The Civil War 

A comprehensive survey of the American Civil War.

Stars:

David McCullough, Sam Waterston, Julie Harris

Top Rated TV #29 | Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 11 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Sam Waterston	...	President Abraham Lincoln 9 episodes, 1990
Julie Harris	...	Mary Chestnut 9 episodes, 1990
Jason Robards	...	Ulysses S. Grant 9 episodes, 1990
Morgan Freeman	...	Frederick Douglass / ... 9 episodes, 1990
Paul Roebling	...	Joshua L. Chamberlain / ... 9 episodes, 1990
Garrison Keillor	...	Walt Whitman / ... 9 episodes, 1990
George Black	...	Robert E. Lee 9 episodes, 1990
David McCullough	...	Himself - Narrator 9 episodes, 1990
Arthur Miller	...	William Tecumseh Sherman / ... 9 episodes, 1990
Christopher Murney	...	Pvt. Elijah Hunt Rhodes 9 episodes, 1990
Charles McDowell	...	Pvt. Sam Watkins 9 episodes, 1990
Horton Foote	...	Jefferson Davis 9 episodes, 1990
George Plimpton	...	George Templeton Strong / ... 9 episodes, 1990
Philip Bosco	...	Horace Greeley / ... 9 episodes, 1990
Terry Courier	...	George McClellan 9 episodes, 1990
Jody Powell	...	Stonewall Jackson / ... 9 episodes, 1990
Studs Terkel	...	Benjamin F. Butler 9 episodes, 1990
Jeremy Irons	...	Various 9 episodes, 1990
Derek Jacobi	...	Various 9 episodes, 1990
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.	...	Various 9 episodes, 1990
Gene Jones	...	Various 9 episodes, 1990
Jerome Dempsey	...	Various 9 episodes, 1990
Laurence Fishburne	...	Various / ... 9 episodes, 1990
Betsy Apple	...	Various 9 episodes, 1990
Carol Craven	...	Various 9 episodes, 1990
Marissa Copeland	...	Various 9 episodes, 1990
Halo Wines	...	Various 9 episodes, 1990
David Marks	...	Various 9 episodes, 1990
Pamela Reed	...	Various 9 episodes, 1990
Ronnie Gilbert	...	Various 9 episodes, 1990
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Various 9 episodes, 1990
Hoyt Axton	...	Various 9 episodes, 1990
John Hartford	...	Various 9 episodes, 1990
Walt MacPherson	...	Various 9 episodes, 1990
Colleen Dewhurst	...	Various 9 episodes, 1990
LaTanya Richardson Jackson	...	Various / ... 9 episodes, 1990
Bradford Washburn	...	Various 9 episodes, 1990
Jesse Carr	...	Various 9 episodes, 1990
Wendy Tilghman	...	Various 9 episodes, 1990
Joe Mattys	...	Various 9 episodes, 1990
Shelby Foote	...	Himself - Writer / ... 8 episodes, 1990
Ed Bearss	...	Himself - Historian 6 episodes, 1990
Barbara Fields	...	Herself - Historian 5 episodes, 1990
James Symington	...	Himself - Former Congressman 4 episodes, 1990
Stephen B. Oates	...	Himself - Historian / ... 4 episodes, 1990

Storyline

This highly acclaimed mini-series traces the course of the U.S. Civil War from the abolitionist movement through all the major battles to the death of President Lincoln and the beginnings of Reconstruction. The story is mostly told in the words of the participants themselves, through their diaries and letters. Visuals are usually still photographs and illustrations of the time, and the soundtrack is likewise made up of war-era tunes played on period instruments. Several modern-day historians offer periodic comment and insight on the war's causes and events.

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Plot Keywords:

ulysses s. grant character | abraham lincoln character | gen robert e lee character | american civil war | tv mini series | 

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Taglines:

It divided a country. It created a nation.

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Genres:

Documentary | History | War

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Civil War

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Documentaries Inc., Florentine Films, Kenneth Lauren Burns

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sam Waterston, who voiced President Abraham Lincoln, also portrayed him in Lincoln (1988).

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Goofs

Contrary to this documentary (and many historians) Winfield Scott never recommended Robet E. Lee for anything more than a "significant command" nor did Lincoln offer Lee command of the Union Army.

An advisor to the President, Francis P. Blair, DID offer Lee command of the Defenses of Washington, via letter, but there are NO records that Lee. An Lincoln ever met in person.

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Quotes

Narrator: A week before the battle of Bull Run, Sullivan Ballou, a major in the 2nd Rhode Island Volunteers, wrote home to his wife in Smithfield.
Sullivan Ballou: July 14, 1861. Washington, D.C. Dear Sarah, indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days-perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to write again, I feel impelled to write a few lines that may fall under your eye when I'm no more. I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in, the cause in which I'm engaged, and my courage does not ...
[...]

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Connections

Spoofed in Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns) (2002)

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Soundtracks

We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder
Performed by Bernice Johnson Reagon

User Reviews

A groundbreaking film, for our defining moment

When The Civil War first aired in 1990, it became a phenomenon. I

was a little kid, but I remember "Ashokan Farewell" and the

intriguing black and white images and voiceovers from the screen,

and people talking about it all over the place. To be sure, the

intimacy of the film eventually made me a Civil War buff, as it has

for tens of thousands across the country.

The fact is, Ken Burns created a monumental piece of television

that chronicled, if not in a general fashion, by far the most defining

moment in our history and an incredibly groundbreaking way.

The film is simple, yet is so profound in it's simplicity and style,

using just pictures and accounts and music and some bursts of

color from modern cinematography. For the first time, we heard the

accounts of real soldiers and people, and instead of taking sides,

it gave a sense of humanity to both sides in a war that is riddled

with political and social posturing, but was ultimately all slaughter.