A documentary on the American Civil War narrated by Ken Burns, covering the secession of the Confederacy to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
- Created by
- Ken Burns
Seasons and episodes
1 season · 9 episodes
Photographs, period paintings, lithographs and headlines of the Civil War are combined with moving newsreel footage of Civil War veterans, interviews with distinguished historians and first-person accounts in this award-winning documentary
S1 E1The Cause: 1861
Sep 23, 19906.2100 min
Beginning with a searing indictment of slavery, this first episode dramatically evokes the causes of the war, from the Cotton Kingdom of the South to the northern abolitionists who opposed it. Here are the burning questions of Union and Sta
S1 E2A Very Bloody Affair: 1862
Sep 24, 19905.969 min
1862 saw the birth of modern warfare and the transformation of Lincoln's war to preserve the Union into a war to emancipate the slaves. Episode Two begins with the political infighting that threatened to swamp Lincoln's administration and t
S1 E3Forever Free: 1862
Sep 24, 19906.577 min
This 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 is
S1 E4Simply Murder: 1863
Sep 25, 19906.563 min
The 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
S1 E5The Universe of Battle: 1863
Sep 25, 19906.597 min
This episode opens with a dramatic account of the turning point of war: the Battle of Gettysburg, the greatest ever fought in the Western Hemisphere. For three days 150,000 men will fight to the death in the Pennsylvania countryside, culmin
S1 E6Valley of the Shadow of Death: 1864
Sep 26, 19906.571 min
Episode six begins with a biographical comparison of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee and then chronicles the extraordinary series of battles that pitted the two generals against each other from the wilderness to Petersburg in Virginia. I
Starring
David McCullough
Narrator (voice)
Sam Waterston
Abraham Lincoln (voice)
Julie Harris
Mary Chestnut (voice)
Jason Robards
Ulysses S. Grant (voice)
Morgan Freeman
Frederick Douglass / John Boston (voice)
Paul Roebling
Joshua Chamberlain (voice)
Garrison Keillor
Walt Whitman (voice)
- G
George Black
Robert E. Lee (voice)
Arthur Miller
William Tecumseh Sherman (voice)
Christopher Murney
Elisha Hunt Rhodes (voice)
- C
Charles McDowell
Samuel R. Watkins (voice)
Horton Foote
Jefferson Davis (voice)
Frequently asked questions
- Where can I watch The Civil War?
- The Civil War is streaming on KQED, WETA+, Hoopla, Thirteen, HISTORY Vault Amazon Channel, HISTORY Vault Apple TV channel, PBS Documentaries Amazon Channel. It can also be rented or bought on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies. Availability is refreshed weekly.
- How many seasons of The Civil War are there?
- The Civil War has 1 season and 9 episodes. Status: Ended.
- Will there be a new season of The Civil War?
- The Civil War has ended; no new episodes are scheduled. The final episode aired on September 27, 1990.
- Who stars in The Civil War?
- The Civil War stars David McCullough, Sam Waterston, Julie Harris, Jason Robards, Morgan Freeman.
