This is also my first guide so if it sucks uh sorry.

In the game it shows the USA as a:

• Intermediate

• Affordable

• Quantity focused faction
  
  It shows the CSA as a:
  
  • Difficult
  • Mobile
  • Quantity focused faction
    
    
    This Guide will show you a basic intro to both the USA and CSA, Strategies you can use, How their units differ from European ones, and how to work with their units.
    
    If I am referring to both I will just call them NA troops.
    
    Union: A number based flexible faction that requires medium skill.
    
    CSA: A very aggressive faction that is someway a cheaper more numerous Prussia with worse arty. It requires high skill level
    

Union Roster:


CSA Roster:



NA Line Infantry:
Their base cohesion is 3, and their base health is 6. Their Highest Cohesion is 4. They specialize in bringing a lot of decent line for low prices. They bring men from all over the USA, which makes their roster cheap and has a lot of variety. The NA roster has no heavy infantry or cavalry.

NA Cavalry
Their base cohesion is 3, and their health is 6. Their highest cohesion is 4. They are all light cavalry and work well with flanking, taking out key enemy units, and securing key positions. DO NOT CHARGE ENEMY UNITS! Your cavalry will either pull out of the charge from no cohesion or die most of the time. Make sure your cavalry does not run out of cohesion at all costs.

US line Infantry
Their strength is in their cheap hoard of american blues. Their main infantry (Volunteers) has a base morale of 3, health of 6, and no perks. The Zouaves have melee drill which gives them 1 less damage in melee, and the Irish Brigade has shock which gives 2 plus charge damage. I would recommend using these men as the main body of your infantry. use their differences in skills to the fullest extent. Ex. You're charging a enemy position that has been damaged by northern lead, pull your Irish reserves and charge them or shoot them with their breeech-loaders in attack column.


Elite US Line
The famous Iron brigade is in US Roster. With 4 cohesion, and 6 health. The Iron brigade is some of the best the USA has to offer. With range drill and Shock with breech loaders they can deal a lot of damage. I recommend using them as elite reserves that if sent to an area can turn the tide, or Front line support for an assault.


Elite US Skirmishers
US Sharpshooters are elite skirmishers that can be equipped with breech loading rifles. The US sharps have range drill and skirmishing. They have 3 cohesion, and 4 health. I would recommend to use them to scout or lock down an area.


US Artillery
I would recommend using only Gatling guns and howitzers. Howitzers have indirect fire so you and your hoard of infantry can still get arty support without having to form a hole in your line for the cannons. The Gatling guns are extremely good in close range. Without their cumbersome trait they can move up and shoot in the same turn. Making the Gatling guns a very very useful Infantry support or assault gun. I would recommend always bringing 1 Gatling gun.

US Cavalry
All US Cavalry is light cav. They can move very far in 1 turn. They can quickly get behind enemy lines and kill high value units. They can be in reserve if you want to play more defensive. I would recommend always bringing at least 1 cavalry. In Late bring US Regulars. In Early Bring either lightning or Custers.

Most of their line infantry has efficiency trait that lets you have 2 maneuvers in 1 turn.

Confederate line Infantry
Their strength is their ability to be very aggressive with their efficiency trait. Their base cohesion is 3. Their health is 6. I would recommend using them aggressively as a distraction or main assault.

Elite Confederate Line
The famous stonewall brigade, Louisiana tigers, and the Texas Brigade are all in F&M. Each with a special trait that reflects how they did if real life. They each have 4 Cohesion, 6 health, and efficiency trait along with another trait. I would recommend using them as elite reserves you can put into action at any point, or as a main assault unit or support.

Confederate skirmishers
The Whitworth Sharpshooters are some of the best skirmishers in early period. Their range drill, Breech-loading rifles, and efficiency are very scary and feared traits of the CSA army. They are very similar to the US Sharps. The only difference is that the Whitworths have efficiency for the cost of 1 cohesion. They have 2 Cohesion and 4 Health. I use them as a unit to lock down an area, support unit to quickly kill enemies, and a sort of scout unit really just to secure the location.
Don't bother bringing the other CSA Skirmishers.


Confederate Artillery
I would recommend using only Gatling guns and howitzers. Howitzers have indirect fire so you and your hoard of infantry can still get arty support without having to form a hole in your line for the cannons. The Gatling guns are extremely good in close range. Without their cumbersome trait they can move up and shoot in the same turn. Making the Gatling guns a very very useful Infantry support or assault gun. I would recommend always bringing 1 Gatling gun.

Confederate Cavalry
All NA Cavalry is light cavalry. They are good for flanking, taking out any of the enemies important units by rushing past their heavy cavalry, and harassing the enemy. They are similar to the US cavalry units, just the bushwackers have rugged. The bushwackers have 3 cohesion and 4 health with rugged. The CSA Regular Cavalry has 4 cohesion and 6 health with rugged.

This section will just cover some little things that you can use in game that can help you win, or destroy enemy units, and also give you more common sense hopefully.

To counter enemy light cav or any cav behind your line, if you have a hill get a unit with breech loading rifles or rifles and fire at the cav, get them into square and shoot them. Usually you will be able to hit them due to your range and coverage.

