'Death and the Civil War' review: grim

How did the vast slaughter of "our young sons, once so handsome and joyous" -- in the words of one stricken correspondent of the time -- change America and the way the nation viewed both its war dead and itself? As Gilpin notes, "the bureaucracy of death" would transform the federal government, which during the war had absolutely no capacity to handle casualties, much less recover their remains. Before the war, there was -- historians explain -- a "good way to die," normally with loved ones gathered around; death in battle however meant anonymity, with bodies left to be ravaged by the elements. Hundreds of thousands of remains finally were collected -- long after the war was over.

"Death and the Civil War" really does demand an emotional commitment on the part of viewers. Those willing to undertake that will be left with some profound insights into the Civil War -- likely fresh insights to many viewers -- and even nationhood. It also tends to erase the passage of time; history on TV has rarely felt so vivid.

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