Civil War Journal Season 3 Episode 3 Divided Houses: Families Split by War

In Civil War Journal season 3 episode 3, titled Divided Houses: Families Split by War, viewers are taken on a journey through the lives of families who were torn apart by the Civil War. The episode examines the impact of the war on households that had members fighting for both the Union and the Confederacy, as well as families that were split along geographical lines.

Through expert interviews, period photographs and reenactments, the episode explores the emotional toll that the conflict took on families. Viewers meet the family of Mary Chesnut, a prominent South Carolina writer and Confederate sympathizer whose husband was a Unionist. The couple's opposing views on the war caused strain in their marriage, as well as within their extended family.

The episode also highlights the story of the Blair family, who had members fighting on both sides of the war. The patriarch, Francis Preston Blair, served as a political adviser to President Abraham Lincoln, while his sons fought on opposite sides of the conflict. The family's divided loyalties caused tension and conflict within their home, as well as in their wider social circle.

Another family featured in the episode is the Reams, a Virginia family whose members fought for both the Union and the Confederacy. The family's patriarch was a slave owner who had sons fight for the Confederacy, while his daughter and her husband supported the Union. The conflict within the Ream family is used to illustrate the deep divisions that existed within the Southern states themselves, which were split into pro-Union and pro-Confederacy factions.

The episode also looks at the impact of the war on families who lived in border states, such as Kentucky and Missouri. These states were hotbeds of division, with families split along ideological lines. Some families in these states even resorted to violence in order to settle their differences.

Through these stories, the episode illustrates the profound impact that the Civil War had on families across the United States. It shows how the conflict drove a wedge between loved ones, as differing views on slavery, secession and states' rights led to irreparable divisions. This emotional episode is a powerful reminder of the individuals and families who were caught in the crossfire of this pivotal moment in American history.