The Civil War - Season 1 - Eps 3: 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.
About The Civil War

Title: The Civil War
First Air Date: 1990-09-23
Last Air Date: 1990-09-27
Status: Ended
Rating: 8.112/10 (from 107 votes)
Language: EN
Seasons: 2
Total Episodes: 9
Network: PBS
Genres: Documentary, War & Politics, Drama
Production Companies: Florentine Films, American Documentary Films Inc., Kenneth Lauren Burns, WETA, Time-Life Video
Synopsis
A documentary on the American Civil War narrated by Ken Burns, covering the secession of the Confederacy to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
Cast

David McCullough
Narrator

Sam Waterston
Abraham Lincoln

Julie Harris
Mary Chestnut

Jason Robards
Ulysses S. Grant

Morgan Freeman
Frederick Douglass

Paul Roebling
Joshua Chamberlain

Garrison Keillor
Walt Whitman

George Black
Robert E. Lee

Arthur Miller
William Tecumseh Sherman

Christopher Murney
Elisha Hunt Rhodes