The Civil War S01E03 · Forever Free: 1862

Overview

This episode charts the dramatic events that led to Lincoln's decision to set the slaves free. Convinced by July 1862 that emancipation was now morally and militarily crucial to the future of the Union, Lincoln must wait for a victory to issue his proclamation. But as the year wears on there are no Union victories to be had, thanks to the brilliance of Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee. The episode comes to a climax in September 1862 with Lee's invasion of Maryland. On the banks of Antietam Creek, the bloodiest day of the war takes place, followed shortly by the brightest: the emancipation of the slaves.

Torrents

Subtitles

Episodes

1. 1 1. The Cause: 18611990-09-23 · 1h 40mBeginning 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
2. 2 2. A Very Bloody Affair: 18621990-09-24 · 1h 9m1862 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 infigh
3. 3 3. Forever Free: 18621990-09-24 · 1h 17mThis episode charts the dramatic events that led to Lincoln's decision to set the slaves free. Convinced by July 1862 that emancipation was now morally and militarily crucial to th
4. 4 4. Simply Murder: 18631990-09-25 · 1h 3mThe nightmarish Union disaster at Fredericksburg comes to two climaxes that spring: at Chancellorsville in May, where Lee wins his most brilliant victory but loses Stonewall Jackso
5. 5 5. The Universe of Battle: 18631990-09-25 · 1h 37mThis episode opens with a dramatic account of the turning point of war: the Battle of Gettysburg, the greatest ever fought in the Western Hemisphere. For three days 150,000 men wil
6. 6 6. Valley of the Shadow of Death: 18641990-09-26 · 1h 11mEpisode six begins with a biographical comparison of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee and then chronicles the extraordinary series of battles that pitted the two generals against
7. 7 7. Most Hallowed Ground: 18641990-09-26 · 1h 13mThe episode begins with the presidential election of 1864 that sets Abraham Lincoln against his old commanding general, George McClellan. The stakes are nothing less than the survi
8. 8 8. War Is All Hell: 18651990-09-27 · 1h 10mThe episode begins with William Tecumseh Sherman's brilliant march to the sea, which brings the war to the heart of Georgia and the Carolinas and spells the end of the Confederacy.
9. 9 9. The Better Angels of Our Nature: 18651990-09-27 · 1h 10mThis extraordinary final episode of The Civil War begins in the bittersweet aftermath of Lee's surrender and then goes on to narrate the horrendous events of five days later when,