Shelby Foote became a celebrity after the success of this mini-series. Foote's phone number was listed in his local phone book, and he received frequent calls from fans. He never removed his number from the phone book, and received calls whenever the mini-series aired for the rest of his life.
Took six years to make. The war itself lasted four years.
George Plimpton, the voice of George Templeton Strong, is the great-great-grandson of General Benjamin Franklin Butler, voiced by Studs Terkel.
The song used as General Grant's theme is Kingdom Come (a.k.a. Year of Jubilo), a minstrel show song written in 1862 by Henry Clay Work. It has appeared in other movies, including Le chant du Missouri (1944) and several cartoon shorts by Tex Avery. The original lyrics are very offensive by modern standards; the first line is "Say, darkey, have you seen de massa wif de moustache on his face?"