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A Very Bloody Affair – 1862
Year
1990
Language
ENGLISH
Duration
1h 0m
Rating
TVPG
Publication Information
PBS
Summary
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. The episode follows the battle of ironclad ships, camp life and the beginning of the end of slavery. Ulysses S. Grant's exploits come to a bloody resolution at the Battle of Shiloh. The episode ends with rumors of Europe's readiness to recognize the Confederacy. Convinced by July 1862 that emancipation was now morally and militarily crucial to the future of the Union, Lincoln must wait for a victory to issue his proclamation. But there are no Union victories to be had, thanks to the brilliance of Confederate generals Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee. With Lee's September 1862 invasion of Maryland, the bloodiest day of the war takes place on the banks of Antietam Creek, followed shortly by the brightest -- the emancipation of the slaves.