Johnny Reb is a turn-based strategy game for one or two players, based on the American Civil War. Players can control an army of either the Union or the Confederation. There are three types of units: infantry, cavalry and artillery, and it's possible to decide how many of each type the player's army should consist of. After the initial set-up, the battlefield is generated. The goal is to capture the enemy's flag, but it's also possible to achieve a victory by points. Army control is handled with the keyboard - units can move in eight directions. Artillery can shoot over distance, the other unit types can directly attack by simply moving to an adjacent square.