It's one of the best documentaries produced on any historical topic. It ranks up there with the BBC's The Great War and The World at War. Every ACW buff should own the DVDs. However, I do have a couple criticisms. Burns spends way too much time on Gettysburg. He could have easily edited out 15-20 minutes worth and then used that time to discuss subjects that weren't mentioned, such as Perryville, Stones River, and the Andrews Raiders, or provide additional details on Second Manassas, Chickamauga, and Franklin. My other criticism is that the series gravitates toward the Northern experience. For example, the section on the medical services entitled "She Ranks Me" is primarily about the Union medical organizations. I guess this should be expected though considering Burns' background. Another example is the narration "1862 introduced two great forces into the war: unspeakable slaughter and US Grant." What about Lee? He wasn't a great force? Overall it's a wonderful documentary.​