Filmography - The Civil War and the Reconstruction era

This is a selective list of video holdings in the American University Library. Filmographies are created by doing multiple keyword searches in the catalog to capture as many titles on a topic as possible. 

For complete, up-to-date holdings please search the library catalog search box on the Media Services homepage. (http://www.american.edu/library/mediaservices/) Finding Aids on the same page includes other subject oriented content.

For more information take a look at the Streaming Video Guides and Browsing Collections. 

 

 

Confederate officers at Gettysburg. 2005.  The unknown Civil War: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (45 min.). Streaming video

The Conquerors Sherman's march to the sea. 2005.  American history in video.  1 electronic resource (50 min.). On November 15, 1864, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman left Atlanta with 62,000 men and headed toward the Georgia coast. Traveling the rail lines to Savannah, his army laid waste to the countryside, burning crops, confiscating supplies, destroying buildings, and ripping up rail tracks. When Sherman reached his destination in December, the South had been dealt a blow from which it would never recover--and the brutal general had written a chapter in military history that would be studied by generations of commanders.  Streaming video

Crater at Petersburg. 2006.  Civil War combat: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (44 min.). Streaming video       

Culp's hill/ Battle at Chickamauga. 2002.  Civil War combat: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (88 min.). Streaming video

Dan Sickles General who got away with murder. 1993  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (43 min.). Streaming video

Days of darkness The Gettysburg civilians. 2003.  History channel club: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (50 min.). They never expected the war to come to their town, but when it did, the residents of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania became heroes. Some townsment, including seventy-year-old John Burns, joined the fight, while others struggled to help the thousands of soldiers wounded during the three day battle. In aftermath, 50,000 lay dead, and the once quiet lives of the citizens of Gettyburg would never be the same. Streaming video

Death runs riot. 1996.  1 streaming video file (84 min.). This program examines the impact of slavery and the Civil War in the West. Viewers learn about "Bleeding Kansas," the "Gettysburg of the West," and how the end of the fighting brought on the beginning of the military campaign against Indians. Included are portrayals of individuals who resisted federal authority, such as Brigham Young and Black Kettle. Part of the series The West: A Film by Stephen Ives. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (84 minutes).  Streaming video

Death runs riot. 1996.  Ken Burns's The West: American history in video.  1 online resource (86 min.). Streaming video                 

Destiny at Fort Sumter. 1995.  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (46 min.). Describes the attack on Fort Sumter that began the Civil War.  Streaming video

Divided houses Families split by war. 1996.  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource(ca. 45 min.). Discusses how divided loyalties during the Civil War shattered family foundations through North and South, particularly in the border states.  Streaming video

Division. 2010.  1 streaming video file (60 min.). America became a nation just as a revolution in commerce and industry swept the Western world. This program explores the economic growth of the United States in the context of rising friction between the North and South-over the moral issue of slavery, but also over the differences between industrial power and an agricultural economy focused on cotton. With the election of Abraham Lincoln, Civil War was inevitable. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. Part of the series America: The Story of Us. (60 minutes).  Streaming video

First ladies North & South. 1995?  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (45 min.). Streaming video       

Foot soldier The rebels. 1998.  American history in video.  1 electronic resource (ca. 48 min.). "Though they were out-manned and out-supplied, they fought with a passion borne out of intense loyalty to their cause and commander, the legendary Robert E. Lee. Join "Johnny Reb" as he marches across the South, from the epic battles to the long bouts of boredom between battles. Hear fascinating excerpts from soldiers' letters and diaries. Expert analysis and extensive re-enactments offer a revealing look at life in the Confederate Army and offer insight into the heart of this heroic group of foot soldiers"-- Original container.  Streaming video

For love of liberty The story of America's black patriots. 2010.  3 videodiscs (514 min.). Gain an unprecedented look at the experiences and accomplishments of African Americans in the military, and learn why such a group of heroic men and women would fight for the freedom of others that they themselves weren't able to enjoy.  DVD 10043

Forward to Sumter The beginning of the war between the states. 1987.  1 streaming video file (52 min.). Since the penning of the Declaration of Independence, America had been steadily evolving into two distinctly different societies-and by 1861, sectional differences had reached the flashpoint. This program addresses abolitionist fervor in the industrialized North; the rising clamor for secession in the antebellum South, an agrarian economy transfigured by the cotton gin; and the political emergence of Abraham Lincoln-intertwined strands of history that, like a burning fuse, ignited the War Between the States. Commentary by Eric Foner, John Hope Franklin, Henry Steele Commager, David Donald, William Cooper, and Grady McWhiney is featured. A part of the series The Divided Union: The Story of the Civil War, 1861-1865 (5 Parts) (52 minutes).  Streaming video

