Tactics used during the American Civil War During the American Civil War, both the Union and Confederacy used innovative tactics. The Union employed "total war" strategies, aiming to destroy the Confederacy’s resources and infrastructure, exemplified by General Sherman’s March to the Sea. The Confederacy relied on defensive strategies, including trench warfare and guerilla tactics. Both sides used railroads for rapid troop movement, and ironclad ships revolutionized naval combat. The war also sa