The Civil War: A Very Bloody Affair (1990)
**** (out of 4)
The second part of Ken Burns look at The Civil War covers topics such as: controlling the Mississippi, worries that England would side with the South, the town of Winchester Virginia changing hands 72 times, Lincoln battling his cabinet, the Merrimack, Battle Ironclad, Willie Lincoln dying, Grant taking Ford Henry and Donaldson, the Battle of Shiloh, new military weapons and the decisions of George McClellan. Once again Burns has crafted another excellent episode that's going to appeal to history buffs as well as those who are completely unfamiliar with the subject but needing to view something for either research or just curiosity. At 68-minutes this episode flies by as the viewer gets a better idea of why neither side really realized what they were in for and why so many battles were breaking out with countless men killed. The 2,477 men lost at Shiloh is discussed as well as how the new technology in weapons were so far ahead of plans that it was nearly impossible for so many not to get killed. We also hear from some soldier's letters detailing the horrors of listening to wounded soldiers sitting around in their own blood waiting to die. Once again we get some terrific narration to tell the story as well as some fabulous photos showing us some of the battles and men who fought them.