Found voices The slave narratives. 1999.  1 streaming video file (21 min.). How did it feel to be bought and sold like cattle, only to be liberated with nowhere to go and no one to turn to for help? In this profoundly moving program, Ted Koppel of ABC News presents the African-American slave experience in the voices of those who knew it firsthand. Thanks to tapes-now digitally remastered-from a project undertaken during the 1930s and 40s by John Henry Falke and others, 101-year-old Fountain Hughes, who was born in 1848, and other ex-slaves give their recollections of life before Emancipation and during Reconstruction. (22 minutes).  Streaming video

Fredericksburg. 2002.  Civil War combat: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (46 min.). Streaming video                     

Freedom's road Slavery & the opposition. 1995.  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (48 min.). Streaming video

Garden of the dead Arlington Cemetery. 1993?  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (43 min.).

General James Longstreet Lee's prodigal son. 1994.  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (46 min.). Biography of James Longstreet with emphasis on his Civil War career.  Streaming video

General John Buford. 2005.  The unknown Civil War: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (57 min.). Streaming video

General Joshua L. Chamberlain. 1994.  Civil War journal II: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (100 min.). First part focuses on Joshua L. Chamberlain, a professor, who was wounded six times and accepted the Confederate troop surrender at Appomattox. Second part describes the astronomical casualties at Gettysburg and Lincoln's memorial to them. Part II - Volume II   General Joshua L. Chamberlain.  Prof. Joshua L. Chamberlain left his teaching post at Bowdoin College to tame the Rebels - and he almost did.  As a Union general, he was wounded six times, awarded the Medal of Honor, and accepted the surrender of Confederate at Appomattox." Among those interviewed:  Dr. Paul A. Hutton [Prof. U. of New Mexico], James S. Trulock [Historian], William C. Davis [Historian], Brian Pohanka [Civil War Historian], James M. McPherson [Prof. of History, Princeton University], Julia Colvin Oehmig [Curator, J. L. Chamberlain, Museum Pejepscot Historical Society], Gary Gallagher [Prof. of History, Penn State University], Chris M. Calkins [Historian].  Notes:  Produced by Melissa Jo Peltier.  Directed by Craig Haffner.  Lincoln and Gettysburg.  "What price glory?  Although a Union victor, Gettysburg resulted in astronomical casualties for both sides:  23,000 Federals, 28,000 Confederates.  Four months later, President Lincoln eloquently stated his grief for the fallen soldiers in his monumental Gettysburg Address."  Among those interviewed: Paul M. Zaul [Research Scholar, Huntington Library], Bill G. Williams [Historian, author of Days of Darkness:  The Gettysburg Civilians],  Dr. John S. Patterson [American Studies, Penn State, Harrisburg], Jim McPherson [Historian], Gary Gallagher [Historian], Gabor S. Boritt [author, Lincoln's Generals].  William A. Frassanito [Historian/author].  Streaming video

Gettysburg. 2000.  1 videodisc (254 min.). Civil War drama depicting the events and personal struggles of the Union and Confederate soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg.  Streaming video

Gettysburg Historians' roundtable. 2006.  The unknown Civil War: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (80 min.). Streaming video

Glory. 1997.  1 videodisc (ca. 117 min.). Two idealistic young Bostonians lead the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, America's first Black regiment in the Civil War.  HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 1171

Gods and generals. 2003.  1 videodisc (219 min.). Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain left behind a quiet life and a career as a college professor to fight for the Union. Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was a man of great religious faith who served in the defense of the Confederacy. And Gen. Robert E. Lee, who led the Confederate army, was a man who was forced to choose between his loyalty to the United States and his love of the Southern states where he was born and raised. As Chamberlain, Jackson, and Lee are followed through the declaration of war and the battles at Manassas, Antietam, Frederickburg, and Chancellorsville.  HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 625

Gone with the wind. 2005.  2 videodiscs (235 min.). An epic story of the South's fight to maintain it's way of life during the Civil War years. It starts out as Scarlett O'Hara and her family are amongst the ladies and "chivalrous" gentlemen at the Twelve Oaks Plantation's ball before the Civil War begins. How Scarlett's love for one man keeps her from seeing the love that another man truly has for her. As the South finally crumbles down around her, Scarlett devises a way to overcome starvation in order save herself and her family.  HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 9*

Guns of the Civil War. 1998.  Tales of the gun: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (47 min.). "The guns of the Civil War were the first modern weapons. A & E explores guns from the Gatling to the Springfield, that made combat more precise and deadly.".  Streaming video

