Filmography - The Civil War and the Reconstruction era

seancThis 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. 

The red badge of courage. 2003.  1 videodisc (69 min.). The story of Henry Fleming and his grappling with fear and courage as a Union Army recruit during the Civil War.  HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 7229

Reporting the war. 1994.  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (45 min.). Examine the newspapers and journals of the Civil War era and discover how they forever changed the outlook and face of American journalism.  Streaming video

Ride with the devil.  2000.  1 videodisc (139 min.). In a no man's land on the Missouri/Kansas border, a staunch loyalist, an immigrant's son, a freed slave and a young widow form an unlikely friendship as they learn how to survive during the Civil War, in a place without rules. Feature film. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 114

Roots. 2007.  1 videodisc (191 min.). Follows several generations in the lives of a slave family. The sage begins with Kunta Kinte, a West African youth captured by slave raiders and shipped to America in the 1700s. The family is depicted up until the Civil War where Kunte Kinte's grandson gains his emancipation.  HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 6121 - 6124

Roots of resistance.  2001.  1 streaming video file (90 min.). Before the Civil War broke out, and during it as well, the "Underground Railroad" operated as an effective, secret network for African-Americans to escape the bonds of slavery. Roots of Resistance, from the PBS American Experience collection, chronicles the workings of the Underground Railroad, from its creation and support by ex-slaves and white abolitionists, to its up-close portrayal of the life-risking dash for freedom in the darkness. Highlights include archival photos, commentary by historians, and interviews with descendants of slaves and slave owners of a plantation in North Carolina. Distributed by PBS Distribution.  Streaming video

Save our history fight for honor: Great Civil War battlefields. 1998.  1 streaming video file (45 min.). For more than a century, Civil War battlefields have stood as important reminders of a time when America, tearing itself apart over sectional differences, nearly ceased to be. But the ever-increasing suburban sprawl along America's eastern seaboard is rapidly encroaching on these hallowed sites. This program travels to the most threatened sites to draw attention to a new war: a struggle between developers hoping to pave over Civil War battlefields and preservationists working to save and restore what is left of them. What does it mean when a country chooses to not preserve certain historic sites? And can its citizens fully comprehend, or honor, the sacrifice of the fallen soldiers without saving the soil where they gave their lives? Distributed by A&E Television Networks. Streaming video

The secret war Civil War spies. 1996.  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (ca. 42 min.). Subject to death if found guilty of treason, Civil War spies risked their lives in the name of their cause. Discover the inventive way these brave women and men furtively uncovered secrets that benefited their cause.  Streaming video       

Shadows of lightning J.E.B. Stuart & the CSA Cavalry. 1994.  American history in video.  1 electronic resource (42 min.). Traces Jeb Stuart's Civil War activities.  Streaming video

Shays' rebellion America's first Civil War. 1996.  1 streaming video file (45 min.). In 1786, a Revolutionary War veteran named Daniel Shays, disenchanted by crushing debt and taxes, led an uprising against the government. This program examines Shays' Rebellion, as it came to be called, and the chaotic post-war era that inspired it. General George Washington's return to public life to fill the nation's power vacuum is addressed as well. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. A part of the series 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America.  Streaming video           

Sherman's March. 2007.  1 streaming video file (95 min.). Known affectionately as "Uncle Billy" by Union soldiers but reviled in the South as a brutal war criminal, General William Tecumseh Sherman is one of the truly enigmatic and complex figures in the American pantheon. His legacy was built during a five-week campaign of terror and destruction that ranks as one of the most daring endeavors in U.S. military history. Combining breathtaking reenactments with analysis from leading historians, this A&E Special retraces the steps of the 60,000 Union soldiers who stormed through the heart of the south, determined to bring an end to the bloody Civil War. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (95 minutes).  Streaming video

Shiloh. 2005-2008.  The unknown Civil War: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (99 mins.). Describes the Battle of Shiloh.  Streaming video

