Back to MiniseriesA Very Bloody Affair: 1862
The Civil War · S1 E2

A Very Bloody Affair: 1862

September 24, 1990 · 69m · 5.9 TMDB
1862 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 infighting that threatened to swamp Lincoln's administration and then follows Union General George McClellan's ill-fated campaign on the Virginia Peninsula, where his huge army meets a smaller but infinitely more resourceful Confederate force. During this episode we witness the battle of ironclad ships, partake of camp life, and watch slavery begin to crumble. We meet Ulysses S. Grant, whose exploits come to a bloody climax at the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee. The episode ends with rumors of Europe's readiness to recognize the Confederacy.
1862 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 infighting that threatened to swamp Lincoln's administration and then follows Union General George McClellan's ill-fated campaign on the Virginia Peninsula, where his huge army meets a smaller but infinitely more resourceful Confederate force. During this episode we witness the battle of ironclad ships, partake of camp life, and watch slavery begin to crumble. We meet Ulysses S. Grant, whose exploits come to a bloody climax at the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee. The episode ends with rumors of Europe's readiness to recognize the Confederacy.

Guest stars

Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Self (archive footage)
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
Self (archive footage)

Crew

Ken Burns
Ken Burns
Director
Geoffrey C. Ward
Geoffrey C. Ward
Writer
Ken Burns
Ken Burns
Writer
← E1 The Cause: 1861E3 Forever Free: 1862
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