Club Rules.

b) Will inform the AC's how he wishes the information to be recorded.

c) Will be responsible for maintaining the UA Official Records.

5) OBD Points

The ACWGC rewards Members for completed games, administrative work, and for achievements with Points added to an officer's OBD Record.  The GinC will determine the distribution of Points within the UA.  He will work with the AC's to identify those owed points for admin and for those deserving additional points based on conduct.  The GinC will determine who will be authorized to distribute the points or will handle the job himself

1) Gaming Points

a) The DOR will automatically distribute points for completed games registered there.  No further action is required by the UA for this to occur.

2) Administrative Points

a) The Club Rules (Section 5) lists the monthly administrative points associated with various roles within the Club.  These will be followed by the UA accordingly.

b) In rare cases Administrative Points may be denied by the AC and/or GinC if an administrative officer fails to perform his duties during the month to the satisfaction of his superior/s.  

3. Discretionary Points

a) The GinC may authorize up to 20 discretionary points per UA Member per month (200 max per month for the entire UA). 

b) These points are meant to reward UA members for winning medals or for other unique and noteworthy actions.

6) Promotions

All Union Members are eligible to climb the ranks of the military hierarchy by earning points through gaming, administrative volunteer work, and through the general accumulation of points.

1) 1st Lieutenant through Brigadier General

a) The  promotions through these ranks are handled by the admin of the DOR as members reach point requirements for each position.

2) Major General, Lieutenant General, and General

a) Promotion to these ranks requires current service in an administrative capacity within the Union Armies.

i) Major General - DC or higher

ii) Lieutenant General - CC or higher

iii) General - AC

b) When a Union Member reaches the points necessary, and holds the position necessary, to be promoted to a new general rank, the GinC will promote him.

c) The GinC will notify the ACWGC Cabinet of all promotions above the rank of Brigadier General

d) The GinC will announce the promotion in the MDT and via email to the officer and his superiors.

7) Membership Responsibilities

Maintaining your membership in the ACWGC is simple.  But there are times when things get complicated.  These guidelines are for those moments.

1) Leave of Absence

a) If you know you will absent for an extended period of time, for any reason, please contact your AC or the GinC.

b) The UA Command Staff will respect your privacy and wishes and will work with you to make sure you are kept on the active rolls while you are absent.

c) It will be your responsibility to report back to your AC or GinC when your estimated LoA period has ended.

d) If the period has lapsed, the UA Command Staff will reach out to check on your status as a courtesy.

e) If you fail to respond within a reasonable time frame, you will be discharged from the ACWGC.

2) Inactive Officers Returning to the ACWGC

a) Inactive Members who return to the ACWGC should email the GinC and state their desire to return to Active status.

b) The GinC will then be responsible for their readmission to the Club.

3) Retirement/Resignation

a) Any active UA Member may request to end their relationship with the ACWGC at any time.

b) All requests of this sort will be granted.  You will cease to receive an Club emails and will no longer have access to our Forums.

4) Transfers to the Confederacy

a) Officers of the rank of Colonel or above may request a transfer from military group to another through their AC.

b) The AC will refer the transfer request to the GinC.

c) The GinC will work with the Confederate GinC to make the transfer occur if the officer qualifies for the transfer.

d) Transferring members will lose all but 15 OBD points and start over at the lowest rank in the Club - 2nd Lieutenant.

8) Union Medals

The goal of Union Medals is to foster good team spirit, encourage consistent winning game play, and to motivate individual officers to high levels of performance and service.  The medals program provides tangible recognition for battlefield achievements and meritorious service.  All UA Medals will be awarded by the GinC with assisstance from the AC's to help recognize and nominate UA Members.

A full listing of all UA Medals and criteria is available to view at the ACWGC.NET homepage.  Click on the USA Medals link to download the PDF file.

9) General Order Alterations and End of Use

Changes to General Orders (except for minor typographical or grammatical errors and any changes necessary to align them with ACWGC Rules) will be done by the General in Chief as he sees fit.  The GinC may consult with his command staff but he will have the final authority to control the contents of the General Orders.

