Sherman's March
DVD
From The History Channel. "War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it." -
General William Tecumseh Sherman
"Seven score and two years ago, a self-described "madman"
altered the history of the world.
"With upwards of 100,000 men and the reluctant blessing of
the Union, General William Tecumseh Sherman swept through the South with
unprecedented speed and savagery. The effect of his campaign, spurred by the
concept of total war - the complete elimination of the Confederacy's strategic,
economic, and psychological ability to wage war - was terrible for the civilian
population and devastating for the South's army."
Southern War Songs: Campfire, Patriotic and Sentimental

The Civil War Draft Riots
DVD; From A & E: "When people think of draft protests, they invariably conjure up images of activists burning their draft cards during the Vietnam War. But the protests in the 1960s simply do not compare to the hue and cry raised over conscription 100 years earlier, when New York City erupted in riots over a controversial draft plan called for by President Lincoln.
"In fact, the New York City draft riots of 1863 were the most violent outbreak of urban unrest in U.S. history. CIVIL WAR DRAFT RIOTS tells the complete story of the incredible explosion, documenting the converging forces that fanned the flames of protest and telling of the week-long reign of violence and anarchy. With troops in Pennsylvania facing Lee's invasion force at Gettysburg, the city was defenseless. Armed mobs rampaged through the streets and fought police and the remaining militia in pitched battles. They burned government offices, sacked the homes of wealthy Republicans, destroyed newspaper offices, even looted Brooks Brothers.
"This is the definitive, surprising story of the worst riots in American history, long before Watts, Detroit and L.A."
Guns of the Civil War
DVD or VHS
"More Americans died in the Civil War than in all other wars combined. The revolutionary weapons they fought with helped make sure that happened.
"The Civil War saw the introduction of guns that were far more deadly and accurate than those of just a few decades before. It was a gruesome proving ground for the technological advances brought about by the Industrial Revolution, and the innovations of weapons makers like Winchester, whose lever action rifle was one of the most sought after and effective guns used in the War Between the States. Filled with interviews with weapons experts and military historians, GUNS OF THE CIVIL WAR documents the advances and introduces the weapons that helped turn American fields red with blood. See rare photographs of Union and Rebel troops in action, and get an up-close look at the actual weapons that they used."
The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns
"The most successful public-television miniseries in American history, the 11-hour Civil War didn't just captivate a nation, reteaching to us our history in narrative terms; it actually also invented a new film language taken from its creator. When people describe documentaries using the "Ken Burns approach," its style is understood: voice-over narrators reading letters and documents dramatically and stating the writer's name at their conclusion, fresh live footage of places juxtaposed with still images (photographs, paintings, maps, prints), anecdotal interviews, and romantic musical scores taken from the era he depicts. The Civil War uses all of these devices to evoke atmosphere and resurrect an event that many knew only from stale history books. While Burns is a historian, a researcher, and a documentarian, he's above all a gifted storyteller, and it's his narrative powers that give this chronicle its beauty, overwhelming emotion, and devastating horror. Using the words of old letters, eloquently read by a variety of celebrities, the stories of historians like Shelby Foote and rare, stained photos, Burns allows us not only to relearn and finally understand our history, but also to feel and experience it. --Dave McCoy"
Civil War Combat: America's
Bloodiest Battles
"With beautifully shot footage of reenactors, Civil War Combat illustrates aspects of four particular Civil War battles that are rightfully considered legendary. Filmed on location, the reenactors depict the violent mayhem of the hornet's nest at Shiloh, the valiant charge on the sunken road at Antietam, the carnage in the wheat field at Gettysburg, and the brutal fighting at Cold Harbor. Produced by the History Channel, the episodes all benefit from insightful appearances by historians as well as rangers from the National Park Service. The format of putting the focus on specific points of action in larger battles allows for narratives about specific soldiers and commanders, in both the Union and Confederate ranks, to develop. For instance, the segment on Antietam profiles commanders and individual soldiers from the Union's Irish Brigade and the Alabama regiment they charged during some of the most violent action of the entire war. The Civil War reenactors provide a credible look at how the war must have appeared to participants (though purists will note that some of the reenactors appear too clean and too well fed to have been marching behind Robert E. Lee). The discussions of strategy and the importance of the events depicted, combined with the uniformly excellent cinematography, make this an entertaining and enlightening look at critical events of the Civil War. --Robert J. McNamara "
The Civil War - Traditional
American Songs And Instrumental Music Featured In The Film By Ken Burns:
Original Soundtrack Recording