High Tide of the Confederacy 1863, The turning point in the war. 1987.  1 streaming video file (52 min.). The Union's victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg marked a crucial turning point in the Civil War. This program thoroughly examines those pivotal campaigns, along with the Battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, the effects of the Emancipation Proclamation on both the North and South, problems within the Jefferson Davis administration, the beginnings of dissent in the South, and the treatment of prisoners of war on both sides. Commentary by James Robertson, Burke Davis, William Davis, Herman Hattaway, Grady McWhiney, and Bertram Wyatt-Brown is featured. A part of the series The Divided Union: The Story of the Civil War, 1861-1865 (5 Parts) (52 minutes).  Streaming video

The History Channel's American Civil War and, Iron jaws The killing power of Civil War artillery. 1996.  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (ca. 44 min.). Streaming video

Honor the dead unsung heroes of Gettysburg. 1997.  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (ca. 43 min.). Streaming video

Images of the Civil War. 1996.  1 streaming video file (45 min.). Based on the writings of Pulitzer Prize-winning author James McPherson, this A&E Special showcases the artwork of acclaimed artist Mort Kunstler, whose paintings and illustrations-hailed for their historical accuracy and attention to detail-offer stunning views of Civil War scenes that were left undepicted by the battlefield photographers and artists of the day. In addition, dramatic reenactments portray the chaos and brutality of major clashes such as Picket's charge at Gettysburg and the Irish Brigade's stand at Fredericksburg. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (45 minutes).  Streaming video

Immigrants and the American Civil War. 2008?  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (43 min.). Streaming video

Indian warriors The untold story of the Civil War. 2006.  1 streaming video file (48 min.). The common view of the Civil War is of a struggle between polar opposites: North vs. South, urban vs. agrarian, abolitionist vs. slaveholder. But from the conflict's origins to the complicated progression of its major events, the truth is far murkier and more complex. This A&E Special sheds light on one particularly obscure but intriguing aspect of the time: how Native Americans reacted to and participated in the War Between the States. Notable Indian combatants including Ely Parker, Stand Watie, and Henry Berry Lowery are profiled, while descendants of Native American warrior-soldiers share family lore about their ancestors' exploits. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (48 minutes).  Streaming video

Investigating history The lost battle of the Civil War. 2004.  American history in video.  1 electronic resource (50 min.). Streaming video

The Irish at Gettysburg. 2005.  The unknown Civil War: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (47 min.). Streaming video

Jefferson Davis An American president. 2008.  3 videodiscs (231 min.). "Jefferson Davis is perhaps the most misunderstood and maligned figure in United States history. One of the most outstanding statesmen of the United States during the first 60 years of the 19th century, he sacrificed everything to defend the South's position related to the rights of the states and conservative constitutional interpretation. Against staggering odds he led the South and held it together in the bloody Civil War or War Between the States. Over 620,000 Americans died in this tragic war, sometimes called a second American Revolution. The history of this period has been written mainly by the victor, however, historians are revisiting Davis and his legacy. A West Point graduate was a hero of the Mexican War, United States Senator, outstanding Secretary of War under Franklin Pierce and the only President of the Confederate States of America. Among his many contributions to this country, he is responsible for the way the National Capitol looks today and is largely responsible for the Smithsonian Institution." --film's website. A biography of statesman Jefferson Davis, examining his public, private and family life.  DVD 5006

Jennie Wade of Gettysburg. 2005.  The unknown Civil War: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (46 min.). Streaming video

John Brown's holy war. 1999.  1 streaming video file (90 min.). Martyr, madman--and murderer. John Brown led a righteous crusade against the evils of slavery yet used horrifying violence to carry out his mission. He was an extremist who was as controversial and misunderstood in the mid-1800s as he is to this very day. To his supporters, John Brown was a saint; to his opponents he was an insane murderer. His 1859 raid on the armory at Harpers Ferry sparked a chain of events that led to the onset of the Civil War. John Brown's Holy War, from the PBS American Experience collection, offers fresh insight into one of the unique figures in American history. The film is an up-close look at his fiery transition from failed businessman to a radical abolitionist. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (90 minutes).  Streaming video

Judgment day (1831--1865). 1998.  1 streaming video file (90 min.). It was the ultimate face-off between North and South--a deadly clash over race, rights, and freedom in America. This program offers an up-close look at the years that preceded the Civil War. Through individual accounts, re-creations, interviews, and photography, this program details how the rising tide of abolitionism met the deeply entrenched slave economy?a consequence that led to the armed struggle. Part of the series Africans in America. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (90 minutes).  Streaming video https://go.openathens.net/redirector/american.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdigital.films.com%2FPortalPlaylists.aspx%3Faid%3D8604%26xtid%3D44052

