A black-and-white photo showing Union troops conducting drills on snow-blanketed hills near Washington, D.C., circa 1861–65.

A comprehensive and definitive history of the American Civil War, and the recipient of 40 major film and television awards, including two Emmys and two Grammys. Fully restored and now streaming.

Watch the Civil War

1861: "The Cause"

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 states' rights, John Brown at Harpers Ferry, the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, the firing on Fort Sumter, and the jubilant rush to arms on both sides.

Full Length 100m 58s

Full Length

1861: "The Cause"

100m 58s

Beginning with a searing indictment of slavery, this first episode dramatically evokes the causes of the war, from the Cot

Full Length

1862: "A Very Bloody Affair"/"Forever Free"

141m 25s

See the birth of modern warfare and Lincoln’s war to preserve the Union transform into a war to emancipate the slaves. Fol

Full Length

1863: "Simply Murder"/"The Universe of Battle"

154m 49s

Follow Lee, Jackson and Grant through battles and northern opposition to the Emancipation Proclamation. Watch the Battle o

Full Length

1864: "Valley of the Shadow of Death"/"Most Hallowed Ground"

138m 35s

Visit ghastly hospitals in the North and South and follow Sherman’s Atlanta campaign. While causalities mount, Lincoln’s r

Full Length

1865: "War Is All Hell"/"The Better Angels of Our Nature"

134m 38s

Follow Sherman’s March to the Sea, Richmond’s fall to Grant’s army, and Lee’s surrender to Grant. Follow the events of Lin

About The Film

The Civil War, an epic nine-episode series by the award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and produced in conjunction with WETA, Washington, D.C., first aired in September of 1990 to an audience of 40 million viewers. The film is a comprehensive and definitive history of the American Civil War, and the recipient of 40 major film and television awards, including two Emmys and two Grammys.

Heralded as an unforgettable introduction to a four-year conflict fought in 10,000 places, The Civil War was five years in the making. The film vividly embraces the entire sweep of the war: the complex causes and lasting effects of America's greatest and most moving calamity, the battles and the homefront, the generals and the private soldiers, the anguish of death in battle and the grief of families at home.

Premiered on PBS: September 23, 1990

Aired Completely Restored on PBS: September 2015

Restoring The Film