Simply murder, 1863 The universe of battle, 1863. 2004.  1 videodisc (157 min.). Simply murder, 1863: The episode begins with the nightmarish Union disaster at Fredericksburg and comes to two climaxes the following spring: at Chancellorsville, Lee wins his most brilliant victory but loses Stonewall Jackson; at Vicksburg, Grant's attempts to take the city by storm are stopped. Army life and life on the home front North and South are examined. As the episode ends, Lee decides to invade the North again to draw Grant's forces from Vicksburg. The universe of battle, 1863: This episode opens with a dramatic account of the turning point of the war, the Battle of Gettysburg, the greatest ever fought in the Western hemisphere. The episode then chronicles the fall of Vicksburg, the New York draft riots, the first use of Black troops, and the western battles at Chickamauga and Chattanooga. The episode closes with the dedication of a new Union cemetery at Gettysburg, when Abraham Lincoln struggles to put into words what is happening to his people.  DVD 4733

Slavery and the making of America. 2004.  1 videodisc (ca. 60 min.). Episode 4. Looks at Civil War and Reconstruction through the experiences of South Carolina slave Robert Smalls. It chronicles Smalls' daring escape to freedom, his military service, and his tenure as a congressman after the war. As the events of Smalls' life unfold, the complexities of this period in American history are revealed. The episode shows the transformation of the war from a struggle for union to a battle over slavery. It examines the black contribution to the war effort and traces the gains and losses of newly freed African Americans during Reconstruction. The 13th amendment abolished slavery in 1865, the 14th and 15th amendments guaranteed black civil rights, and the Freedmen's Bureau offered aid to former slaves throughout the 1870s. Yet simultaneously, the formation of militant groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan threatened the future of racial equality and segregation laws began to appear across the country. Slavery's eradication had not brought an end to black oppression.  DVD 1258

The superb general Hancock. 1994.  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (45 min.). Streaming video

The taking of New Orleans. 1997.  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (ca. 44 min.). Streaming video

Terrible swift sword The union cavalry. 1997?  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (42 min.). Streaming video

They came for good A history of Jews in the United States. 2001.  1 videodisc (57 min.). Chronicles the first major split in the practice of Judaism where conservative and reform movements vied for Jewish souls, while on the battlefields of the civil war, Jews were profoundly divided along regional lines and took up arms on both sides. DVD 7382

Tillie Pierce of Gettysburg. 2006.  The unknown Civil War: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (46 min.). Streaming video

The tragedy at Cold Harbor. 2000.  Civil war combat: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (ca. 46 min.). Looks at the positioning on both sides that tempted Grant to contemplate taking Richmond if he could just break Lee's line in entrenched positions. Inaugerated the era of trench warfare for foot soldiers.  Streaming video

Trains at war. 2008.  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (44 min.). Streaming video                            

The U.S. Civil War out west. 2008.  The real west: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (44 min.). Streaming video      

Unchained memories Readings from the slave narratives. 2003.  1 videodisc (75 min.). When the Civil War ended in 1865, more than 4 million slaves were set free. By the late 1930's, 100,000 former slaves were still alive. In the midst of the Great Depression, journalists and writers traveled the country to record the memories of the last generation of African-Americans born into bondage. Over 2,000 interviews were transcribed as spoken, in the vernacular of the time, to form a unique historical record.  DVD 316

Uncle Tom's cabin. 1999.  1 videodisc (112 min.). Film version of Harriet Beecher Stowe's influential 19th century story of the pre-Civil war South was considered groundbreaking for its purely sympathetic treatment of African-Americans caught in the nightmare of slavery. Peace-loving slave Tom is forced to submit to his sadistic master, the evil Simon Legree. Helpless slaves -- raped, tortured and humiliated -- are eventually driven to rebel against their wicked oppressors.  HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 104

Union officers at Gettysburg. 2006.  The unknown Civil War: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (45 min.). Streaming video

Valley of the shadow of death, 1864 Most hallowed ground, 1864. 2004.  1 videodisc (142 min.). Most hallowed ground, 1864: The presidential campaign of 1864 that set Lincoln against his old commanding general, George McClellan. The stakes are nothing less than the survival of the Union itself: with Grant and Sherman stalled at Petersburg and Atlanta, opinion in the North has turned strongly against Lincoln and the war. But eleventh hour Union victories at Mobile Bay, Atlanta and the Shenandoah Valley tilt the election to Lincoln, and the Confederacy's last hope for independence dies. The episode also examines the prison camps, and the role of spies in the war effort. In an ironic twist, Lee's Arlington mansion is turned into a Union military hospital and the estate becomes Arlington National Cemetery--the Union's most hallowed ground. Valley of the shadow of death, 1864: Beginning with a biographical comparison of Grant and Lee, this episode chronicles the battles that pitted the two generals against each other from the Wilderness to Petersburg in Virginia, as in thirty days the two armies lose more men than both sides have lost in three years of war. With Grant and Lee finally deadlocked at Petersburg, we visit the ghastly hospitals north and south, then follow Sherman's campaign in northern Georgia. As the armies become deadlocked at Richmond and Atlanta, Lincoln's chances for re-election dim.  DVD 4734