Lee at Gettysburg. 2005.  The unknown Civil War: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (48 min.). Streaming video          

Lee's commanders. 2005.  The unknown Civil War: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (51 min.). Streaming video       

Lincoln and Gettysburg. 1995.  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (48 min.). Discusses the casualties at Gettysburg and Lincoln's memorial to the men who died there.  Streaming video

Major General C.A. Willoughby. 1953.  Chronoscope: American history in video.  1 online resource (15 min.). Streaming video      

McClellan's Way. 1997?  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (43 min.). Streaming video                 

Michael Shaara The soul of a writer. 2005.  The unknown Civil War: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (44 min.). Streaming video

The monitor vs. the CSS Virginia the gray ghost : John Singleton Mosby. 1993.  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (84 min.). First part describes the clash of ironclad ships. Second part depicts Mosby whose development of guerilla warfare extended the conflict by six months.  Streaming video

Mr. Lincoln's butcher General Ulysses S. Grant. 1994?  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (47 min.). Streaming video

Nathan Bedford Forrest. 1994.  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (48 min.). Focuses on the ruthless military career of Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest .  Streaming video

New York, 1825-1865 Order and disorder. 2003.  1 streaming video file (120 min.). This episode of New York: A Documentary Film details New York's enormous growth as a booming commercial center and multi-ethnic port, and the mounting tensions that set the stage for the nation's bloodiest riot. Filmmaker Ric Burns examines how New York City swelled into the nation's greatest industrial metropolis as a massive wave of German and Irish immigration turned the city into one of the world's most complex urban environments, bringing with it a host of new social problems. The program reveals how the city's artists, innovators and leaders, from poet Walt Whitman to Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux (the designers of Central Park) grappled with the city's growing conflicts?which culminated in the catastrophic Civil War Draft Riots of 1863. Part of the series New York: A Documentary Film. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (120 minutes).  Streaming video

New York divided Slavery, the Civil War, and King Cotton. 2007.  1 streaming video file (12 min.). Although slavery was abolished in New York State on July 4th, 1827, America's slave-based cotton trade was not, as bales from the South continued to enter New York City for transshipment to Europe. In this program, James Oliver Horton, historian emeritus at the Smithsonian, talks with NewsHour correspondent Gwen Ifill about slavery's impact on New York City during the first half of the 19th century. Economically dependent on King Cotton, it was a place divided between abolitionism and African-American civil rights on the one hand, and immense commercial profits on the other. The proposed secession of New York City from the United States is addressed. (11 minutes).  Streaming video

The Petersburg campaign. 2005.  The unknown Civil War: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (46 min.). Streaming video

The photographers' war The North. 2006.  The unknown Civil War: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (46 min.). Streaming video

The photographers' war The South. 2006.  The unknown Civil War: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (46 min.). Streaming video

Pickett's charge. 1995.  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (50 min.). Examines the spectacular failure of Pickett's charge on Cemetery Ridge at Gettysburg. Streaming video

Picture perfect The pomp and vision of Mathew Brady. 1995?  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (48 min.). Streaming video

Prelinger archives The Civil War 1954.  1 streaming video file (15 min.). This Prelinger Archives film is a 1954 dramatization of important battles and military events of the Civil War, using Hollywood-style on-location cinematography as well as reenactments which, although not full-scale battle replications, still effectively convey a sense of the conflict. With the help of eloquent narration, viewers are given an understanding of the social, economic, and geographical factors that led to, prolonged, and eventually ended the war. Animated map graphics and intermittent color photography are used. Encyclopaedia Britannica Films. (15 minutes).  Streaming video

Preserving the past A Civil War journal special. 1994.  American history in video.  1 electronic resource (50 min.). Learn about the campaigns of the Civil War and the battlefields that the war was fought on and how modern development is threatening to destroy those historical sites. Streaming video

The Presidents 1849-1865. 2005.  1 streaming video file (45 min.). This program examines the most turbulent period in all of U.S. history: when the volatile issues of states rights and slavery propelled the nation into all-out civil war. The video highlights the rough-hewn style of Zachary Taylor, the compromising weaknesses of Millard Fillmore and Franklin Pierce, the near-treasonous administration of James Buchanan, and the presidency of Abraham Lincoln-America's first war president and the savior of the republic. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. A part of the series The Presidents. (45 minutes).  Streaming video

 

next