THE CIVIL WAR: This Mighty Scourge Of War

This epic recounting of America’s Civil War has been hailed as a landmark in documentary film-making and incorporates more than 16,000 archival photographs, innumerable period paintings, lithographs and newspaper headlines.

These are combined with old newsreels of veterans, contemporary scenes of the battle sites and first-person quotes read by a chorus of extraordinary voices including Derek Jacobi, Jeremy Irons, Morgan Freeman and many more.

The series tells the dramatic story of America’s struggle to preserve the Union and erase the stain of slavery - at the cost of 620,000 lives. What began as a bitter dispute over Federalism and state rights ended as a profound struggle over the meaning of freedom itself.

In this Episode, congress passes the 13th Amendment, confirming the Abolition of Slavery and the inauguration of Abraham Lincon. All around him, the scourge of war was causing famine and destruction but the Confederates won another victory and Lincoln rejoiced quietly in Washington.