A very bloody affair, 1862 Forever free, 1862. 2004.  1 videodisc (145 min.). A very bloody affair, 1862: 1862 saw the birth of modern warfare and the transformation of Lincoln's war to preserve the Union into a war to emancipate the slaves. Episode two begins with the political infighting that threatened to swamp Lincoln's administration and then follows Union general George McClellan's ill-fated campaign on the Virginia Peninsula where his huge army meets a smaller but infinitely more resourceful Confederate force. During this episode we witness the battle of ironclad ships, partake of camp life, and watch slavery begin to crumble. We meet Ulysses S. Grant whose exploits come to a climax at the Battle of Shiloh. The episode ends with rumors of Europe's readiness to recognize the Confederacy. Forever free, 1862: Convinced by July, 1862 that emancipation was morally and militarily crucial to the future of the Union, Lincoln must wait for a victory to issue his proclamation. But there is no Union victory to be had until Antietam, the bloodiest day of the war, followed shortly by the brightest--the emancipation of the slaves.  DVD 4732

War is all hell, 1865 The better angels of our nature, 1865. 2004.  1 videodisc (157 min.). The better angels of our nature, 1865: This episode concludes the series with Lee's surrender at Appomattox, Lincoln's assassination and the capture of John Wilkes Booth, and the fate of the series' major characters. Finally, the episode considers the consequence and meaning of the war that transformed the country from a collection of states to the nation we are today. War is all hell, 1865: This episode begins with Sherman's March to the Sea, which brings the war to the heart of Georgia and the Carolinas and spells the end of the Confederacy. In March, following Lincoln's second inauguration, Petersburg and then Richmond finally fall to Grant's army. The Army of Northern Virginia flees westward to Appomattox Court House, where Lee surrenders to Grant. The episode ends in Washington where John Wilkes Booth begins to dream of vengeance for the South.  DVD 4735

A war to end slavery. 2002.  1 streaming video file (30 min.). Heroic soldiers in blue and gray endure the bloodiest battles ever fought on American soil, as the country fights a civil war over the future of slavery. Grim battles unfold: Bull Run, Antietam, and Gettysburg. Famous generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee lead the war between the North and the South. Lincoln speaks eloquently at Gettysburg, and just a year and a half later is brutally assassinated at Ford's Theater. Part of the series Freedom: A History of US. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (30 minutes).  Streaming video

Weapons of the Civil War. 2008.  Conquest: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (23 min.). Streaming video      

The West. 2004.  5 videodiscs (707 min.). Chronicles the history of the American West, starting with the first European explorations and ending with the beginning of the 20th century. Examines the impact of the white settlers on the lives of the Native Americans and the land. Also discusses the Gold Rush, the Civil War, the building of the transcontinental railroad, the battle of Little Bighorn, and the massacre at Wounded Knee. DVD 5821-5825

Women at war. 1994.  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (48 min.). Describes the role of women in the war as soldiers, spies, nurses and providing support.  Streaming video

Yank vs. Reb Foot soldier's life. 1995.  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (45 min.). Streaming video

The Yankees. 1998.  Foot soldier: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (48 min.). Looks at military life in the Union Army during the Civil War. Discusses topics such as training, uniforms, accomodations, food, recreation, rifles, what being in a battle was like, Black soldiers, medical treatment, punishments, and fraternizing with the enemy. Humorous presentation.  Streaming video

Zouaves!  1994.  Civil War journal: American history in video.  1 electronic resource (42 min.). The film examines the mystery behind the most exotic soldiers to fight in the Civil War, the Zouaves. Dashing soldiers dressed in North African costumes copied from the French, Zouaves personified the old-fashioned notion of war as a grand adventure. Trained in acrobatic feats and dashing drills, they were popularly regarded as the embodiment of heroism and gallantry in war. Cynics, however, derided them as flashy showmen, inadequately trained in warfare. Who was right?  Streaming video