Civil War Journal Season 2, Episode 15: Terrible Swift Sword: The Union Cavalry

1

Robert E. Lee

The legend, the myth, and the reality behind the Confederate leader renowned as much for his exalted character and leadership qualities as his tactical brilliance on the battlefield.

60 min

2

Sherman and the March to the Sea

From the glow of burning Atlanta to the capture of Savannah, this documentary chronicles the scorched-earth policy of one of the Union's most effective--and feared--generals.

60 min

3

General Joshua L. Chamberlain

Find out how a quiet academic from Maine rose to fame on the battlefield, including his heroism at Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg.

60 min

4

Lincoln & Gettysburg

Chronicling the July 1863 Battle of Gettysburg and President Lincoln's celebrated address at the site on Nov. 19 of that year. Included: skirmishes at Little Round Top and Devil's Den; Gen. Pickett's charge on the Union line at Cemetery Ridge.

60 min

5

Battlefield Medicine

The Civil War soldier's deadliest foe--disease. Typhoid and dysentery claimed more lives than battlefield wounds, and poor diet, unsanitary conditions, and emotional strain took a deadly toll.

60 min

6

The Battle of Fredericksburg

How a bumbling military bureaucracy undermined Union General Ambrose Burnside's strategy, leaving his troops exposed to decimation by Robert E. Lee's Confederate forces.

60 min

7

Frederick Douglass

A profile of abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

60 min

8

Reporting the War

How did journalism shatter the romantic notion of war? Explore how the work of Alfred Waud, Winslow Homer, and other talented reporters, artists, and photographers brought tragedy home.

60 min

9

The Battle of Chattanooga

The Battle of Chattanooga (Nov. 23-25, 1863), in which Union troops led by Gens. U.S. Grant and George H. Thomas crushed the Confederates at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. The victory is considered a turning point because it enabled the North to split the eastern part of the Confederacy.

60 min

10

Women at War

In the midst of great hardship, women from both the North and South were inspired to join the war effort, taking on surprising new roles either in factories or on the frontline.

60 min

11

Nathan Bedford Forrest

The controversial Confederate Army hero who was called "the most remarkable man our Civil War produced on either side" by General Sherman, and who later became Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.

60 min

12

The Battles of Franklin & Nashville

The spectacular defeat of the Army of Tennessee in 1864 as Union soldiers held off charging brigades at Franklin, then destroyed Confederate forces as large numbers of civilian spectators looked on.

60 min

13

Zouaves!

The saga of the most flamboyant troops of the Civil War, who modeled themselves after the fierce tribes of Algeria, and used brilliant tactics and dashing drills to fight on both sides.

60 min

14

Shadows of Lightning: J.E.B. Stuart & the CSA Cavalry

He was a hero to the South, a terror to the North and an idol to his men. This is the story of a man who led by example and brought honor and glory to his men in one victory after another.

60 min

15

Terrible Swift Sword: The Union Cavalry

Traces the history of the federal cavalry from its disastrous performance at the beginning of the war to its coming of age at Brandy Station, under leaders like Generals Buford and Sheridan.

60 min

16

The Secret War: Civil War Spies

During the Civil War, men and women from both the North and South worked as espionage agents, greatly influencing the course of history.

60 min

17

War Crimes: The Death Camps

Explore the prisoner camps in both North and South, where captured soldiers suffered from harsh, brutal conditions that often led to death.

60 min

18

The Traitor President: Jefferson Davis

The life and times of the former U.S. senator and one-time U.S. secretary of war who, as President of the Confederate States, was tasked with leading the South's war effort.

60 min

19

General James Longstreet: Lee’s Prodigal Son

Story of the masterful soldier and aide to Robert E. Lee, whose understanding of warfare foretold its style in the 20th century.

60 min

20

Garden of the Dead: Arlington Cemetery

Learn the story behind how Confederate General Robert E. Lee's home eventually became the official military cemetery of the United States.

60 min

21

The Battle of Charleston

Symbolically important because the first shots of the war were fired in the city, the North attacked for years but could not shake the will of the citizens or soldiers who fought overwhelming odds.

60 min

22

The Battle and Siege of Vicksburg

The story of the horrific fight for the strategically vital Mississippi city. Under heavy bombardment, the streets flowed with blood as civilians fled to find shelters in the cliffs and caves.

60 min

23

Caught in the Maelstrom: Civilians in the War

Explore the deadly toll the Civil War had on civilians, including how sharpshooters at Gettysburg accidentally killed Jenny Wade and a 73-year-old Gettysburg resident John Burns who takes up arms to defend his town.

60 min

24

The Taking of New Orleans

The North laid siege to the port early in the war and the city fell in 1862 but fighting continued for three more years.

60 min

25

The Superb General Hancock

Profile of Union General Winfield Scott Hancock, whose extraordinary career included the Mexican War, western expansion, the Civil War, and the period of Reconstruction.

60 min

26

Iron Jaws: Killing Power of Civil War Artillery

The war's powerful weapons and their deadly toll. Rifled cannons made their first appearance in the Civil War, while ranks of charging infantry were chewed to pieves by the artillery's iron jaws.

60 min