Ashley Judd is the narrator for this episode that looks at artifacts from the side of the North. Judd tells the stories of her ancestors who were in the war. One was wounded and lost his leg. One of the interesting things of this film is the look at a doctor kit and what things would have been available. there were some pain killers, there were not antibiotics. They unfold "Old Glory" a large flag, which was hid during the war as it had stars for all the states. There is a very nice look at some of the artifacts on display from Appomattox Court House. This includes the table and chairs. I remember seeing these in person when the Smithsonian came to San Jose many years ago. Another thing that made this war more real was looking at the pictures some of the soldiers kept. Pictures were an important part of the war, with embedded artists drawing action scenes, and photographers documented the aftermath, which often included bodies.
The New York riots as a result of the draft must have been horrendous; especially for African Americans. A unit of regular soldiers had to but a stop to things, but over 200 people had died. I really enjoyed this movie. It did not rely on actors, but on artifacts which are only found in the Smithsonian. Although there were at times actors showing what happened.
A tidbit is the presentation of molds of Abraham Lincoln's hands after his death. he had very large hands. We are also shown pictures of some of the women who fought in the Civil War, disguising themselves as men. There were at least 20.
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