When your in a melee and your fighting an enemy that is isolated or you want to just finish it fast pull your troops out then with another unit open fire. Remember to pull the friendly unit out before you shoot the enemy.

Don't use light cav to attack full hp enemy troops. It should be used more to threaten a flank or try and be aggressive and force the enemy to engage your infantry. Even though its quite expensive now, still use it either aggressively or to lock units down in melee for a couple of turns, but do just throw them in a melee and they die next turn. You may also use it to protect special units such as US sharp shooters and artillery.

US sharpshooters can be put in closed order in reserve and when you engage the enemy you can put it up in the front line and open fire and do 6 damage if you shoot twice (front hit). You can also do the same with Gatling guns.

There are a couple ways to use the Union/ Confederacy.

strategies/builds: Most NA troops are much weaker and cannot compete against European line infantry in a shoot out. There are 2 main strategies that work.
- 1st Strategy: A very aggressive strategy with breach loaders mainly that use their number advantage to soak up bullets and dish out twice the pain with breach loaders. Using the Gatling guns in this build is a must as they can be a very aggressive "glass cannon" that can in 1 tile range dish out 8 damage per turn (front hit). You will need at least 1 cavalry unit to kill any units that can dish out a lot of damage. I would recommend bringing Iron Brigade/Stonewall as they can actually stand up/beat European line. This is a better strategy in my opinion, but you must be more skilled in assault, flanking enemies, and conservation somewhat as loosing units without any real gain can loose you the game.. wait that's for every faction. This works better with the CSA, but still works good with Union. This is my quick match build for both. You don't have to follow the format just do whatever you want.


- 2nd Strategy: A more flexible build that is technically historically accurate too. You equip your men with rifled muskets, and breech loaders for the Tigers and Irish. I recommend bringing some of the better troops like stonewall brigade, Iron Brigade, US sharps, and Whitworth sharps. You should bring Gatling guns and maybe howitzers. I recommend bringing 1 cav so you do not get flanked, or can harass the enemy. Your advantage will still be to overwhelm them with numbers, but with more ranged attacks. Your main strength will be switching out units for your reserve, Stacking ranged damage, and forcing the enemy to assault with your arty or cav. This build requires just a little less skill than the 1st strategy. You need to learn how to switch out units, use reserves to counter enemy assaults, how to assault with range, and use cavalry as a thorn in the side of the enemy to either pull off their cav or their inf. This build works good with the Union. The CSA doesn't really work with this. This is what I use for quick matches. You don't have to follow the format just do whatever you want.


- a Meme strat that can sorta work if you wanna have fun. All light cav with carbines usually US regulars and 1 Custers / bushwackers or CSA Regulars and 1 Hamptons. 1 Gatling gun to beat any infantry that dares assault your cav. And just flank AND SPANK.. and also shoot.

1st strategy you can be in attack column or normal column and try and use US Regulars with union.
With the CSA try and put the whitworths or stonewall in reserve on the same tile of volunteers or texas brigade and try to run up on the enemy in 1 turn and form into line, then next turn or same turn.
Use Gatling guns on roads and try and get them to a point where you can move them right next to an enemy unit and can open fire. Protect your Gatling guns with your cavalry or infantry.

2nd Strategy you can use mainly volunteers and some elites. Equip the Iron brigade with breech loaders. The volunteers with rifles, and the cav with Carbines. Use the volunteers to stack damage on enemies then move up your iron brigade and unload with your breech loaders. Protect your flanks with cavalry, or try to flank the enemy and force them to use reserves to counter it then move up with iron brigade and unload. Or stack damage shown in this video:
https://medal.tv/games/requested/clips/wr7Y7KjRWrTvW/d1337TAp1ur4?invite=cr-MSw2cG4sMTc0NzEzMTYs

Mainly USE YOUR NUMBERS, with the 1.1 update it made US troops cheaper so you can have more, but increased the CSA cost I think.

CSA: Be aggressive be be agg- wait no uh... Be aggressive use the 1st strat more, but you can still have a mix of some troops with breech loading then some troops with rifled. Your well inspired and motivated hillbilly's can somehow pull off maneuvers that only highly trained Germans can do, so uh good. You do need to make sure your units don't die for nothing though as you will have less than USA and maybe some European factions. You can do whatever you want this is just what I see works. Now go spank some boot lickin yanks back to D.C. or whoever your facing.

USA: You can use either strat to your liking, both work great from what I have seen. use your superior hoard of American Loyalist against any nation that stands in your path. You might have a small numerical disadvantage against ottomans and russia, but their troops are generally worst. You have good infantry for the price and you will use it. Again you will need to use tactics that involve using your special troops too as both Iron Brigade and US Sharps have range drill and alot of damage can be dished out in 1 turn. You can do whatever just have fun. Now go show those rebs why Uncle Sam needs to be understood, Drive em to Richmond boys! Or like whoever your fighting.

Summary:
Now this is all just from what I have seen worked in the past month (I had early access thats how), but uh give it a shot these are both I would rank intermediate factions, You can start with them, but I would recommend not start with france first. Also use other units than just Stonewall and Volunteers, Zooaaaahhhhvs and other cool units are there too use them.
Go watch I'm Literally A Turkey's video on how to play I highly recommend it.

Now, go have some fun!