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1993 - 1997 6.3 (3 votes) 3 Seasons
Genres
Documentary
Networks
A&E

Civil War Journal

Overview

Documentary series exploring the people, technology and battles behind the war between the states.

Top Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1993)

No overview available.

13 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: John Brown's War
1993-09-01

Civil War Journal covers the life and exploits of John Brown. With his revolutionary ideas and actions, he will be one of the catalysts that would lead to the civil war.

Runtime: 46 min
Episode 2: Stonewall Jackson
1993-09-08

Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson leads troops at Fredericksburg, both battles at Bull Run, and Chancellorsville.

Runtime: 46 min
Episode 3: Destiny at Ft. Sumter
1993-09-15

When President Abraham Lincoln tries to resupply Union soldiers at Fort Sumter in Charleston's harbor, the Confederate response leads to the opening of the Civil War.

Runtime: 46 min
Episode 4: McClellan's Way
1993-09-22

The rise and fall of Union Gen. George McClellan, and how his repeated clashes with Abraham Lincoln doomed his leadership of the Union Army.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 5: The 54th Massachusetts
1993-09-29

America's first black regiment, the 54th Massachusetts, fights at Fort Wagner.

Runtime: 46 min
Episode 6: The Gray Ghost: John Singleton Mosby
1993-10-06

Dangerous, discreet, and enterprising, Confederate scout and guerrilla raider John Singleton Mosby’s operations embarrassed generals and wreaked havoc through the end of the war.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 7: Alexander Gardner: War Photographer
1993-10-13

The story of the photographer whose pictures captured bloody battlefield scenes and who actually drew more notice in his time than the legendary Mathew Brady.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 8: The Battle of 1st Bull Run
1993-10-20

Fought in July 1861, the first major battle of the Civil War introduces both sides to the horrors of war.

Runtime: 46 min
Episode 9: Pickett's Charge
1993-10-27

Pickett charges Union forces at Gettysburg.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 10: Banners of Glory
1993-11-03

An account of how the Union and Confederate flags were not only symbols of pride and nationhood, but also served other important functions during the Civil War.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 11: West Point Classmates
1993-11-10

Prior to the Civil War, many opposing leaders -- including Gens. Grant an Lee -- were West Point classmates.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 12: The USS Monitor vs. the CSS Virginia
1993-11-17

In March 1862, the North's USS Monitor and the South's CSS Virginia clashed in an inclusive battle. But the ironclads changed naval warfare forever.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 13: Days of Darkness: Gettysburg Civilians
1993-11-24

The battle at Gettysburg affects the townspeople.

Runtime: 60 min
Season 2 (1994)

No overview available.

26 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: Robert E. Lee
1994-02-16

The legend, the myth, and the reality behind the Confederate leader renowned as much for his exalted character and leadership qualities as his tactical brilliance on the battlefield.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 2: Sherman and the March to the Sea
1994-02-23

From the glow of burning Atlanta to the capture of Savannah, this documentary chronicles the scorched-earth policy of one of the Union's most effective--and feared--generals.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 3: General Joshua L. Chamberlain
1994-03-02

Find out how a quiet academic from Maine rose to fame on the battlefield, including his heroism at Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 4: Lincoln & Gettysburg
1994-03-09

Chronicling the July 1863 Battle of Gettysburg and President Lincoln's celebrated address at the site on Nov. 19 of that year. Included: skirmishes at Little Round Top and Devil's Den; Gen. Pickett's charge on the Union line at Cemetery Ridge.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 5: Battlefield Medicine
1994-03-16

The Civil War soldier's deadliest foe--disease. Typhoid and dysentery claimed more lives than battlefield wounds, and poor diet, unsanitary conditions, and emotional strain took a deadly toll.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 6: The Battle of Fredericksburg
1994-03-23

How a bumbling military bureaucracy undermined Union General Ambrose Burnside's strategy, leaving his troops exposed to decimation by Robert E. Lee's Confederate forces.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 7: Frederick Douglass
1994-03-30

A profile of abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 8: Reporting the War
1994-04-06

How did journalism shatter the romantic notion of war? Explore how the work of Alfred Waud, Winslow Homer, and other talented reporters, artists, and photographers brought tragedy home.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 9: The Battle of Chattanooga
1994-04-13

The Battle of Chattanooga (Nov. 23-25, 1863), in which Union troops led by Gens. U.S. Grant and George H. Thomas crushed the Confederates at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. The victory is considered a turning point because it enabled the North to split the eastern part of the Confederacy.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 10: Women at War
1994-04-20

In the midst of great hardship, women from both the North and South were inspired to join the war effort, taking on surprising new roles either in factories or on the frontline.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 11: Nathan Bedford Forrest
1994-04-27

The controversial Confederate Army hero who was called "the most remarkable man our Civil War produced on either side" by General Sherman, and who later became Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 12: The Battles of Franklin & Nashville
1994-05-04

The spectacular defeat of the Army of Tennessee in 1864 as Union soldiers held off charging brigades at Franklin, then destroyed Confederate forces as large numbers of civilian spectators looked on.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 13: Zouaves!
1994-05-11

The saga of the most flamboyant troops of the Civil War, who modeled themselves after the fierce tribes of Algeria, and used brilliant tactics and dashing drills to fight on both sides.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 14: Shadows of Lightning: J.E.B. Stuart & the CSA Cavalry
1994-05-18

