ETV to Air “America’s Iliad: The Siege of Charleston”

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ETV to Air "America's Iliad: The Siege of Charleston," the Epic Story of the Battle for the Holy City During the Civil War

For Immediate Release
April 16, 2007

Columbia, SC..."Here was groaning, there, shouts of triumph, as men slew and men were slain, and the earth ran with blood." Although originally appearing in Homer's epic poem The Iliad, Mike Kirk, the director of a new film about the Civil War, says these word--and much of the poem for that matter--almost predicted the events that would unfold centuries later in the Holy City during the United States' bloodiest conflict.

In America's Iliad, The Siege of Charleston, which debuts as part of ETV's Southern Lens series on Thursday, May 10 at 9 p.m., Kirk finds many parallels between the brutal battle for control of Charleston and the vicious war that waged against the mythic city of Troy. "It's amazing how similar it is," said Kirk, comparing events such as the conflagration that destroyed both cities. "It's almost as if it (The Iliad) were written during the Civil War."

While drawing such comparisons, the two-hour documentary, which is narrated by the Oscar-nominated actor Tom Berenger (Platoon, The Big Chill), also dispels some popular Civil War myths that have long been accepted as fact.

One such myth purports that a breakout of smallpox in Columbia moved the Secession Convention to Charleston. Kirk, however, says the real reason the convention relocated was simply to take advantage of the strong secessionist climate that existed in Charleston--but was lacking in Columbia--ensuring the measure would pass.

Kirk knew that Civil War buffs would be certain to scrutinize such revelations, and has backed up his program with two years of research and interviews with many of South Carolina's finest historians and experts on the Civil War. Among them are:

Dr. Stephen Wise, whose book Gate of Hell: Campaign for Charleston Harbor, 1863 gave rise to the idea for the film
Dr. Walter Edgar, ETV Radio host and acclaimed author
Dr. Eric Emerson, executive director of the Charleston Library Society
Senator Glenn McConnell, President Pro Tempore of the SC Senate
Rick Hatcher, historian for the National Park Service at Ft. Sumter

Another valuable source is the diary of Emma Holmes, a young lady who wrote prolifically and has left behind an almost daily account of Charlestonian life during the years of the Civil War.

Kirk says that unlike many wartime documentaries, America's Iliad is a far cry from the military dissections that one normally sees. Having previously produced documentaries for the History Channel (History’s Mysteries, The Wrath of God), he comments that producing this show for public television provided much more time to go beyond the battle plans and strategies, and get involved in the lives of the civilians--to show how the Civil War greatly impacted their lives.

"In this film, we have to devote some time to the movement of the military, but we don’t get into aspects like the size, make and model of every gun and cannon," said Kirk. "I wanted to bring it to a personal level and show the war's effects at every class level and from both sides of the war--soldier and civilian, black and white, North and South."

To purchase a copy of this program please go to www.etvstore.org.

South Carolina ETV is the state's public educational broadcasting network with 11 television and eight radio transmitters, and a multi-media educational system in more than 2,500 schools, colleges, businesses and government agencies. Using television, radio and the web, SCETV's mission is to enrich lives by educating children, informing and connecting citizens, celebrating our culture and environment and instilling the joy of learning.

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For more information, contact Rob Schaller at (803) 737-6556 or rschaller@scetv.org.