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The Civil War Season 1 Episodes
Season 1 Episode Guide
9 Episodes 1990 - 1990
This series blends vintage stills, voice-overs and on-camera commentary to give a comprehensive account of the American Civil War.
Episode 1
The Cause---1861
Sun, Sep 23, 1990 120 mins
"1861---The Cause," recalls slavery; the abolitionist movement; the firing on Fort Sumter; the formation of Union and Confederate armies; and the first Battle of Bull Run (Manassas). Voices include Sam Waterston (Lincoln), Morgan Freeman (Frederick Douglass) and George Plimpton (George Templeton Strong). David McCullough narrates.
Episode 2
A Very Bloody Affair---1862
Mon, Sep 24, 1990 70 mins
1862...Part 2: The Union and Confederate ironclads revolutionize naval warfare; Grant wins victories in the West; McClellan's Army of the Potomac stalls against an outnumbered enemy in the Peninsula campaign.
Episode 3
Forever Free---1862
Mon, Sep 24, 1990 80 mins
1862...Part 3: Stonewall Jackson's triumph in the Shenandoah Valley; the Battle of Antietam at Sharpsburg, Md. Also: Lincoln readies the Emancipation Proclamation. David McCullough narrates.
Episode 4
Simply Murder---1863
Tue, Sep 25, 1990 65 mins
1863...Part 4: Lee's victory at Chancellorsville, Va., is his "masterpiece," but he loses Stonewall Jackson; Grant begins a siege of Vicksburg (Miss.); Frederick Douglass calls for the arming of free blacks and former slaves. Also: army morale; music of the war; shortages on the home front.
Episode 5
The Universe of Battle---1863
Tue, Sep 25, 1990 90 mins
1863...Part 5: The Battle of Gettysburg; the first black regiment; Lincoln's Gettysburg Address (read by Sam Waterston); the key battles of Chattanooga and Chickamauga; New York draft riots. David McCullough narrates.
Episode 6
The Valley of the Shadow of Death---1864
Wed, Sep 26, 1990 70 mins
1864...Part 6: U.S. Grant and Robert E. Lee are profiled; Sherman moves on Atlanta. Also: hospital conditions for both sides. David McCullough narrates.
Episode 7
Most Hallowed Ground---1864
Wed, Sep 26, 1990 85 mins
1864...Part 7: Lincoln seeks reelection against his former top officer, George McClellan. Also: prison camps and spy networks; exploits of the Confederacy's most feared cavalry commander, Nathan Bedford Forrest. David McCullough narrates.
Episode 8
War Is All Hell---1865
Thu, Sep 27, 1990 70 mins
1865...Part 8: Atlanta conquered, Sherman marches his 62,000 men to the sea; Petersburg and Richmond fall; Lee surrenders to Grant; John Wilkes Booth plots to avenge the defeat of the South.
Episode 9
The Better Angels of Our Nature---1865
Thu, Sep 27, 1990 85 mins
1865...Conclusion: Lincoln is assassinated; John Wilkes Booth is killed by Federal troops. Also: reflections on the war by historians Shelby Foote and Barbara Fields; and an interview with documentarian Ken Burns.
