The Best Civil War Movies for Learning History

Our family is a bit nerdy & we love movies, so movies that are both entertaining & a little educational are a sweet spot for us. So, I like to keep my eye out for good historical movies, particularly wartime movies that my husband and sons enjoy.

The Civil War is one of the most studied periods in American history, but it was long ago enough that it’s hard to really imagine what it was like to live through it. And that’s where movies can help. While some of the titles on the list, like Gettysburg, definitely fall into the category of a war movie, others will help you imagine life in & around the Civil War era.

If you’re looking for a Civil War movie worth watching, I’d start with one of the films on this list.

Two quick notes….

Blood & violence will obviously show up in war movies. If you’re looking for a Civil War movie that is less intense, look for the movies marked with an * which indicates movies that are “lighter” watches with less violence and/or less emotionally intense. I’ve also marked movies that are rated R. Glory is PG-13, but I’d preview it because the battle scenes are fairly intense.

American Civil War Movies

At the time of writing, streaming options are accurate. If something changes, leave me a comment.

Gettysburg

Rent on AppleTV or Prime Video

This epic follows the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg through the perspectives of Union and Confederate leaders, including Joshua Chamberlain and Robert E. Lee.

Gods and Generals

Rent on AppleTV or Prime Video

A prequel to Gettysburg (above) from the same creators, follow the rise of Stonewall Jackson until his (accidental) death in 1863 by his own soldiers.

The Conspirator

Stream on Kanopy & Hoopla
Rent on AppleTV or Prime Video

The Lincoln assassination story you probably haven’t heard is the charge & trial of a female co-conspirator in the assassination, Mary Suratt. A nation against her & a reluctant lawyer, Surratt fights for the truth.

Glory

Stream on Netflix
Rent on AppleTV or Prime Video

One of the earliest Black Union Army regiments, the 54th Massachusetts fight for equal treatment and equal pay, proving themselves in a costly assault on Fort Wagner.

Cold Mountain

Stream on Paramount & Kanopy
Rent on AppleTV or Prime Video
(Rated R)

As the Civil War is nearing its end, a wounded Confederate soldier deserts his role and makes a journey home to the woman he loves. Meanwhile, she’s left to keep their mountain farm alive on her own, with the help of a resourceful drifter.

Free State of Jones

Stream on PRIME VIDEO
(Rated R)

Inspired by real events, this film tells the story of Newton Knight, a Mississippi farmer helps lead an armed rebellion of fellow disillusioned citizens in an uprising against the Confederate government.

The Outlaw Josey Wales

Rent on Prime Video

In this revenge-driven Western, farmer Josey Wales joins the Confederate army after the Union militia kills his family. When the war ends, he refuses to surrender and heads west.

Lincoln*

Rent on AppleTV or Prime Video

Rather than focusing on combat, this historical drama centers on Abraham Lincoln’s push to pass the Thirteenth Amendment through the halls of Congress.

Shenandoah*

Rent on AppleTV or Prime Video

A Virginia farmer tries to keep his large family out of a war he wants no part in, believing their neutrality will protect them. When his youngest son is mistaken for a soldier and taken prisoner, the family is pulled into the conflict anyway.

The Red Badge of Courage

Rent on AppleTV or Prime Video

Based on the classic novel, this film follows a young Union soldier wrestling with fear, courage, and what it means to face combat.

Gone with the Wind

Stream on HBO, Rent on Prime Video

Set against the backdrop of the Civil War and Reconstruction, this classic movie follows Scarlett O’Hara as she fights to survive personal and national upheaval. *A very romanticized depiction of life in the South, including racist stereotypes.

Friendly Persuasion*

Rent on AppleTV or Prime Video

A Quaker family in Indiana holds firmly to their pacifist faith, even as the Civil War creeps closer to home. When Confederate raiders threaten their community, the father and his son each have to decide what their convictions really mean.

Harriet

STREAM ON NETFLIX, Rent on AppleTV or Prime Video

Based on the life of Harriet Tubman, this drama follows her escape from slavery and her missions to lead others to freedom.

Copperhead (2013)

STREAM ON Hoopla or Prime Video, Rent on AppleTV

Set in an upstate New York farming town in 1862, this drama follows Abner Beech, a “Copperhead” (a Northern Democrat who opposes the war), as his views turn his neighbors against him Tensions boil over when his son falls for the daughter of the town’s fiercest abolitionist, and the war’s divisions play out inside one small community.

Field of Lost Shoes

STREAM ON Prime Video, Rent on AppleTV

Based on true events, this film follows a group of teenage cadets from Virginia Military Institute who are called up to fight at the Battle of New Market in 1864.

The Great Locomotive Chase (1956)*

Rent on Prime Video or AppleTV

Based on a true story, this adventure film dramatizes a daring Union raid involving trains, sabotage, and pursuit behind enemy lines.

Ride with the Devil (1999)

Rent on Prime Video or AppleTV
(Rated R)

Set in the border conflict between Missouri and Kansas, this film follows the Bushwhackers (pro-Confederacy) against the Northern Jayhawkers (pro-Union). It’s based on the novel Woe to Live On.

A Few More…

The films below are either set during the era or have the Civil War as a backdrop to the rest of the storyline.

Little Women*

Rent on Prime Video or AppleTV

Set in Massachusetts during the Civil War, this beloved coming-of-age story follows the four March sisters as they grow up while their father is away serving as an army chaplain.

Note: There are two versions of this book-to-movie adaptation, one released in 2019 and the other in 1994.

News of the World

STREAM ON PEACOCK
Rent on Prime Video or AppleTV

Set in Texas in 1870, the story follows a former Confederate soldier, Captain Kidd, who is a traveling newsreader. He meets an orphaned young girl raised by the Kiowa and escorts her back to her relatives.

True Grit

Stream on Kanopy
Rent on Prime Video or APPLETV

Set in the 1870s, teenager Mattie Ross hires a gruff U.S. Marshal to help her track down the man who killed her father.

Note: There are two versions of this movie, as well. One was released in 1969 and the other in 2010.