Ken Burns: The Civil War
1861: "The Cause"
This episode begins with a searing indictment of slavery and a dramatic depiction of the causes of the American Civil War.
Ken Burns: The Civil War
Ken Burns: The Civil War
1862: "A Very Bloody Affair"/"Forever Free"
1862 saw the birth of modern warfare and the transformation of what had been Lincoln's war to preserve the Union into a war to emancipate the slaves.
Ken Burns: The Civil War
1863: "Simply Murder"/"The Universe of Battle"
After years spent waiting for a Union victory, Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation in the wake of a bloody but indecisive battle at Antietam.
Ken Burns: The Civil War
1864: "Valley of the Shadow of Death"/"Most Hallowed Ground"
Visit ghastly hospitals in the North and South and follow Sherman’s Atlanta campaign.
Ken Burns: The Civil War
1865: "War Is All Hell"/"The Better Angels of Our Nature"
Follow the events of Lincoln’s assassination and burial, and Booth’s capture, as the war finally comes to a close.