CIVIL WAR, THE, EPISODE 7: 1864: MOST HALLOWED GROUND (TV)
Summary
The seventh episode in this nine-episode documentary about the American Civil War, narrated by David McCullough. Subtitles include "A warm place in the field," "Nathan Bedford Forrest," "Summer, 1864," "Spies," "The Crater," "Headquarters, U.S.A.," "The Promised Land," "The Age of Shoddy," "Can those be men?," "The People's Resolution," and "Most Hallowed Ground." Experts who appear include writer Shelby Foote and historians Stephen B. Oates and Ed Bearss. As this installment begins, the nation yearns for peace, yet the situation is grim for the Union: with Grant stalled outside of Petersberg and Sherman stalled outside of Atlanta, Lincoln's chance for re-election against George McClellan seems unlikely. Topics covered in this episode include the disatrous events surrounding General Burnside's order to build a 500-foot tunnel under Petersburg in an attempt to reach the Confederates, which proved fatal for the Union soldiers involved; the battle for Atlanta, with Sherman sealing off Confederate supply routes to the city; General Phillip Sheridan's battle in the Shenandoah, and the presidential campaign between Lincoln and his former army commander, George McClellan. Included are profiles of Nathan Bedford Forrest and several spies on both sides, including Alan Pinkerton, Rose O'Neal Greenhow, and others; and reflections by Mary Chesnut, Robert E. Lee, Walt Whitman, and others. Further insight into the lifestyle of the soldier is provided through segments on a typical Union camp, brothels, common pastimes such as betting, and the shrewd businessmen and unscrupulous contractors who profited from the war. Other topics include the congressional decision that black soldiers would be paid the same amount of money as the white soldiers; infamous deeds that occurred during the war, such as the Massacre at Fort Pillow, which led to the slaughter of hundreds of black soldiers who had surrendered to Nathan Bedford Forrest; the resulting end to the prison exchange practice until the South recognized no difference between treatment of black and white prisoners of war; a description of Andersonville Prison, which was typically overcrowded due to the termination of the prison exchange system; and Lincoln's proclamation establishing Thanksgiving as a national holiday; and the Union troops celebration. In the final portion of this installment, Sherman begins his march to the sea; the idea of "the lost cause" is born for the Confederates; and the history of Arlington National Cemetery is explained.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: September 26, 1990 Wednesday 9:09 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:12:40
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T91:0024
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: U S - History - Civil War, 1861-1865; Public affairs/Documentaries
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV, 1990
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Ken Burns … Executive Producer, Writer, Music by
- Ric Burns … Producer, Writer
- Stephen Ives … Co-Producer
- Julie Dunfey … Co-Producer
- Mike Hill … Co-Producer
- David McCullough … Production (Misc.), Senior Creative Consultant, Narrator
- Geoffrey C. Ward … Writer
- Robert Burgess … Camera, Still photography by
- Stephen Petegorsky … Camera, Still photography by
- John Colby … Music (Misc. Credits), Music direction by
- Jacqueline Schwab … Instrumentalist, Pianist, Traditional music performed by
- Jay Ungar … Instrumentalist, Fiddle and mandolin player, Traditional music performed by
- Matt Glaser … Instrumentalist, Fiddle player, Traditional music performed by
- Jesse Carr … Singer, Instrumentalist, Guitar and recorder player, Traditional music performed by
- Molly Mason … Instrumentalist, Guitar and bass player, Traditional music performed by
- Peggy James … Instrumentalist, Violinist, Traditional music performed by
- Yonatan Malin … Instrumentalist, Flutist, Traditional music performed by
- Peter Amidon … Instrumentalist, Banjo player, Traditional music performed by
- Peter Ecklund … Instrumentalist, Cornet player, Traditional music performed by
- Don Brooks … Instrumentalist, Harmonica player, Traditional music performed by
- Russ Barenberg … Instrumentalist, Guitar and mandolin player, Traditional music performed by
- Old Bethpage Brass Band … Music Group, Traditional music performed by
- Kirby Jolly … Conductor, Old Bethpage Brass Band
- Jay Ungar … Composer, "Ashokan Farewell"
- Bernice Johnson Reagon … Music (Misc. Credits), "We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder" arranged and performed by
- Sanctuary Choir of the Abyssinian Baptist Church … Choir/Chorus, "Battle Hymn of the Republic" performed by
- Jewel T. Thompson … Choral Director, Sanctuary Choir
- Fennell, Frederick, and the Eastman Wind Ensemble … Music Group
- Bobby Horton … Performer, "Dixie" performed by
- United States Marine Band … Music Group, "The Star-Spangled Banner" performed by
- Heritage Americana Brass Band, The … Music Group, "Funeral March No. 1" and "Battle Hymn Quickstep" performed by
- Robert Garofalo … Conductor, Heritage Americana Brass Band, The
- Sam Waterston … Cast, Abraham Lincoln, Voice
- Julie Harris … Cast, Mary Chesnut, Voice
- Robards, Jason (See also: Robards, Jason, Jr.) … Cast, Ulysses S. Grant, Voice
- Morgan Freeman … Cast, Frederick Douglass, Voice
- Paul Roebling … Cast, Joshua L. Chamberlain and others, Voice
- Garrison Keillor … Cast, Walt Whitman and others, Voice
- George Black … Cast, Robert E. Lee, Voice
- Arthur Miller … Cast, William Tecumseh Sherman, Voice
- Chris Murney … Cast, Pvt. Elisha Hunt Rhodes, Voice
- Charley McDowell … Cast, Pvt. Sam Watkins, Voice
- Horton Foote … Cast, Jefferson Davis, Voice
- George Plimpton … Cast, George Templeton Strong, Voice
- Philip Bosco … Cast, Horace Greeley and others, Voice
- Terry Courier … Cast, George McClellan, Voice
- Jody Powell … Cast, Stonewall Jackson and others, Voice
- Studs Terkel … Cast, Benjamin F. Butler, Voice
- Derek Jacobi … Voice
- Jeremy Irons … Voice
- Kurt Vonnegut … Voice
- Gene Jones … Voice
- Jerome Dempsey … Voice
- Fishburne, Larry (See also: Fishburne, Laurence) … Voice
- Shelby Foote … Voice
- Betsy Apple … Voice
- Carol Craven … Voice
- Marissa Copeland … Voice
- Halo Wines … Voice
- David Marks … Voice
- Pamela Reed … Voice
- Ronnie Gilbert … Voice
- M. Emmet Walsh … Voice
- Hoyt Axton … Voice
- John Hartford … Voice
- Walt Macpherson … Voice
- Colleen Dewhurst … Voice
- Latanya Richardson … Voice
- Bradford Washburn … Voice
- Jesse Carr … Voice
- Wendy Tilghman … Voice
- Joe Mattys … Voice
- Shelby Foote … Guest
- Barbara Fields … Guest
- Ed Bearss … Guest