A Must See Documentary On The Civil War

Ken Burns: The Civil War (Loved It)--So, I haven't watched many movies in the last couple of weeks, because I've been watching a documentary on the Civil War. This documentary is 9 parts, but it is a must see. I love to study history. It's one of my hobbies. I like to read about it, I love to visit these places, and I really enjoy watching documentaries and movies about history. I also like the Burns brothers. Both Ric and Ken choose subjects that interest me and do an very thorough job of giving the history and the details of the subjects they pick. This documentary is no different. It's wonderful. That's not to say it's always easy to watch. The carnage and sheer numbers of people that died during that four year war is mind boggling. Thousands of men would die in battle in the morning and then it would all repeat in the afternoon. This went on for 4 years and the total number of men dead outnumbers all other deaths in ALL of the other American wars combined. It also shows pictures, many which I had never seen before, of the soldiers, the carnage, and the people who were part of this event. I also really enjoyed the actual writings of the many of the soldiers and those they left at home. This is done through journals, letters, and memoirs of the actual players in history.

Another favorite was Shelby Foote. He was a southern historian who has written a definitive three part history of the Civil War. Mr. Burns was going to use him as a resource and liked him enough to put him in the documentary. He talks as if he knew the people he's written about and I feel he tries to be impartial even though he's southern. He criticizes and praises people on both the Blue and the Gray equally. He later said that Ken Burns made him a millionaire because sales of his books skyrocketed after this documentary premiered and I know why. His knowledge and insight were wonderful and the way he tells the stories was mesmerizing.

This is worth the time investment. It's information that any American should learn and know. It is well done. I highly recommend this to anyone.