The Civil War

This award-winning PBS documentary by Ken Burns brings the American Civil War (1861–65) to life through the use of archival photographs, maps, diaries, letters, and other sources. It covers the politics, military campaigns, and the so-called homefront before, during, and after America's bloodiest conflict. With archival images of 16,000 photographs, taken from a total of one million pictures of the Civil War, this documentary is extremely detailed. Along with period paintings, lithographs, and headlines, there is a combination of moving newsreel footage of Civil War veterans, evocative live cinematography of the now quiet battle sites, interviews with distinguished historians, and first-person accounts.