Plot Synopsis

Narrated by Elizabeth McGovern, CIVIL WAR: THE UNTOLD STORY is a five-hour documentary series that examines the war through the lens of the Western Theater -- the battles in the strategic lands between the Appalachians and Mississippi River -- by using re-enactments, 2D and 3D graphics, archival imagery, and expert commentary from Civil War historians and scholars. THE UNTOLD STORY tells the stories of Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chickamauga, Atlanta, and other battles in lands then known as the West. Plus, this series provides new insights into the relatively unknown roles African Americans played in the conflict -- from enslaved to emancipated to soldier -- while also chronicling the presidential campaign of 1864 in which Abraham Lincoln was nearly defeated. Oregon Public Television was the first channel to broadcast the program, showing the first episode on Tuesday, April 1, 2014 at 1pm PT. Later that same day, KPBS in San Diego premiered the series at 11pm PT. Most other public television stations debuted the series later in April, with a few channels waiting until May or June.