The Civil War

Examining the causes of the American Civil War, beginning with a searing indictment of slavery and a dramatic depiction of the causes of the American Civil War. The burning issues of Union and 'states' rights', freedom, and slavery are explored alongside the election of President Abraham Lincoln in 1860, the secession of Southern states, and the inauguration of Jefferson Davies as president of the Confederacy.

The year 1862 saw the birth of modern warfare and political infighting in Lincoln's administration as the president shifted the emphasis from preserving the Union to emancipating slaves.

After years spent waiting for a Union victory over the Confederacy, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in the wake of a bloody but indecisive battle at Antietam in September 1862.

Exploring Northern opposition to Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and the Union disaster at Fredericksburg that prefaced further successes for the Confederacy at Chancellorsville before Lee again invaded the North.

The turning point of the war occurs at the Battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln makes a memorable speech as he dedicates the Union cemetery at Gettysburg, and draft riots break out in New York.

A biographical comparison of Ulysses S Grant and Robert E Lee chronicles the extraordinary battles that pitted the two generals against each other, from the wilderness to Petersburg in Virginia. In 30 days, the two armies lost more men than both sides had lost in three years of war, while General Sherman's Atlanta campaign traversed the mountains of North Georgia.