Civil War Journal: Set 1 (6 VHS Set)

Buy This Item Civil War Journal: Set 1 (6 VHS Set) by A&E Home Video  Available from Amazon  $99.95  on 11-26-2008     The battles have been documented, the generals lionized. We have seen the turning points and the sacrifices. Now let CIVIL WAR JOURNAL take you deeper, into the personal stories of the War Between the States. Through diaries, photographs, and factual re-enactments, you'll feel the private and intimate side of the bloody conflict in this epic set hosted by Danny Glover. Includes these Civil War storiesStonewall JacksonDestiny at Fort SumterThe Monitor vs. The CSS VirginiaThe Gray Ghost: John Singleton MosbyThe 54th MassachusettsMcClellan's WayAlexander Gardner: War PhotographerJohn Brown's WarThe Battle of 1st Bull RunPickett's ChargeDays of Darkness: The Gettysburg CiviliansBanners of GloryWest Point Classmates Civil War Enemies Reader Reviews I have been studying the American Civil War for the last 5 years, reading the literary canon on the topic and watching any documentary, docu-drama, and major fiction titles available, and I can honestly say that Civil War Journal is far and away the best comprehensive documentary on the subject. It exceeds even Ken Burns' work in that it is far more detailed while managing to remain accessible to the common person. If it is lacking in any respect, it is that it does not approach the type of detailed that a historian might required - but then again, that is not its purpose, I don't think. It is designed to be half multi-media classroom material, and half documentary-entertainment for the interested. I would be surprised if anyone who is interested in the subjects of the various episodes but not already an expert would be either not satisfied with what is presented or would not find himself with a good, solid foundation for beginning more serious research. It's one of those works that takes the lay person about as far as he would like to go in to studying the Civil War, just short of reaching the type of detail and in-depth questions that an academic might require or ask. It's overall an excellent work that goes beyond mere summary while still managing not to drown the viewer in uninteresting details. It does this by telling each episode as a kind of story while incorporating many relevant historical facts and interesting trivia, mixing vintage photography with re-enactments and voice-overs by voice-actors representing the characters of the time, all garnished with the perspective and analysis of top Civil War academics, such as James McPherson and Brian Pohanka, to help provide context which allows modern viewers to understand the perspectives and outlooks of the Civil War's contemporaries. Equally important are the subjects of each episode, which are chosen to address not only the important major chapters of the Civil War (e.g., Gettysburg), but also to spotlight the war's pivotal figures without an emphasis on any one type, such as politicians or soldiers, but rather all of the people who made those times what they were, from the common soldiers to photographers to politicians to soldiers to spies to social figures to artists, and so on. For my part, I would be pleased if this series was used as manadatory classroom viewing to help young Americans understand the bloodiest conflict in American history, and to help them understand how the war made America what she is today. Overall, an excellent choice for either Civil War history neophytes and the non-academic Civil War buff alike. If anyone has even a passing interest in the Civil War in general, or even just history, American history, military history, or just likes well put-together historical documentaries, then this is a series for them. Even if a viewer's interest is just in a particular subject, such as a particular battle, for example, then the relevant episodes are put together in such a was as to be able to stand on their own and be viewed independently, without losing much from not having seen the rest of the series.

Civil War Journal: Set 1 (6 VHS Set) Available from Amazon Price: $99.95 Updated on 11-26-2008.

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