Any member of the UA may request changes to these General Orders b submitting proposed changes to the GinC via email.

These Policies and Procedures will cease to be in effect when my term ends as Union GinC.  The next GinC will be free to adopt these verbatim, edit them as they wish, or to create all new ones.

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Signed,

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Gen. Mitch Johnson

Union General-in-Chief

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Addendum #1: Union Army Officer Guidelines 

For use by the General Officers of the Union Army

 

The following guidelines are meant to establish the expectations for the General Offices hold command positions in the UA.  All General Officers are expected to fulfill these obligations.  The failure to consistently do so will be address privately with an UA General Officer.  An abridge version of these guidelines appears in the Union General Order Section 4.

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Division Commanders:

The Division Commanders in the UA are the ones most responsible for the success, or failure, of the new members assigned to their units.  New Members are excited to join the Club and are looking for opponents, advise, and mentorship to help them fight and win games.  A division commander is expected to take the time to introduce himself to new recruits, offer to engage them in a maneuver (or to help find them an enemy opponent if preferable), and to answer any questions they may have.  If a new Member wishes to simply game and not interact on any other levels, this acceptable and the DC should respect their privacy and wishes.

Division Commanders should check in with their brigade commanders a few times a year to make sure they are still gaming and enjoying the Club.  This is especially important with new recruits to the Club.  Members who reach their second anniversary with the Club are likely "life members."  The Club loses roughly 50% of new members within that first two-year window after joining.  Division Commanders play the most important part in helping to retain new members long term.

Division Commanders should also seek to identify, and encourage, motivated Union Members who show an interest in moving up in the Union Army command structure.  Division Commanders should bring such members to the attentions of their Corps and/or Army Commanders.  Division Commanders have the smallest Member-to-Leader ratio among the UA Command Group.  Neither a CC nor the AC can hope to engage with every member in their units at the same personal level a Division Commander can.  Therefore, it is very important that Division Commanders take their roles seriously and seek to engage with, and to know, the Members of their division.

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Corps Commanders: 

​Corps Commanders fill the administrative level between the AC's and the DC's.  AC's have many duties and need the assistance of the Corps Commanders to both support them and to assist the DC's in their duties.  A Corps Commander should greet new Members to their Corps and make sure their DC's are doing the same.  If new Members are not greeted properly the Corps Commander should remind the DC of their duties and/or seek to engage with the new Member directly.  Corps Commanders can offer assistance in finding games to new Members, offer to engage them directly, or offer strategic advice to them.

A good Corps Commander should know his DC's and be able to support them when they are busy in real life with keeping their division informed and their Members engaged.  But because of the larger ratio of Members to Corps Commanders, the Corps Commanders cannot be expected to consistently perform the duties of DC's for every new and current Member of his Corps.  This makes having a good relationship between Corps Commanders and their DC's very important.  These two levels of admin should work together to engage Members on multiple levels to improve the retention rates of new Members and to keep veteran Members gaming and engaged.

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Army Commanders:

Army Commanders are responsible for the smooth running of their organizations.  Their role revolves more around administration and record keeping than it does personnel issues.  While an Army Commander is expected to have relationships with every DC and CC in his army, it is impossible for him to know every BC with the same level of familiarity as a DC can.  It is equally impossible for him to know each DC with the same level of familiarity as the CC's.  But it is his job to run the whole army machine and be able to conduct its administrative business smoothly and regularly.

The Army Commander is primarily resonsible for communicating with the army as a whole via email (note that such emails should include all Army Members as 'bcc' to avoid anyone hittting "Reply to All" and accidentally expressing private views to the whole army).  Such emails should be straightforward, short in length, and as clear as possible.  An Army Commander should also not over-communicate with the full army roster as it can lead to confusion when too many emails are sent and too many ideas are put forward in too short a period of time.  Lastly, do not use 100 words to describe an issue or directive when 10 words will suffice.  Those seeking further explanation will inevitably contact your directly.

Finally, an Army Commander needs to work with their counterpart in the other army, and the General-in-Chief, on a regular basis.  These three must work together and rely on one another to encourage the Members to muster, game, and be as active as they choose to be in the Club.

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