About this season
Documentary series exploring the people, technology and battles behind the war between the states.
Episodes (15)
1. Mr. Lincoln’s Butcher: General Ulysses S. Grant
Aired 5 March 1995 • 60 min
Lincoln picks Ulysses S. Grant, a general who believes in winning at any cost, to command the Union Army.
2. Freedom’s Road: Slavery and the Opposition
Aired 12 March 1995 • 60 min
In Philadelphia in 1776, a bargain was struck to allow slavery in the new United States—a deal that would lead to disaster, and help spark the Civil War between North and South almost a century later.
3. Divided Houses: Families Split by War
Aired 19 March 1995 • 60 min
Families are divided and bonds broken forever as people are forced to chose between the Union and the newly created Confederate states.
4. Picture Perfect: The Pomp & Vision of Matthew Brady
Aired 26 March 1995 • 60 min
Explore how photographer Mathew Brady's work brought the horrors of war to American's doorsteps for the first time.
5. Bloodiest Day: Antietam
Aired 2 April 1995 • 60 min
Fought on September 17, 1862, the Battle of Antietam produced over 23,000 Union and Confederate casualties, making it the bloodiest single day in American history.
6. Born Killers: The Iron Brigade
Aired 9 April 1995 • 60 min
The story of one of the Union's most famous units. Mustered in the Midwest, they served with enormous distinction while suffering heavy losses.
7. Trains at War
Aired 16 April 1995 • 60 min
Trains...both sides needed them, but it was the Union who had the know-how and equipment to make use of this invaluable tool.
8. The Boy Generals
Aired 23 April 1995 • 60 min
The remarkable tales of the very young men who rose to high rank in the war, including Galusha Pennypacker, Adelbert Ames, and Micah Jenkins.
9. Dan Sickles: The General Who Got Away With Murder
Aired 30 April 1995 • 60 min
The Union general who, before the war, became the first defendant in a murder trial to be acquitted on a plea of temporary insanity. Sickles killed a man he accused of having an affair with his wife.
10. First Ladies: North and South
Aired 7 May 1995 • 60 min
Mary Todd Lincoln and Varina Davis were two women from rival governments, but they led parallel lives, struggling against criticism, personal tragedies, and an agonizing war.
11. Yanks vs Rebs: The Foot Soldiers Life
Aired 14 May 1995 • 60 min
How the average soldier coped with life on and off the battlefield, including drinking and gambling, music, and even a new game called baseball.
12. Honor the Dead: Unsung Heroes of Gettysburg
Aired 21 May 1995 • 60 min
Engaged in the bloodiest fighting of the Civil War, nearly 30,000 soldiers are killed in three days of fighting at Gettysburg. Many of these brave souls are forgotten as they fall.
13. Immigrants and the American Civil War
Aired 28 May 1995 • 60 min
One in five soldiers who fought in the war had been born in another country and would fight on both sides. But they were not always welcome.
14. Preserving the Past
Aired 4 June 1995 • 60 min
A look at individual and organizational efforts to preserve our precious national monuments, including Gettysburg cemetery, at risk of being spoiled by encroachment of commercial interest.
15. Gettysburg: Victory at All Costs
Aired 30 August 1997 • 95 min
This is the total story--from Little Round Top to Devil's Den to Pickett's Charge to Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and dedication of the national cemetery.