Civil War: The Untold Story produced by Chris Wheeler (review)

Produced by Chris Wheeler and narrated by Elizabeth McGovern, Civil War: The Untold Storyis a five-part series that seeks to examine the war’s western campaigns between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. The documentary, which asserts that the Civil War was won in the West, bases its argument on the contextual military and political events in the East. Because it draws on commentary from academics and public historians and utilizes quality graphics and historical reenactments, the documentary is an easily accessible resource for the public, historic sites, and educators. However, like other similar documentaries it delivers little in the way of new arguments or source material.

Episode 1, “Bloody Shiloh,” begins by introducing slavery as the war’s cause, and the foundation Wheeler revisits throughout the series. After discussing the socioeconomic situation in a post-Revolutionary America, the documentary exposes the viewers to the tumultuous antebellum political world and brings those arguments to a head on the field at Shiloh. This is indicative of the documentary’s most impressive feature—aided by graphics, Wheeler seamlessly ties the political environment into the martial maneuvers, providing a clear picture and larger contexts.

From Shiloh to the capitulation of Atlanta, an impressive array of academic and public historians skillfully illustrates the West’s strategic value and the systematic destruction of the Confederacy. This impressive panel includes James Ogden and Stacy Allen, both National Park Service historians, as well as Eric Jacobson of the Battle of Franklin Trust. Allen Guelzo of Gettysburg College and Amy Murrell Taylor of the University of Kentucky are two of several other notable historians featured as well. In the classic form of documentaries, these historians provide the narrative with succinct observations and authority. The second episode, “A Beacon of Hope,” highlights the plight of slaves through a discussion of contraband camps, slave agency, and the emergence of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Reenactments are an attractive feature throughout the series. Though sometimes distracting, this aspect stands to engage younger or less interested audiences by adding color and theatrics beyond the sepia tones and dry recitations typically found in documentaries. Episode 3, “The River of Death,” effectively utilizes these vignettes as it covers the siege of Vicksburg. Unlike other contemporary documentaries, this one reconstructs the landscape and material culture in great detail.

Episode 4, “The Death Knell of the Confederacy,” covers the deterioration of the Confederacy’s western borders and armies through the fall and winter of 1863. In this context, Elizabeth McGovern’s narration is refreshing. Her clear, dynamic voice complements the action sequences (especially at Chickamauga) and adds an almost empathetic tenor to the film—a clear departure from traditionally male-narrated military histories. This also intuitively reminds us of women’s roles in the war, highlighted by a few short accounts in the series. One exchange revolves around a non-slaveholding Confederate officer named Calloway and his wife, evoking the effect of war and loss on the domestic front.

“With Malice toward None,” the final episode, covers the Atlanta campaign, the March to the Sea, and the Confederacy’s capitulation. Wheeler is again able to distill the information and present a clear picture by stressing the implications of Union military setbacks in the political sphere, noting that if Lincoln had lost the 1864 election, the Emancipation Proclamation and the subsequent future of 4 million slaves would have been jeopardized. Though more hurried than the preceding episodes, this installment ties all the threads of the series together. McGovern’s narration appropriately concludes on the battlefield landscapes of the West with the nation’s first reunions and preservation efforts.

Overall, Civil War: The Untold Storyis a well presented, visually stimulating, and accessible resource concerning the western theater campaigns. Critically, it omits several important events in the western theater and, despite the promise of telling an “untold story,” does not introduce a new argument—be it martial or sociopolitical. However, as illustrated by the film’s ensuing popularity...