This saga of the Civil War, from 1859 to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865, is based on the works and original materials of Pulitzer Prize winner Bruce Catton. It focuses on the trials and conflicts of that national trauma as seen through the eyes and sketches of artist John Geyser, whose own family is torn apart by conflicting political sentiments. This acclamied television production was filmed entirely on location with 160 characters and over 6,300 extras.