He was a hero to the South, a terror to the North and an idol to his men. This is the story of a man who led by example and brought honor and glory to his men in one victory after another.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 15: Terrible Swift Sword: The Union Cavalry
1994-05-25

Traces the history of the federal cavalry from its disastrous performance at the beginning of the war to its coming of age at Brandy Station, under leaders like Generals Buford and Sheridan.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 16: The Secret War: Civil War Spies
1994-06-01

During the Civil War, men and women from both the North and South worked as espionage agents, greatly influencing the course of history.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 17: War Crimes: The Death Camps
1994-06-08

Explore the prisoner camps in both North and South, where captured soldiers suffered from harsh, brutal conditions that often led to death.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 18: The Traitor President: Jefferson Davis
1994-06-15

The life and times of the former U.S. senator and one-time U.S. secretary of war who, as President of the Confederate States, was tasked with leading the South's war effort.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 19: General James Longstreet: Lee’s Prodigal Son
1994-06-22

Story of the masterful soldier and aide to Robert E. Lee, whose understanding of warfare foretold its style in the 20th century.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 20: Garden of the Dead: Arlington Cemetery
1994-06-29

Learn the story behind how Confederate General Robert E. Lee's home eventually became the official military cemetery of the United States.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 21: The Battle of Charleston
1994-07-06

Symbolically important because the first shots of the war were fired in the city, the North attacked for years but could not shake the will of the citizens or soldiers who fought overwhelming odds.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 22: The Battle and Siege of Vicksburg
1994-07-13

The story of the horrific fight for the strategically vital Mississippi city. Under heavy bombardment, the streets flowed with blood as civilians fled to find shelters in the cliffs and caves.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 23: Caught in the Maelstrom: Civilians in the War
1994-07-20

Explore the deadly toll the Civil War had on civilians, including how sharpshooters at Gettysburg accidentally killed Jenny Wade and a 73-year-old Gettysburg resident John Burns who takes up arms to defend his town.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 24: The Taking of New Orleans
1994-07-27

The North laid siege to the port early in the war and the city fell in 1862 but fighting continued for three more years.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 25: The Superb General Hancock
1994-08-03

Profile of Union General Winfield Scott Hancock, whose extraordinary career included the Mexican War, western expansion, the Civil War, and the period of Reconstruction.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 26: Iron Jaws: Killing Power of Civil War Artillery
1994-08-10

The war's powerful weapons and their deadly toll. Rifled cannons made their first appearance in the Civil War, while ranks of charging infantry were chewed to pieves by the artillery's iron jaws.

Runtime: 60 min
Season 3 (1995)

No overview available.

15 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: Mr. Lincoln’s Butcher: General Ulysses S. Grant
1995-03-05

Lincoln picks Ulysses S. Grant, a general who believes in winning at any cost, to command the Union Army.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 2: Freedom’s Road: Slavery and the Opposition
1995-03-12

In Philadelphia in 1776, a bargain was struck to allow slavery in the new United States—a deal that would lead to disaster, and help spark the Civil War between North and South almost a century later.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 3: Divided Houses: Families Split by War
1995-03-19

Families are divided and bonds broken forever as people are forced to chose between the Union and the newly created Confederate states.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 4: Picture Perfect: The Pomp & Vision of Matthew Brady
1995-03-26

Explore how photographer Mathew Brady's work brought the horrors of war to American's doorsteps for the first time.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 5: Bloodiest Day: Antietam
1995-04-02

Fought on September 17, 1862, the Battle of Antietam produced over 23,000 Union and Confederate casualties, making it the bloodiest single day in American history.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 6: Born Killers: The Iron Brigade
1995-04-09

The story of one of the Union's most famous units. Mustered in the Midwest, they served with enormous distinction while suffering heavy losses.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 7: Trains at War
1995-04-16

Trains...both sides needed them, but it was the Union who had the know-how and equipment to make use of this invaluable tool.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 8: The Boy Generals
1995-04-23

The remarkable tales of the very young men who rose to high rank in the war, including Galusha Pennypacker, Adelbert Ames, and Micah Jenkins.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 9: Dan Sickles: The General Who Got Away With Murder
1995-04-30

The Union general who, before the war, became the first defendant in a murder trial to be acquitted on a plea of temporary insanity. Sickles killed a man he accused of having an affair with his wife.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 10: First Ladies: North and South
1995-05-07

Mary Todd Lincoln and Varina Davis were two women from rival governments, but they led parallel lives, struggling against criticism, personal tragedies, and an agonizing war.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 11: Yanks vs Rebs: The Foot Soldiers Life
1995-05-14

How the average soldier coped with life on and off the battlefield, including drinking and gambling, music, and even a new game called baseball.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 12: Honor the Dead: Unsung Heroes of Gettysburg
1995-05-21

Engaged in the bloodiest fighting of the Civil War, nearly 30,000 soldiers are killed in three days of fighting at Gettysburg. Many of these brave souls are forgotten as they fall.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 13: Immigrants and the American Civil War
1995-05-28

One in five soldiers who fought in the war had been born in another country and would fight on both sides. But they were not always welcome.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 14: Preserving the Past
1995-06-04

A look at individual and organizational efforts to preserve our precious national monuments, including Gettysburg cemetery, at risk of being spoiled by encroachment of commercial interest.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 15: Gettysburg: Victory at All Costs
1997-08-30

This is the total story--from Little Round Top to Devil's Den to Pickett's Charge to Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and dedication of the national cemetery.

Runtime: 95 min

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