History

The Civil War

Between 1861 and 1865, Americans made war on each other and killed each other in great numbers if only to become the kind of country that could no longer conceive of how that was possible. What began as a bitter dispute over Union and States' Rights, ended as a struggle over the meaning of freedom in America.

Making The Civil War: 25 Years Later

28m 19s

Ken Burns, Ric Burns, Buddy Squires, and Allen Moore discuss the making of The Civil War.

Episodes

  • 1865: "War Is All Hell"/"The Better Angels of Our Nature": asset-mezzanine-16x9

    1865: "War Is All Hell"/"The Better Angels of Our Nature"

    S1 E5 - 2h 14m

    Follow Sherman’s March to the Sea, Richmond’s fall to Grant’s army, and Lee’s surrender to Grant. Follow the events of Lincoln’s assassination and burial, and Booth’s capture, as the war finally comes to a close. Explore the consequences and meaning of a war that transformed the country from a collection of states to the nation it is today.

  • 1864: "Valley of the Shadow of Death"/"Most Hallowed Ground": asset-mezzanine-16x9

    1864: "Valley of the Shadow of Death"/"Most Hallowed Ground"

    S1 E4 - 2h 18m

    Visit ghastly hospitals in the North and South and follow Sherman’s Atlanta campaign. While causalities mount, Lincoln’s re-election chances dim. Learn why the stakes were high for the 1864 presidential campaign, where Lincoln faced George McClellan. Also follow Union battle victories at Mobile Bay, Atlanta and the Shenandoah Valley, and the creation of Arlington National Cemetery.

  • 1863: "Simply Murder"/"The Universe of Battle": asset-mezzanine-16x9

    1863: "Simply Murder"/"The Universe of Battle"

    S1 E3 - 2h 34m

    Follow Lee, Jackson and Grant through battles and northern opposition to the Emancipation Proclamation. Watch the Battle of Gettysburg, the turning point of the war, unfold. See Vicksburg’s fall, New York draft riots, the first African-American troops, western battles at Chickamauga and Chattanooga — and Lincoln’s dedication of a new Union cemetery at Gettysburg.

  • 1862: "A Very Bloody Affair"/"Forever Free": asset-mezzanine-16x9

    1862: "A Very Bloody Affair"/"Forever Free"

    S1 E2 - 2h 21m

    See the birth of modern warfare and Lincoln’s war to preserve the Union transform into a war to emancipate the slaves. Follow the battle of ironclad ships, camp life and the beginning of the end of slavery. Re-live the war’s bloodiest day, on the banks of Antietam Creek, and the brightest: the emancipation of the slaves.

  • 1861: "The Cause": asset-mezzanine-16x9

    1861: "The Cause"

    S1 E1 - 1h 40m

    Beginning with a searing indictment of slavery, this first episode dramatically evokes the causes of the war, from the Cotton Kingdom of the South to the northern abolitionists who opposed it. Here are the burning questions of Union and states' rights, John Brown at Harpers Ferry, the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, the firing on Fort Sumter, and the jubilant rush to arms on both sides.

Extras + Features

  • Appomattox: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Appomattox

    S1 - 11m 7s

    April 7, 1865 - Grant writes to Lee. April 9, 1865. Lee sends word that he will surrender. Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant meet at Appomattox to work out the terms of the surrender. The formal surrender comes three days later. In Washington, Lincoln quietly rejoices. A few blocks away, John Wilkes Booth plots.

  • Q & A: Civil War Interest: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Q & A: Civil War Interest

    S1 - 1m 39s

    Ken Burns shares how his interest in the Civil War came about after noticing it was the central event in American History.

  • Q & A: Working with Celebrities: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Q & A: Working with Celebrities

    S1 - 3m 21s

    Some of the biggest names in Hollywood have narrated Ken Burns's films. Find out how A-list actors become interested providing narration.

  • A Thousand Mile Front: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    A Thousand Mile Front

    S1 - 3m 27s

    General George McClellan takes command of the Union army with an elaborate plan to destroy the Confederacy, but does nothing. U.S. Grant is assigned to desk duty; William T. Sherman resigns, close to suicide.

  • Official Trailer: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Official Trailer

    S1 - 30s

    Preview The Civil War, which was restored and remastered in high-definition in 2015. The film was rebroadcast that year to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the series’ initial broadcast in September 1990.

  • Sherman's March: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Sherman's March

    S1 - 10m 51s

    In late 1864, Sherman decides to march his army from Atlanta to Savannah, living off the land, and destroying everything along the way that could aid the Confederate army. On the march, Sherman's army causes $100 million of damage "the South would never forget." John Bell Hood moves his forces into Tennessee, and at the Battle of Franklin clashes with Union troops under General George Thomas.

  • A House Divided: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    A House Divided

    S1 - 3m 16s

    By mid-century, the country was deeply divided. Southerners feared the North might forbid slavery. Northerners feared slavery might move west. As each new state was added to the union, it threatened to upset the delicate equilibrium of power.

  • Bottom Rail on Top: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Bottom Rail on Top

    S1 - 7m 49s

    Lincoln issues the first federal draft call, but for $300, men can hire substitutes and most of the wealthy elite do so. Resistance to the draft causes riots throughout the North. Lincoln authorizes the first African-American troops. The 54th Massachusetts regiment, under Robert Gould Shaw, attacks Fort Wagner, South Carolina.

WETA Passport

Stream tens of thousands of hours of your PBS and local favorites with WETA Passport whenever and wherever you want. Catch up on a single episode or binge-watch full seasons before they air on TV.

Similar Shows