"The Civil War - Episode One: The Cause (1861)" (Butler acts @ 1:09:38)

(Friday, May 24, 1861) — Union General Benjamin Butler declared slaves to be the contraband of war today when he declared them contraband at Fort Monroe, Va.

"The Civil War - Episode One: The Cause (1861)" (Feds cross Potomac @ 1:07:29)

(Friday, May 24, 1861) — Union forces cross the Potomac River and occupy Arlington Heights, the home of future Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

"The Civil War - Episode One: The Cause (1861)" (habeas corpus suspended @ 1:08:16)

(Saturday, April 27, 1861) — The writ of habeas corpus, a legal action or writ by means of which detainees can seek relief from unlawful imprisonment, was suspended by President Abraham Lincoln today in Maryland and parts of midwestern states, including southern Indiana, during the American Civil War.

"The Civil War - Episode One: The Cause (1861)" (Lee resigns at 1:02:55)

(Saturday, April 20, 1861) — Colonel Robert E. Lee turned down today an April 18 offer by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln to become a major general in the U.S. Army and resigned.

"The Civil War - Episode One: The Cause (1861)" (Baltimore riots at 1:04:04)

(Friday, April 19, 1861) — The Baltimore riot of 1861, a pro-Secession mob in Baltimore, Maryland, today attacked United States Army troops marching through the city.

"The Civil War - Episode One: The Cause (1861)" (Lincoln offers Lee command at 1:01:36)

(Thursday, April 18, 1861) — President Abraham Lincoln today offered Colonel Robert E. Lee the job of commanding the Union army.

"The Civil War - Episode One: The Cause (1861)" (Fort Sumter coverage at 50:38)

(Sunday, April 14, 1861) — Newspaper coverage of the 34-hour Battle of Fort Sumter, in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, which opened The American Civil War.

"The Civil War - Episode One: The Cause (1861)" (Fort Sumter surrender at 49:30)

(Saturday, April 13, 1861, 2:00 p.m. ET) — After 34 hours of bombardment, Fort Sumter, in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, was forced to surrender to the Confederates, ending the Battle of Fort Sumter that opened The American Civil War.