"If we surrender, it is the end of us."—Abraham Lincoln

"We are fighting for independence, and that, or extermination, we will have."—Jefferson Davis

Union and Confederate, soldier and civilian, white, black, men, women—over one thousand voices bring all the fire and fury, the passion and power of the Civil War to unforgettable life. Those who lived it are joined by key figures of the twentieth century, adding a thoughtful, contemporary perspective to America's defining experience.