This program offers a portrait of the United States in 1860 and describes the events of the Civil War: secession and the election of Jefferson Davis; the attack on Ft. Sumter; the initial enthusiasm for a heroic, romantic war; the first two years of war, with most of the fighting taking place between Washington and Richmond; the modern aspects of the war—the use of trains, the telegraph, the camera, automatic arms, iron-clad ships and mines; the Emancipation Proclamation; and a detailed analysis of the Battle of Gettysburg—the turning point of the war which would rage on for two more years. (42 minutes)