After watching North and South and then Gore Vidal's Lincoln, it was obvious that eventually I would have to pick up The Blue and the Gray to complete my collection of 80s mini-series about the War Between the States. This story centers around our young hero, John, who is a war correspondent for Harper's Weekly and his pal Jonas, played by Stacy Keach, who is a bit of a psychic and a scout in the army, among other things.

John has two families. His immediate family lives in Virginia while he works for his uncle in, conveniently to the plot, Gettysburg PA. John wishes to keep out of the whole thing and so becomes a war correspondent for Harpers Weekly sending back drawings. Thus he gets to visit many members of his family on both sides and watches some of them die.

The story is good and it doesn't get too unnecessarily violent or sappy. If I had any complaints it would be the fact that at times things are a little too convenient to be coincidences.

One last note, while he will never equal Raymond Massey's brilliant performance of Lincoln, Gregory Peck was, I believe, the best modern portrayal of the Great Emancipator as one is apt to find.