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The celebrated PBS "Civil War" documentary by Ken Burns
Every year I once again watch Ken Burn's celebrated documentary on "The Civil War," listening to David McCullough's narration haunting narration as hundreds of still photographs from the period are brought alive by combining them with contemporary interviews with historians like Shelby Foote, mutli-layered sound effects, the voices of actors such as Morgan Freeman and Sam Waterson, and the simple but evocative music:

Episode 1: "A House Divided" introduces us to the players in this most tragic of American dramas, from Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass to William Lloyd Garrison and Robert E. Lee. The narrative brings us up to the aftermath of the First Battle of Manassas/Bull Run and George B. McClellan being placed in charge of the Federal Army. The sections on the background of the Civil War are somewhat sparse, focusing more on the precipitating events without getting into the Missouri Compromise or the Dredd Scott decision, and are not as useful to teachers of American History as one might hope.

Episode 2: "A Very Bloody Affair" focuses on McClellan's Peninsula Campaign in the East and Grant's military successes in the West leading up to the Battle of Shiloh during the second year of the war. Other notable moments cover the clash of Ironclads with the Monitor and the Merrimac, the fall of New Orleans to Farragaut's Federal fleet, as well as the introduction of Nathan Bedford Forrest. It is at this point that the parallels between the American Civil War and Homer's "Iliad" that Burns sees becomes fairly obvious.

Episode 3: "Forever Free" centers on the Battle of Antietam, which turned back Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North and gave Abraham Lincoln the political breathing space to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.

Episode 4: "Simply Murder" focuses on the futile stupidity of the Union assault on Marye's Heights at Fredericksburg and the blinding brilliance of Robert E. Lee's strategy at the Battle of Chancellorsville, while out West Ulysses S. Grant lays siege to Vicksburg. However, all of the Confederate successes are tempered by the death of Stonewall Jackson and Lee's fatal plan to invade the North a second time.

Episode 5: "Universe of Battle" relates how the Battle of Gettysburg and the fall of Vicksburg marked the turning point of the Civil War. Those familiar with Michael Shaara's novel "The Killer Angels" or the film "Gettysburg" will find Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain featured prominently in this episode. There is also a section devoted to the Negro troops who fought for the Union during the war, contrasted with the Northern riots against Emancipation. The episode ends with the war moving from Tennessee to Georgia and, of course, Lincoln's address at Gettysburg.

Episode 6: "Valley of the Shadow of Death" tells how Lincoln finally finds his general as Grant comes East and takes command of the Union forces. Finally the stage is set between Sam Grant and Robert E. Lee, "The Marble Model." This episode follows the movement of the Army of the Potomac from the Wilderness to Petersburg.

Episode 7: "Most Hallowed Ground" focuses on the last half of 1864 and the events effective the re-election of Abraham Lincoln. With the Army of the Potomac stalled outside Petersburg, Virginia it is Sherman's assault on Atlanta that gives the President the momentum to defeat his opponent, George B. McClellan. Other sections of this episode cover the Battle of the Crater, Phil Sheridan's campaign in the Shenandoah Valley, and the military brilliance of Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Episode 8: "War is All Hell" finds the war finally coming to an end. Sherman marches to the sea and Richmond finally falls to Grant, setting up Lee's surrender at Appomattox and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

Episode 9: "The Better Angels of Our Nature" is essentially the epilogue to the celebrated documentary on "The Civil War" from Ken Burns. The war is finally over and after touching upon the execution of those involved in the Lincoln assassination and the review of the Grand Armins of the Republic, the primary focus of Episode 9 in on what happened to the people we have followed throughout the documentary. Not only do we learn the final fates of Generals Grant and Lee, but what happened to Elisha Hunt Rhodes and Sam Watkins when they returned from the war. Burns tells not only about those the Civil War had made immortal, such as George Pickett, but those who's reputations were restored by this documentary, most notably Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. The most memorable moment comes at the very end, when we see film of the 50th reunion of the Blue and the Grey at Gettysburg and a reenactment of Pickett's Charge.

We become hooked on this compelling narrative at the end of the first episode, with its unforgettable section on "Honorable Manhood," which includes the letter written by Major Sullivan Ballou of the 2nd Rhode Island to his wife Sarah back home in Smithfield, a week before the first battle of Manassas. The letter is as emotionally powerful as it is poetic, and once you hear it you will not be surprised that it was included on the CD. I was also struck by the revelation at the end of the documentary of how the glass plates of photographs taken during the war were sold to greenhouses, where the sun slowly burned away the grim images of death. In between Burns covers the Civil War in detail, focusing not only on Presidents Lincoln and Davis as well as all the Generals from Grant and Lee to Butler and Forrest, but common soldiers like Elisha Hunt Rhodes and Sam Watkins. My personal favorite discovery form this film is Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. There is just so much to take away from this documentary. Even if you are not a Civil War buff, watching "The Civil War" is a remarkable experience.