First of all, are you and Daveallen some kind of comedy double act?
I've never seen this mythical way that you claim officers have of forcing/enforcing anything.
Oh...and I said Antietam, if I'd have been talking about any of the other engagements I'd have either named them, or said The Maryland Campaign.
You do tend to take things rather literally, so forgive me if I follow your lead:
''A Skirmisher is a soldier usually sent ahead of a main body of troops to harass the enemy.[1] Groups of skirmishers may also be placed on the flanks to prevent a surprise attack or flanking maneuver.[1] A skirmish is a term first used in the 14th century.[2] It meant a small-scale fight between two opposing forces or a preliminary battle involving troops in front of the main force.[2] Skirmishers were those involved in the fight or battle. It comes from the Old French eskirmir "to defend".[3] Skirmishers were usually infantry or cavalry soldiers who formed a skirmish line ahead or next to friendly troops''.
See what I did there boys, the word has more than a single meaning. Is it just possible that CG called it 'skirmish mode' to mean a 'small scale fight'????
as opposed to ' you need to fight as a skirmisher'? lol In what world could they EVER hope to get the 'realistic' amount of players in an FPS to fight a full scale civil war battle? The bottom line is that you are not 'FORCED' to do anything, you can easily fight in a skirmish line, AND it's a valid tactic. You take a big risk as a skirmisher, the ticket loss represents that.