Spring, 1864. The air is filled with exploding gunfire and the awful sounds of men collapsing in agony as they march forward into Hell. Relive the most vicious fighting of the Civil War, in which Ge...( read more
)neral Ulysses S. Grant forcibly reversed the tide of the conflict by paying with the blood of thousands. It was a desperate time for the Union. For three bloody years and despite their greater numbers, the troops had frequently been outmatched by the brilliant strategies of the Confederate leader, General Robert E. Lee. As General Ulysses S. Grant took charge of the Army of the Potomac that spring, he was determined to gain the upper hand in the war once and for all - no matter what the cost. Grant's relentless tactics led to furious clashes, including the Battle of the Wilderness, the Battle at Laura Hill and the fighting at the Mule Shoe and Cold Harbor. In a few short weeks, Grant sacrificed 50,000 men, more Americans than were lost during the entire Vietnam War. But his brutal strategies worked. By the time of Lee's surrender a year later, his own army of 60,000 had been decimated, reduced to a mere 7,500. These crucial weeks are authentically dramatized, using over 10,000 Civil War re-enactors, 2,000 horses, 50 cannons and heart-rending text from letters of those who were there. Filmed on hallowed ground and with riveting commentary by author Jeff Shaara (Gods and Generals) and noted Civil War expert, Edwin C. Bearss, it's a chillingly realistic experience of the final, desperate hours between North and South.
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393 ratings
DVD Release Date: October 22, 2002
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