CIVIL WAR JOURNAL:THE CONFLICT

Details

• Release Year: 1993
• Genre: Documentary, War
• Plot: These four programs from the History Channel series Civil War Journal cover critical aspects of the early days of the war. A profile of John Brown, the wild-eyed abolitionist who sought to foment a bloody rebellion by seizing a U.S. armory, explains the rising passions in the nation that would, within two years, escalate into armed conflict. A program aptly titled Destiny at Fort Sumter details the political tensions that boiled over in South Carolina when southerners fired on a federal fort in Charleston harbor and thereby began the Civil War. People on both sides expected a fast and glorious war, and men who feared it would all be over before they got to the front raced to recruiting stations in states on both sides of the conflict. A program about the Battle of the First Bull Run illustrates how those illusions about the war faded fast on the bloody battlefield as inexperienced Union troops found themselves facing ferocious rifle fire from troops commanded by a Confederate leader who was earning the nickname of 'Stonewall' Jackson. The 54th Massachusetts Regiment, a unit of African Americans from New England, is the subject of a program that thoughtfully examines how the soldiers distinguished themselves in combat while battling racism at home as well as on the battlefield. These programs, which are hosted by actor Danny Glover, utilize interviews with historians, archival photographs, and re-enactments of battle scenes to provide intelligent presentations on important aspects of the Civil War. --Robert J. McNamara
• Cast: Danny Glover, Brad Marshall, Donna E. Lusitana
• Director: Donna E. Lusitana
• Runtime: 3:20
• Company: Greystone Communications, A&E Television Networks
• Media Format: movie