play_circle

wb_incandescent

S01E03: Forever Free: 1862

This episode charts the dramatic events that led to Lincoln's decision to set the slaves free. 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 as the year wears on there are no Union victories to be had, thanks to the brilliance of Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee. The episode comes to a climax in September 1862 with Lee's invasion of Maryland. On the banks of Antietam Creek, the bloodiest day of the war takes place, followed shortly by the brightest: the emancipation of the slaves.

Genres:

Documentary, War & Politics

Air Date:

Sep 24, 1990

Runtime:

77 minutes

Production:

Florentine Films , American Documentaries Inc. , Kenneth Lauren Burns , WETA , Time-Life Video

Casts:

David McCullough, Sam Waterston, Julie Harris, Jason Robards, Morgan Freeman, Paul Roebling, Garrison Keillor, George Black, Arthur Miller, Christopher Murney, Charles McDowell, Horton Foote, George Plimpton, Philip Bosco, Terry Courier, Jody Powell, Studs Terkel, Hoyt Axton, John Hartford, Colleen Dewhurst, Shelby Foote, Ronnie Gilbert, Jeremy Irons, Gene Jones, Derek Jacobi, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Pamela Reed, M. Emmet Walsh