American Experience--Death and the Civil War

A recent mail delivery brought a preview copy of an upcoming PBS episode of American Experience. The episode scheduled to air on September 18 from 8pm-10pm is titled Death and the Civil War. The work is directed by Ric Burns, the brother of filmmaker Ken Burns, with whom he produced The Civil War.

Based upon the book This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War (Vintage Civil War Library) written by Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust, Death and the Civil War traces the history of how the war became more deadly as it went along through the nations attempt to deal with the resulting huge death toll after the last shot was fired. With an estimate of up to 750,000 dead the country saw a nearly two and a half percent drop in population. That would translate to approximately seven million deaths today.

I have not yet watched this but am eagerly looking forward to it. I really enjoyed This Republic of Suffering and invite you to see my review here. Once I get a chance to sit down and watch this I will post my thoughts.