The Civil War (1990–1990)

Highest-rated episodes all ranked

1. 01War Is All Hell: 1865S01E08 · 6.7The episode begins with William Tecumseh Sherman's brilliant march to the sea, which brings the war to the heart of Georgia and the Carolinas and spells the end of the Confederacy. In March, following Lincoln's second inauguration, first Petersburg and then Richmond finally fall to Grant's army. Lee's tattered Army of Northern Virginia flees westward towards a tiny crossroads town called Appomattox Court House. There the dramatic and deeply moving surrender of Lee to Grant takes place. The episode ends in Washington where John Wilkes Booth begins to dream of vengeance for the South.
2. 02Forever Free: 1862S01E03 · 6.5This episode charts the dramatic events that led to Lincoln's decision to set the slaves free. Convinced by July 1862 that emancipation was now morally and militarily crucial to the future of the Union, Lincoln must wait for a victory to issue his proclamation. But as the year wears on there are no Union victories to be had, thanks to the brilliance of Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee. The episode comes to a climax in September 1862 with Lee's invasion of Maryland. On the banks of Antietam Creek, the bloodiest day of the war takes place, followed shortly by the brightest: the emancipation of the slaves.
3. 03Simply Murder: 1863S01E04 · 6.5The nightmarish Union disaster at Fredericksburg comes to two climaxes that spring: at Chancellorsville in May, where Lee wins his most brilliant victory but loses Stonewall Jackson; and at Vicksburg, where Grant's attempts to take the city by siege are stopped. During the episode we learn of fierce Northern opposition to Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, the miseries of regimental life and the increasing desperation of the Confederate homefront. As the episode ends, Lee decides to invade the North again to draw Grant's forces away from Vicksburg.

Episodes by season

Castfull cast & details

David McCulloughNarrator (voice)Sam WaterstonAbraham Lincoln (voice)Julie HarrisMary Chestnut (voice)Jason RobardsUlysses S. Grant (voice)Morgan FreemanFrederick Douglass / John Boston (voice)Paul RoeblingJoshua Chamberlain (voice)Garrison KeillorWalt Whitman (voice)

George Black

George BlackRobert E. Lee (voice)

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