S01E06: Valley of the Shadow of Death: 1864

Episode six begins with a biographical comparison of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee and then chronicles the extraordinary series of battles that pitted the two generals against each other from the wilderness to Petersburg in Virginia. In 30 days, the two armies lose more men than both sides have lost in three years of war. With Grant and Lee finally deadlocked at Petersburg, we visit the ghastly hospitals north and south and follow General Sherman's Atlanta campaign through the mountains of north Georgia. As the horrendous casualty lists increase, Lincoln's chances for re-election begin to dim, and with them the possibility of Union victory.

David McCullough
David McCullough
Narrator (voice)
Sam Waterston
Sam Waterston
Abraham Lincoln (voice)
Julie Harris
Julie Harris
Mary Chestnut (voice)
Jason Robards
Jason Robards
Ulysses S. Grant (voice)
Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman
Frederick Douglass / John Boston (voice)
Paul Roebling
Paul Roebling
Joshua Chamberlain (voice)
Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor
Walt Whitman (voice)