Watching the Civil War by Ken Burns again...

Thank you PBS! Again I call for the National Endowment for the Arts budget to be tripled!

The Civil War. I probably watch it once a year. Still get choked up when I watch the first few minutes. It starts out by making statements like "three million men fought in it and two percent of the population died in it."

I still can't believe how Ken Burns made it happen. Ken created or popularized the effect of taking a photograph and showing it close up and then slowly fading it with stunning effect. Since there is no footage, all we have is photographs and words, the diaries of so many soldiers and wives. One soldier fought throughout the war until it was over and left a stunning account. His name was Elijah Hunt Rhodes.

I think about Mary Chestnut's words spoken by Julie Harris, who also kept a careful diary documenting it from the standpoint of the South. I also think of the poet Walt Whitman wandering the fields and reporting the horror of it all..and it was horrible.
I hear the voice of outrage of Frederick Douglas' words spoken by Morgan Freeman. Now he is nominated for an Oscar for his performance as Mandella in "Invictus"

If you haven't watched it yet...take it on, take your time. I doubt you will ever forget it.