The Civil War

Now on audio -- excerpts from the mega-bestselling companion volume to Ken Burns' phenomenally successful nine-part PBS Series, "The Civil War."

The Civil War is a stunning evocation of one of the most crucial times in our history, one that has recaptured the American imagination. Here are the events of a war that tore our nation asunder, from the firing of the first shot at Fort Sumter, to the siege of Vicksburg, the battles of Shiloh and Gettysburg, to Sherman's march to the sea, to the fall of Richmond. Here, too, is the story of the familiar figures who battled at the frontlines and behind the scenes: President Lincoln, Southern statesman Jefferson Davis and the brilliant generals Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. And here are glimpses into the lives of the soldiers, the slaves, the families who willingly fought against their own kin. This is an extraordinary and spectacular account of a moment in history that dramatically and forever changed America.