Civil War Journal

Personal stories of combatants in the Civil War.
Mr. Lincoln's Butcher: Gen. Ulysses S. Grant
S3 E1

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

Born Killers: The Iron Brigade
S3 E2

The Iron Brigade fought heroically at Brawner's Farm, South Mountain and Antietam before suffering devastating losses at Gettysburg.

Divided Houses: Families Split by War
S3 E3

Men fight against their own family and friends during the Civil War.

The Boy Generals
S3 E4

Galusha Pennypacker, Micah Jenkins and Adelbert Ames were among the young men who rose to military prominence during the Civil War.

Yank vs. Reb: The Foot Soldier's Life
S3 E5

Dedication to their respective causes enabled both Union and Confederate foot soldiers to endure hardship and deprivation.

Dan Sickles: The General Who Got Away With Murder
S3 E7

In 1859, Rep. Dan Sickles is acquitted of murder by reason of temporary insanity, then he becomes a Union general.

Robert E. Lee
S2 E1

Robert E. Lee is known as much for his character as his leadership.

Sherman and the March to the Sea
S2 E2

Sherman's army burns everything from Atlanta to Savannah, Ga.

Gen. Joshua L. Chamberlain
S2 E3

A profile of Gen. Joshua L. Chamberlain, a rhetoric professor who received the Medal of Honor for his defense of Little Round Top at Gettysburg, Pa.

Battlefield Medicine
S2 E5

Typhoid, dysentery, poor diet and unsanitary conditions were deadly foes soldiers faced during the Civil War.

The Secret War: Civil War Spies
S2 E6

Espionage agents.

Reporting the War
S2 E8

Journalists Alfred Waud, Winslow Homer, Alexander Gardner bring war reports to the homefront.

Days of Darkness: The Gettysburg Civilians
S2 E9

The battle at Gettysburg affects the townspeople.

Nathan Bedford Forrest
S2 E10

Confederate Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest becomes leader of the Ku Klux Klan.

Women at War
S2 E12

Nurse Clara Barton and spy Rosa Greenhow are among women who take on new roles during the conflict.

Zouaves!
S2 E13

Flamboyant Zouaves copy Algerian troop tactics, drills and daring.

The Battle of Franklin & Nashville
S2 E14

The Union army defeated the Confederates in the 1864 battles at Franklin and Nashville as spectators watched.

Preserving the Past
S2 E15

Commercial development threatens historic battlefields.

Lincoln and Gettysburg
S2 E16

The glory and the pain of the Battle of Gettysburg and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address are recalled. Host: Danny Glover.

Shadows of Lightning: Jeb Stuart & the Cavalry
S2 E17

Jeb Stuart, Virginia general and secret weapon of the South, originated the legend of the "unstoppable cavalry.".

Terrible Swift Sword: The Union Cavalry
S2 E18

Gens. Buford and Sheridan played important parts in the history of the federal cavalry.

War Crimes: The Death Camps
S2 E20

The Civil War was riddled with cases of inhumane treatment of prisoners of war.

The Traitor President: Jefferson Davis
S2 E21

Confederate President Jefferson Davis fought valiantly in the Mexican War, but his reputation is still stained.

Gen. James Longstreet: Lee's Prodigal Son
S2 E22

The South blames Gen. James Longstreet for defeat at Gettysburg.

Garden of the Dead: The Story of Arlington Cemetery
S2 E23

Gen. Robert E. Lee's Arlington, Va., home becomes a national military cemetery.

Honor the Dead: Unsung Heroes of Gettysburg
S2 E24

Rare photographs and new research help pay tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives at the bloody Battle of Gettysburg.

Iron Jaws: The Killing Power of Civil War Artillery
S2 E25

Industrial-age weapons first appear on Civil War battlefields.

Caught in the Maelstrom: Civilians in War
S2 E26

Sharpshooters kill Jenny Wade at Gettysburg; 73-year-old John Burns takes arms.

The Taking of New Orleans
S2 E27

Although Union forces attacked early in the war, the citizens of New Orleans continued to fight for three years after the city fell.

The Superb Gen. Hancock
S2 E28

Little-known Union Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock's career included the Mexican War, western expansion, the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Picture Perfect: The Pomp and Vision of Mathew Brady
S2 E29

A profile of Civil War photographer Mathew Brady whose stunning pictures produced a visual record of the war.

Destiny at Ft. Sumter
S1 E2

A horrific battle at Fort Sumter in South Carolina opens the Civil War in April 1861.

Monitor vs. the CSS Virginia
S1 E3

In 1862 the ironclads Monitor and Merrimac clash, changing naval warfare forever.

McClellan's Way
S1 E4

The hesitancy of the Army commander at the Potomac to attack was a source of exasperation for President Lincoln.

The Gray Ghost: John Singleton Mosby
S1 E5

John Singleton Mosby was a resourceful Confederate raider.

The 54th Massachusetts
S1 E6

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

Alexander Gardner: War Photographer
S1 E7

Photographer Alexander Gardner captures bloody battlefield scenes.

John Brown's War
S1 E8

In many respects, John Brown's charge on Harpers Ferry sparked the war.

The Battle of 1st Bull Run
S1 E9

Both sides learn the horror of war at the First Battle of Bull Run.

Pickett's Charge
S1 E10

Pickett charges Union forces at Gettysburg.

West Point Classmates
S1 E13

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