TV SERIES · 1990–1990 · USA
The Civil War
- Network
- PBS
- Seasons
- 1
- Episodes
- 9
- Studio
- Florentine Films, American Documentary Films Inc., Kenneth Lauren Burns
29 archived facts 6 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
A documentary on the American Civil War narrated by Ken Burns, covering the secession of the Confederacy to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
29 Interesting Facts About The Civil War
Interesting Facts (10)
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The song used as General Grant's theme is Kingdom Come (also known as Year of Jubilo), a minstrel show song written by Henry Clay Work in 1862. It also appeared in other films, including Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and several Tex Avery cartoons. The original lyrics are highly offensive by modern standards; the first line is "Say, darkey, have you seen de massa wif de moustache on his face?"
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Production Story (13)
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The soundtrack used as General Sherman's theme is Marching Through Georgia, which is appropriate as this iconic song was written in 1865 as apologist propaganda for his Georgian campaign of the previous year. It was written by Henry Clay Work, who also wrote the song "Kingdom Come" used as General Grant's theme.
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The song used as General Grant's theme is Kingdom Come (a.k.a. Year of Jubilo), a minstrel show song written in 1862 by Henry Clay Work. It has appeared in other movies, including Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and several cartoon shorts by Tex Avery. The original lyrics are very offensive by modern standards; the first line is "Say, darkey, have you seen de massa wif de moustache on his face?"
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The soundtrack used as General Sherman's theme is Marching Through Georgia, which is appropriate as this iconic song was written in 1865 as apologist propaganda for his Georgian campaign of the previous year. It was written by Henry Clay Work who also wrote the song "Kingdom Come" used as General Grant's theme.
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Shelby Foote became a celebrity after the success of this miniseries. His phone number was listed in the local phone book and he frequently received calls from fans. He never removed his number from the directory and continued to receive calls every time the miniseries aired for the rest of his life. Shelby Foote and Horton Foote were distant cousins; their great-grandfathers were brothers.
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The song used as General Grant's theme is "Kingdom Come" (also known as "Year of Jubilo"), a minstrel show piece written by Henry Clay Work in 1862. This song also appeared in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and in many Tex Avery cartoons. Its original lyrics are highly offensive by today's standards; the first line is "Say, darkies, have you seen de massa, wid de muffstash on his face?" The song used as General Sherman's theme, "Marching Through Georgia," was written in 1865 and is a propaganda anthem defending the previous year's Georgia campaign.
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Characters & Cast (2)
Deeper Meaning (1)
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The music used as General Sherman's theme is Marching Through Georgia, which is fitting because this iconic song was written in 1865 as propaganda apologizing for the previous year's Georgia campaign. It was written by Henry Clay Work, who also wrote "Kingdom Come," the song used as General Grant's theme.
Career & Awards (1)
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Shelby Foote became a celebrity after the success of this mini-series. His phone number was listed in his local phone book, and he received frequent calls from fans. He never removed his number from the phone book and received calls whenever the mini-series aired for the rest of his life.
Life & Family (2)
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work