Suggested Films

Documentaries

The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns, 1990 (680 min) (TV-PG) This TV miniseries documentary from PBS traces the course of the Civil War from the abolitionist movement through all of the major battles to the beginnings of Reconstruction.

Civil War Combat: America’s Bloodiest Battles, 2011 (200 min) (NR) This series explores four particularly harrowing battles of the Civil War: Shiloh, Antietam, Gettysburg, and Cold Harbor. Filmed on location, the Civil War reenactments provide insight into how the war might have looked to the soldiers who fought it.

Gettysburg and Stories of Valor: Civil War Minutes III, 2004 (180 min) (NR) This documentary covers the Gettysburg battlefield, examines rare Civil War artifacts, and tells the personal stories of the men who fought in the war.

Civil War Minutes: Confederate, 2007 (75 min) (NR) These episodes feature the rarely told stories and artifacts of Confederate soldiers.

Civil War Minutes: Union, 2011 (180 min) (NR) This series examines the lives of Union soldiers throughout the Civil War.

The Underground Railroad, 1999 (95 min) (NR) This TV documentary tells the story of the Underground Railroad, an informal network of people and hiding places that helped African American slaves escape the American South.

Dramas

Gone with the Wind, 1939 (238 min) (PG) Set during the Civil War and Reconstruction, this American classic examines the tensions that underlay the conflict through the lens of a love story.

Gettysburg, 1993 (271 min) (PG) This film walks through the battle of Gettysburg focusing on Confederate General Robert E. Lee and Lieutenant General James Longstreet, and Union Colonel Joshua Chamberlain. It explores not only the battle itself but also the historical context surrounding the war.

Gods and Generals, 2003 (219 min) (PG-13) This film follows the rise and fall of legendary Confederate war hero Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson from 1861 to 1863. Prequel to Gettsyburg.

Glory, 1989 (122 min) (R) This film tells the story of the 54th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, an all-African American unit comprised of Northern freemen and escaped slaves. It focuses on their brave assault on the Confederate Fort Wagner in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1863.

Cold Mountain, 2003 (154 min) (R) This Civil War love story follows the perilous journey of a wounded Confederate soldier trying to return home to his sweetheart in North Carolina.

Ride with the Devil, 1999, (138 min) (R) This drama, taking place in divided Missouri, follows the “irregular” warfare that was fought during the Civil War. It explores the division between the bushwhackers and the jayhawkers and the tension between those who participated in the Civil War outside of the context of the Northern-Southern division.

Andersonville, 1996 (167 min) (NR) This TV movie tells the story of the most notorious Confederate prisoner-of-war camp during the Civil War.